Why the Giants Will Beat the Seahawks, Why They Won't, and a Prediction

The Giants are facing another uphill challenge this weekend.

Jan 9, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a Seattle Seahawks helmet at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

If there was ever a classic definition of a “gut check” game, this week’s contest between the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks is it.

The 1-3 Giants, still smarting from their loss to the Dallas Cowboys over ten days ago, have been reeling, particularly on offense, where they haven’t played well enough to put themselves in the win column. For proof, look at their two losses in which they failed to score any touchdowns, Week 1 vs. the Vikings and last week against the Cowboys.

Coming into their Week 5 game against the Jets in London, the Vikings have averaged 29 points per game, the Cowboys 24.3. The Giants defense, while not perfect nor worldbeaters, held the Vikings to one point under their average and the Cowboys to 4.3 points under their average, meaning that had the offense been more potent in both of those games, maybe, just maybe, the Giants could have won the game.

Of course, we know that wasn’t how things turned out, and it's been for a variety of reasons beyond not scoring enough points. The Giants enter their Week 5 game against Seattle with 17 penalties on offense for 124 yards, an average of just over four penalties per game. Nine of those penalties have come pre-snap, a stat for which there should be ZERO excuses for any such occurrence.

Why mention this? Because the Giants have arguably been their worst enemy on offense–and we haven’t even mentioned that the Giants entered Week 5 tied for the lead in dropped passes (11) with Cleveland.

And now you throw in the fact that New York will not only be without rookie receiver Malik Nabers, but likely without running back Devin Singletary as well–two players that have combined for 679 of the team’s 1,187 net yards on offense (57.2%), and it’s gut-check time for head coach and offensive play caller Brian Daboll to figure out how, if at all possible, this unit is going to make strides against the league’s eighth-best defense.

Look, one never knows what might happen in a game, so teams line up to play every Sunday. Stranger things have happened, and underdogs like the Giants, who began the week as a 5.5-point underdog but are now a 7-point underdog per FanDuel after Nabers was declared out with a concussion on Friday, could pull off the impossible.

If nothing else, the offense needs to be a lot more competitive than it’s been in two of their three losses. And if that doesn’t happen, if Daboll doesn’t shake things up to make sure it happens, then some hard questions need to be asked about the direction this team is headed.

The New York Giants must stop Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf this week. / Eamon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Why the Giants Will Beat the Seahawks

Believe it or not, this game could very well be a trap game for the Seahawks.

The Seahawks host the 49ers on Thursday night after this week’s game, and with the Giants banged up on offense and struggling, it’s far too tempting to look past the wounded Giants and toward a key division game in which should the Seahawks lose, could flip the standings in the NFC West depending on what the 49ers do in their game against the Arizona Cardinals this week.

Want another reason why the short-handed (on offense) Giants could pull this one out? They’re rested, coming off ten days from their last game. The Seahawks are coming off a hard-fought Monday night loss to the Lions that had to be emotionally draining.

Intangibles aside, if there is a matchup that potentially favors the Giants in this game, it’s in the trenches. The Seahawks' defensive front has been banged up and will be going against a solid Giants offensive line. On the other hand, the Giants' defensive strength is their defensive front, a unit that will go against a shaky Seahawks offensive line. 

If the Giants can hold their own in the trenches, this game could be a lot closer than some project it to be. 

The New York Giants need cornerback Deonte Banks to start playing better than he has through four games. / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Why the Giants Will Lose

This week, Giants defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson put second-year cornerback Deonte Banks on notice after Banks was burned by Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb for a 55-yard touchdown.

Henderson, for those who missed it, questioned the effort, saying there wasn’t a single thing about what Banks did that he liked. The question now becomes, though, whether Hendeson’s message to Banks was received.

We’ll find out as Banks faces yet another outstanding receiver in D.K. Metcalf, 6-4 and 235 pounds. Metcalf is fourth in receiving yards (366), and his best and most productive route is the go-rout, in which he has a league-high 163 yards and two touchdowns this season, per NextGen Stats.

Banks has the size and strength to keep up with Metcalf, but a better effort is needed.

Speaking of effort, that includes the rest of the defensive secondary, who must also deal with Tyler Lockett and Jaxson Smith-Njigba. On paper, the Giants' defensive secondary vs. the Seahawks' receivers is by far the biggest mismatch, and it could end up being the one that decides the game.

The Seattle Seahawks have the advantage over the New York Giants in almost every way to where they should finish with a comfortable win in Week 5. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Prediction

This game would be an excellent one for a Daniel Jones-led offense to make a statement, especially after more and more talking heads are questioning whether he can load the team on his shoulders and carry them across the finish line.

This was a difficult enough challenge with both Nabers and Singletary, who again are responsible for a combined 52% of the Giatns’ total offensive yardage, scheduled to be in the lineup. Without them, the difficulty level of this game increased significantly. 

At best, Jones, who has yet to make the big plays when needed most, can hope to keep things close, but the Giants appear grossly outmatched in terms of personnel and playmaking ability.

Seattle 31, Giants 13

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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