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Giants - Seahawks
Game 5 preview
Sunday Oct 6, 4:25 PM - Giants at Seahawks

Giants (1-3) Seahawks (3-1)
The Seahawks had a Monday night matchup with the Detroit Lions who were favored to win. In a high scoring game, Detroit did just that, winning over Seattle 42-29.
The Giants have taken a lot of losses in recent years to the Dallas Cowboys. Their last game on a Thursday night was no exception, and they were on the losing end of a 20-15 score.

Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks had never won a Super Bowl until Pete Carroll took over as head coach. In his first three years there he led the team to two Wildcard wins, and in the fourth he took it all. The 2013 season ended with the Seahawks winning Super Bowl XLVIII. They were back the following year, but lost that one to the Patriots. In the playoffs every year since then except for two, they haven't gotten past the Divisional playoff game.
Ownership made a change this offseason, and Carroll was moved to an advisory position. Former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald took over as head coach. His defensive unit there was ranked at first and third in points allowed over the last two seasons. Seattle's defense had dropped to 25th in both those years. So far this year the head coaching change has looked to be a good move.

Seattle Seahawks Offense
They traded Russell Wilson to Denver in 2022 for three players and four draft picks. One of those players was Drew Lock, who was expected to be the starter. Pete Carroll surprised many when he inserted backup quarterback Geno Smith in that position instead. People saw that Carroll might be right when Smith opened the season with a Monday night win over Wilson in Seattle. Smith went on to lead the NFL with his 69.8 completion percentage. Smith's numbers dropped a bit last year and he had some injuries that caused him to miss games. So far this year, though he's thrown just 4 touchdowns and has 4 interceptions, his other numbers are as good as his first as a starter. Smith also had new career highs in his passing attempts, completions and yards against Detroit.
DK Metcalf is the most targeted receiver, and he led the team last year in yards per catch and with 8 touchdowns. Metcalf is doing much the same this year, 36 targets and he has 2 touchdowns. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has seen the ball come his way 33 times, and Tyler Lockett 26. Those 95 targets have resulted in 67 completions for 791 yards and 37 first downs. Nearly two thirds of Smith's passes are directed at those three wide receivers. Running back Zach Charbonnet is Smith's next favorite and has caught nearly every pass, 15 of 17, and has 1 touchdown receiving and 3 rushing. Kenneth Walker, despite missing the first two games, is the lead running back as he was last year with 8 touchdowns, and already has 4 touchdowns in just two games.

Seattle Seahawks Defense
They are coming off a game where they allowed the opposing quarterback a completion on every pass thrown. Jared Goff set an NFL record by completing all 18 of his passes for 292 yards (16.2 avg), and had two touchdowns. Seattle did sack Goff 3 times, including one that forced a safety, but they gave up 42 total points. They had allowed just 43 points in the first three games they played, all wins. Injuries up front did not help Seattle's efforts to slow Golf down. They were playing without Boye Mafe, second to Derick Hall, with 3 sacks to his 4, and also missing former Giant Leonard Williams and rookie Byron Murphy II.
Quarterback pressures were down without them.
The secondary can be tough, with cornerback Devon Witherspoon showing why he was the number five overall pick in 2023. There's also Riq Woolen who has 1 interception, and former Giants safety Julian Love, who has another, for the team's total of two on the season. The Seahawks defense against the run was 30th and 31st in the last two years. Aside from their week two game, where the Patriots rushed for 185 yards against them, the Seahawks have improved and currently are in the upper half of the rankings.

Giants Offense
They have to start putting some points up on the board. However you view Daniel Jones overall numbers, and his many connections with Malik Nabers, he's been criticized for not connecting with his deep passes. Nabers has been targeted on 52 of Jones 144 total pass attempts, catching 35 for 386 yards and three of the Giants total four touchdown receptions. That's pretty big considering the Giants have only six total touchdowns on the year. Wan'Dale Robinson has 1 touchdown catch and running back Devin Singletary has 2. Six touchdowns in four games wouldn't win you very many games, and that's where the Giants are now with just one win. To make matters worse, Nabers has been ruled out for this game, and Singletary is listed as doubtful, leaving Robinson as the only other player to have scored a touchdown.
Aside from Robinson's 26 catches on 36 targets for 194 yards, Darius Slayton has caught 10 of his 15 for 122 yards, and those three wide receivers have accounted for 37 of the teams 44 passing first downs. Jalin Hyatt is a missing piece of the puzzle as he has seen only 3 passes come his way and has no catches over these first four games. Likewise, the tight ends have been mostly ignored, mostly left in for blocking, as Daniel Bellinger and Theo Johnson have been targeted for just a combined 10 times for 5 receptions. Most teams in the NFL with successful passing attacks tend to use their tight ends more than that. Brian Daboll has taken over the play calling and he should take note.

Giants Defense
They have a tough task ahead of them. Geno Smith has gone up against four teams and has been able to complete 72 percent of his passes. That's one of the reasons why the Seahawks are the NFL's top team in passing yards, averaging 281 per game. Though they lost last week in their effort against Detroit, Smith showed no signs of slowing down, throwing for 395 yards. Seattle's offensive line was a bit banged up coming into, and out of that tough game, and they have a short week to recover.
With that in mind, the Giants might have a better shot at getting their pass rush going. They'll need it with their secondary trying to cover
DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett. Cornerback Deonte Banks has had some trouble covering top receivers, and could sure use some help. Safety Jason Pinnock is tied for the lead with tackle Dexter Lawrence with 3 sacks, and the Giants have an overall 15 on the year. The bad news is that cornerbacks Dru Phillips and Adoree' Jackson look like they could be out for this game or see limited action.

Overall
The way the NFL schedule has run, the Giants will be playing the Seahawks for the third year in a row. It hasn't been good for the Giants, as they lost 27-13 in 2022, and 24-3 last year. The Seahawks are on a short week having played on Monday night. The Giants played ten days ago on a Thursday, but have to travel across the country. The Giants will be playing in a tough stadium. Seattle will have to avoid looking ahead to their next game, just four days later against division rival San Francisco. It will be interesting to see which team can adjust the best, and how it affects the outcome of this game.

NFC East Games
Sunday at 1:00pm Browns (1-3) at Commanders (3-1)
Sunday at 4:25pm Giants (1-3) at Seahawks (3-1)
Sunday at 8:20pm Cowboys (2-2) at Steelers (3-1)
The Commanders are the only NFC East team favored to win in these games.
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Next Games
Oct 13 Bengals at Giants
Oct 20 Eagles at Giants

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