As expected, the awards are starting to pile up for Landon Collins.
Fresh off a spectacular month, the Giants’ second-year safety on Thursday became the first 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.”
Kicker Robbie Gould has turned into a liability, missing three extra-point attempts in the past two games. That is as many missed PATs as the ex-Bear missed the previous three seasons combined.
Now, Gould must contend with the turf at Heinz Field, which is widely considered one of the worst surfaces in the league.
“I think it’s a matter of trusting my keys and the things that I know I did in the first couple of weeks here, and then just transitioning it into the game,” said Gould, who was signed in October to replace Josh Brown.
“It’s not confidence,” Gould added in a conversation Thursday with The Post. “I’ve been doing this for 12 years. I’ve made kicks and missed kicks. You don’t want to miss any, but sometimes it happens. Obviously, I don’t want it to happen anymore.”
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.
“It’s something he likes doing, and there’s a lot of people around the league that [have key starting receivers return punts],” Quinn said of Beckham. “He’s an explosive player any time he gets his hands on the ball.”