Seattle, WA
Why New York Giants Will Beat Seattle, Why They Won’t, and a Prediction
The New York Giants head to Seattle for maybe their greatest but most underrated recreation on their 2022 schedule this far.
A win would permit the Giants to maintain tempo with the still-undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, the place only a recreation separates the 2 division foes.
A win would additionally give the Giants the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks for Wild Card seeding ought to Seattle, at the moment in first place within the tightly contested NFC West, lose their footing to the defending Tremendous Bowl champion Rams (3-3).
The Giants enter this week’s recreation as an underdog, a standing with which they’ve had success this yr.
They’re 5-0 because the underdogs, the most effective file within the league. And with every passing week, the Giants have made believers out of their harshest critics, however they’re catching a Seahawks staff that has been purple scorching of late.
As led by one-time Giants quarterback Geno Smith, Seattle has scored seven touchdowns within the first quarter this season, essentially the most within the league. Additionally they have 18 offensive touchdowns (tied for seventh) and have scored 11 exterior of the purple zone.
Who will come out on prime and why? Let’s take a look.
Why the Giants Will Win…
The Giants’ strengths on offense line up properly with the Seahawks weaknesses on defense–maybe a bit of too completely at that, however nonetheless, it is a cause for hope.
We will begin with the operating recreation. The Giants dashing offense is ranked second within the league, behind the Chicago Bears. New York is averaging 173.4 yards on the bottom, they usually’re doing it not simply with operating again Saquon Barkley, whose 726 yards are second within the league behind Cleveland’s Nick Chubb, however quarterback Daniel Jones, as properly.
Jones has contributed 338 yards, the third-most dashing yards amongst quarterbacks (behind Lamar Jackson of the Ravens and Justin Fields of the Bears). That is doubtlessly unhealthy information for a Seattle run protection tied for twenty ninth in common dashing yards allowed (149.7 yards/recreation).
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The Giants’ skill to run the ball has helped open up play motion and get into the purple zone. Over the past three weeks, the Giants, who total are 50 % in changing as soon as contained in the purple zone, lead the NFL in purple zone possessions (14) and have come away with seven touchdowns over that span. That is doubtlessly excellent news when going through a Seahawks protection that has allowed 41.3 % of its opponents’ drives to achieve the purple zone.
Why the Giants Will Lose
Lumen Area has a well-deserved repute as one of many loudest stadiums in all of professional soccer. That is not essentially excellent news for a Giants offensive line that, after taking part in along with the identical 5 guys for the primary seven video games of the season, can be lacking their beginning left guard (Ben Bredeson, now on IR with a knee sprain), and proper sort out Evan Neal (knee/inactive).
Giants head coach Brian Daboll has completed a great job getting ready his staff for each conceivable situation, together with Lumen Area’s loudness. The Giants have practiced in crowd noise and labored with hand alerts and every thing in between to make sure their operation runs easily. However what we do not know is how properly it ran in observe.
We’ll discover out quickly sufficient. However as for the opposite concern? The Seahawks have the tenth-best dashing offense, which has averaged 137.0 yards per recreation, set to go towards the league’s Twenty eighth-ranked run protection (144.4 yards/recreation allowed). Rookie Kenneth Walker III leads the way in which for the Seahawks, averaging 6.1 yards per try.
Walker, who’s coming off a 168-yard dashing efficiency final week towards the Chargers (5 of which went for 10+ yards), has been powerful to wrestle to the ground–he’s averaging 3.96 yards after contact. That is not excellent news for a Giants run protection with 35 missed tackles, a median of 5 per recreation.
In some ways, the Giants’ greatest guess to win this recreation is just like the Seahawks: shut down the run and drive the quarterback–in this case, Smith–to beat you thru the air. New York, who elevated security Landon Collins from the observe squad, in all probability determine to load the field very often towards Walker, who up to now has confronted a loaded field on 25.37 % of his dashing makes an attempt this season.
And if the Seahawks are lacking receiver DK Metcalf (knee), who’s listed as questionable, a determine that ought to make the Giants’ job a bit of simpler, although certainly not a slam dunk.
Prediction
I stated just a few weeks in the past I would not choose towards the Giants for the remainder of their video games earlier than the bye. Though this recreation makes me nervous (I do know, you are in all probability considering, “What recreation would not make you nervous, Pat?”) for the explanations outlined inside, I’ve the utmost respect for the resiliency this staff has proven in getting the job completed, even when they accomplish that in dramatic, come-from-behind trend.
Giants 24, Seahawks 20