steel city showdown

As expected, the awards are starting to pile up for Landon Collins.

Fresh off a spectacular month, the Giants’ secondyear safety on Thursday became the f irst safety in franchise history to be named NFC Defensive Player of the Month.

Collins — who already has won two conference player of the week designations this season — claimed the monthly award for November after recording 30 tackles (23 solo), a sack and three interceptions in four games.

According to the NFL, Collins is the first safety with at least 30 tackles, three interceptions and a sack in a calendar month since the Eagles’ Brian Dawkins in December 2006.

Collins certainly has the attention of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Giants at Heinz Field.

“Yeah, I think that Landon [Collins] is maybe the defensive player of the year,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday on a conference call. “The way he’s playing football right now is awesome — interceptions, sacks, tackles, PBUs [ pass breakups], all of those things. He is a guy that is a force to be reckoned with.”

The Giants won’t hesitate to have Odell Beckham Jr. return punts again Sunday after he returned three in last week’s victory over the Browns, according to special teams coordinator Tom Quinn.

“Any position on the field you’re susceptible to injury,” Quinn said. “It’s not like one has more risk than the other.”

Beckham returning punts likely will depend on whether Dwayne Harris (wrist) is able to play against Pittsburgh.