Seattle, WA
Giants 2024 Opponent Report: Seattle Seahawks, Week 5
The why is self-explanatory, and you’re well-versed in the where and when at this point in time. With the NFL calendar engaged in rare doldrums and most moves made and archived, it’s time to consider the who from a New York Giants perspective.
New York Giants On SI continues its look at the Giants’ upcoming adversaries in the 2024 season. Catch up with each team’s moves, where they stand, and, most importantly, how to beat them.
Who: Seattle Seahawks
When: Week 5, Sunday, October 6, (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)
Where: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA
Series History: SEA leads 11-10 (Last: 24-3 SEA, 10/2023)
Seattle deserves some credit: it could’ve completely collapsed in the wake of Russell Wilson’s departure (and a trade for Jamal Adams that failed to carry any lasting dividends) but has stabilized its Geno Smith-led future relatively well, making a surprise playoff appearance in 2022 before injuries ate away at a chance for a return trip.
This offseason, the Seahawks bid farewell to yet another mainstay, having head coach Pete Carroll step down in favor of Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. With the move, the Seahawks ironically went from the NFL’s oldest head coach to its youngest.
Despite Smith’s stabilization, there are fair questions over whether he’s suitable as a long-term starter. The Seahawks have prepared for all possibilities.
The process began by trading for would-be Washington Commanders savior Sam Howell, a backup that firmly cements Smith as the starter but provides just enough pressure for Smith to watch his back. Howell replaces Drew Lock, who came to the Giants to fulfill the same role behind Daniel Jones.
Mainstays D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are back, as is Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who provided strong early returns on first-round billing.
Seattle also tried to account for any further medical disasters on the offensive line, such as the ones that ate away at the seasons of Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas (the latter of whom is still on the physically unable to perform list); Nick Harris was brought in to compete with fifth-round sophomore Olu Olawatimi, while Laken Tomlinson and Christian Haynes, respectively, came over from the New York Jets and the draft.
There’s plenty of blue familiarity on the Seattle defense: Leonard Williams’ move out west was one of the headlining transactions of the trade deadline, and Seattle rewarded him with a long-term deal. Julian Love (and Devon Witherspoon’s development after he became the pick gleaned from Denver in the Wilson deal) also convinced Seattle to close the book on the Adams era.
The Seahawks also manned up the front seven, drafting Byron Murphy out of Texas with their premier pick and getting more AFC East reinforcements like Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson.
Who’s In: LB Jerome Baker (FA-MIA), LB Tyrel Dodson (FA-BUF), OT George Fant (FA-HOU), DT Jonathan Hankins (FA-DAL), OL Christian Haynes (D3-81) QB Sam Howell (Trade-WAS), DL Byron Murphy (D1-16), OG Laken Tomlinson (FA-NYJ)
Who’s Out: S Jamal Adams (FA-TEN), LB Jordyn Brooks (FA-MIA), RB DeeJay Dallas (FA-ARI), OG Damien Lewis (FA-CAR), QB Drew Lock (FA-NYG), LB Bobby Wagner (FA-WAS)
With last year’s 24-3 Monday night shellacking at MetLife Stadium, the Seahawks took the lead in the cross-coast showdown with the Giants. Seattle has won six of the last seven overall, dating back to 2011.
The Giants still own a positive point differential in the all-time series, as six of their 10 victories have come by at least two possessions. One of the most memorable was a 44-6 triumph in the penultimate season at Giants Stadium, a win that allowed the Giants to continue a perfect start to their Super Bowl defense.
Brandon Jacobs and Eli Manning each had two touchdowns for the Giants, while Sinorice Moss had a couple more, one from the arm of backup David Carr, who came in when things officially got out of hand. Defensively, the Giants let up only 187 yards, 13 first downs, and a single third-down conversion on 11 attempts.
Take Your Time
Seattle has tinkered with its defense a fair amount since the Legion of Boom days ended. Adding Murphy and raiding the AFC East’s depth cabinet makes a lot of sense after looking at last year’s ledgers, which saw them allow the third-most yards in the NFL and the most first downs.
One of the most damning parts was the fact that the average Seattle defensive drive lasted 3:06 of game time, once again the worst output in the NFL. That’s a death sentence in almost any divisional setting, but it’s outright asking for trouble when you’re in a division with Christian McCaffrey, Puca Nacua, and Deebo Samuel.
Seattle has revamped the top seven as a result and boosted the interior by bringing in yet another former Giant, Jonathan Hankins. This feels like a nice little opportunity for the Giants’ revamped rushing attack to eat away at the clock against a team eager to stack up early wins.
Ain’t That a Kick
Jason Myers has established some solid career longevity after bursting onto the scene with a Pro Bowl season with the Jets and has now earned a lasting home in the Pacific Northwest.
It’s hard to argue with Myers’ reliability (87.3 percent on triples in the last two seasons, perfect on extra points last year). One can argue that Seattle fans have seen a little too much of the Marist alum: Myers has tried 79 field goals over the last two seasons, which is good for the second-most in the league, behind only the booters of Indianapolis and Baltimore.
The bittersweet correlation is that teams with plenty of kicks often struggle in the red zone, and Seattle fulfilled the trope by finishing 25th in touchdown percentage when entering the opponent’s 20. Missed opportunities are exactly what developing teams like the Giants need, and limiting damage is often the name of the game.
Manuhunt underway for Mason County assault suspect
Mason County deputies are looking for a man wanted in a shooting in Belfair on Monday.
MASON COUNTY, Wash. – The Mason County Sheriff’s Office is currently searching for a convicted felon wanted in a recent shooting.
The sheriff’s office says Michael Allen Beyer is wanted for first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Deputies believe Beyer was involved in a shooting that happened in Belfair on January 6.
Beyer is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him and call 911 immediately.
Anyone with information regarding Beyer’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective Helser at 360-427-9670 x657, or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Two more Seattle restaurants are calling it quits thanks to the untenable minimum wage hike.
At the same time that the Seattle minimum wage rose from $19.97 an hour to $20.76 an hour, the city ended the tip credit of $2.72. Under the previous rules, restaurants were able to pay $17.25 hourly wage if their staff earned at least $2.72 in tips per hour. But as cost of business continues to skyrocket in Seattle, a minimum wage hike without a tip credit is simply untenable for many small businesses.
Jackson’s Catfish Corner in Seattle’s Central District closed its doors in this new year. In an interview with Converge Media, owner Terrell Jackson argued Seattle is too expensive to operate in.
“I know that the minimum wages went up to 20 bucks an hour … I know that’s hard for my business as a small Black business,” Jackson said. “I’m not Amazon or Walgreens or Walmart who can pay their employees that much.”
Jackson isn’t alone in his complaints.
More from Jason Rantz: Panic as Seattle restaurants may not survive massive minimum wage shift
A second West Seattle eatery closes, citing the minimum wage hike
Bel Gatto, a bakery and café, became the second West Seattle eatery to close its doors over the Seattle minimum wage hike. The owner posted a sign to the front door to thank supporters but said she can’t afford to stay open anymore.
“Our revenues, unfortunately, are not able to cover the close to 20% increase in mandated wages, salaries and payroll taxes put into effect by the Seattle City Council effective 1/1/25. This ruling has made the continuation of our bakery operations untenable,” the sign read.
The owner, Peter Levy, explained to the West Seattle Blog that, “we were approaching close to a break even status in the last quarter of 2024, but the requirement to absorb another $4,000 per month in payroll expenses with the new mandate by the city put a break even further from our grasp which is what led to the closure.”
Last week, a video by Corina Luckenbach, owner of Bebop Waffle Shop in West Seattle, went viral as she said the minimum wage hike was forcing her to close after 11 years. She said she didn’t have an extra $32,000 a year to pay her staff what the city mandates.
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Will more restaurants close?
Ahead of the minimum wage hike, restauranteurs offered many warnings over what’s to come.
Ethan Stowell operates a number of Seattle’s top restaurants, including How to Cook a Wolf, Staple and Fancy, and Tavolata. He warned this change would be exceptionally costly for businesses in an industry notorious for razor-thin margins. And restaurants can’t merely raise menu prices again.
“I know everybody wants to say, ‘Just raise things (on the menu) a dollar or two,’ and that’s what it’ll be. That’s very simplified math. I wish it was that easy, but it’s not. This is a large increase that’s probably large enough to be equal to or close to what most restaurants in Seattle profit,” Stowell told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.
Portage Bay Cafe co-owner Amy Fair Gunnar noted the minimum wage change will cost her about $45,000 more a month. She said restaurants will have to “seriously change what they’re doing or they’re going to close their doors.”
More from Jason Rantz: Here’s why Seattle residents vow to stop tipping in new year
Ignoring the warnings, mocking the business people
The warnings from restaurant owners were mostly ignored or mocked.
Efforts by the Seattle City Council to address the forthcoming crisis fell apart after activists said they didn’t want restaurants to get an exception. Council president Sara Nelson told “The Jason Rantz Show” they will take up the issue again this year but there’s no specific idea yet to forward for legislation. The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, has been almost completely absent from the issue.
Left-wing voices, meanwhile, claim to not care. That if businesses “can’t afford to pay a living wage,” then they shouldn’t be in business.
One reporter with The Stranger mocked one of the closures, quipping on X, “Has anyone ever eaten at bebop waffle lol.” Left-wing Seattleites condemned the business for “creating a right wing media darling to complain about paying people a living wage.”
KING 5 reporter Maddie White helped elevate this talking point by citing the National Low Income Housing Coalition, claiming “the average renter needs to make upwards of $40 an hour to afford rent.” But she’s quoting a stat for two-bedrooms. Minimum wage jobs aren’t meant to cover the cost of a single person renting a two-bedroom home or apartment.
Ironically, as activists dismiss the concerns of small business owners, they fail to acknowledge the inevitable consequence: when those businesses shut down, people lose jobs. A $20.76 hourly minimum wage — even with a $2.72 tip credit — means nothing if you’re unemployed.
Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
A pair of candidates have surfaced in the Seattle Seahawks’ search for a new offensive coordinator.
An NFL insider’s view on Seahawks OC change and what’s next
The Seahawks are scheduled to interview Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley and Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown, according to multiple reports. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero first reported the news Thursday morning.
Seattle will interview Fraley on Friday and Brown on Saturday, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
The Seahawks moved on from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb on Monday after an up-and-down season for Seattle’s offense that included one of the worst rushing attacks in the league.
Fraley, 47, has been on Detroit’s coaching staff for the past seven seasons, including the past five as the team’s offensive line coach. Fraley has coached an offensive line that’s paved the way for one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks. The Lions rank third in Pro Football Focus’ run block grading and finished the regular season sixth in both rushing yards per game (146.4) and yards per carry (4.7).
During his time in Detroit, Fraley has helped develop four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow and three-time Pro Bowl right tackle Penei Sewell. As a player, Fraley started 123 games at center and guard over a 10-year NFL career with the Eagles (2001-05), Browns (2006-09) and Rams (2010). According to Breer, Fraley has done groundwork in searching for a pass game coordinator that he would pair with as an OC.
Brown, 38, began the season as Chicago’s passing game coordinator. He then was promoted to offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron, a former Seahawks assistant, was fired as OC on Nov. 12, and then to interim head coach when Matt Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29. Brown went 1-4 as the Bears’ interim head coach.
Brown was the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2023. Prior to that, he spent three seasons under head coach Sean McVay in various roles on the Los Angeles Rams’ coaching staff.
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