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New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks | Gameday Blog and Discussion

We're going to learn a lot about this Giants team starting this week as it faces a significant upgrade in competition.

Jackson Thompson

New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks | Gameday Blog and Discussion
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks | Gameday Blog and Discussion /

The Giants enter their Week 13 game against the Seattle Seahawks in first place in the NFC East, largely due to having played in a weak division that has 14 wins among the four participants.

Now the challenge for head coach Joe Judge's Giants will be to not only stay in first place but to also show they belong in the playoff discussion. And one way to do that will be to land on the right side of the ledger against the rest of their opponents this season, including those with a winning record.

The first of those challenges comes today against the Seattle Seahawks (8-3). This is a team that can hurt an opponent in any number of ways but which has its vulnerabilities in the defensive secondary. 

But with the Giants set to be without starting quarterback Daniel Jones and with two of their top receivers (Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton) having been on the injury report this week (neither was on the final injury report), can the Giants strike deep against the Seattle defensive secondary? Can the Giants running game, which has been red hot over the last six weeks, keep it going against the Seahawks run defense? 

And can the defense figure out a way to stop Russell Wilson from hurting them with his legs or connecting with jumbo-sized receiver D.K. Metcalf, the king of the deep reception?

Follow along for updates, notes, and more from the game. (Page should automatically refresh with new additions added to the bottom of each page. Drop your comments in underneath; free registration is required to participate (see this post for how to register for a free account)

And stick around here at Giants Country for postgame coverage, thoughts, and much more. 

Giants - What to Watch For:

  • Giants aim for the 7th consecutive game rushing for at least 100 yards.
  • Giants aim for 2nd consecutive game allowing less than 100 yards rushing
  • Giants aim for the 12th consecutive game with at least 2.0 sacks. The Giants’ 27.0 sacks through Week 12 are tied for 10th in the NFL.
  • Sterling Shepard aims for 6th consecutive game with at least 6 receptions.
  • Evan Engram aims for the 41st consecutive game with a reception. Engram’s 197 receptions since 2017 rank 6th in the NFL among tight ends.
  • Engram aims for 2nd consecutive game with at least 6 receptions and at least 100 yards receiving.
  • Engram needs 5 receptions (197) to surpass Howard Cross for 5th most receptions in franchise history among tight ends.

This Week on Giants Country:

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Inactive Reports:

Giants Inactives: As expected, New York Giants' starting quarterback Daniel Jones (hamstring) is inactive for the Giants. He will be replaced by Colt McCoy in the lineup.

Receiver/return specialist Dante Pettis, who was removed from the COVID-19 list last week, is also inactive. Pettis didn't appear on the Giants injury report this week, but it's fair to wonder if he's still feeling any post-COVID-19 effects.

The rest of the Giants inactive list includes defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh, offensive tackle Jackson Barton, offensive tackle Kyle Murphy, linebacker TJ Brunson, and outside linebacker Trent Harris.

Seattle Inactives: Edge Carlos Dunlap (toe) is active for the Seahawks, but Seattle will also be without offensive tackles Brandon Shell and Cedric Ogbuehi. Ogbuehi is Shell’s backup which means it’s possible the Seahawks will have former Giants offensive tackle Chad Wheeler starting for them at right tackle.

Pregame

All eyes will be on the quarterback situation for the Giants today, as veteran backup Colt McCoy is projected to make his first start of the season after starter Daniel Jones suffered a hamstring injury last week against Cincinnati.

Jones has officially been declared inactive for Sunday's game, leaving all the pressure on McCoy to carry the Giants' offense against a Seahawks defense that ranks last in the NFL. 

Behind McCoy, the Giants have second-year man Clayton Thorson, a fifth-round pick in 2019 out of Northwestern. Thorson helped lead Northwestern to the Big Ten championship game back in 2018 and has also had a pair of stints in the division with the Eagles and Cowboys. 

If McCoy's performance is not up to snuff, Thorson might get his first taste at some NFL action in a critical December game. 

Just as much pressure will also be on the Giants offensive line and running back Wayne Gallman. The Giants have become a run-first team in recent weeks to impressive results. The Giants have managed to tally over 100 yards rushing for six straight games, and have gone over 150 rushing yards in three of those six games. 

The Seahawks are statistically better against the run than they are against the pass, which works against the Giants favor but if they can maintain the physical style they've had in recent weeks, the run game should still be able to give the Giants offense a chance. 

First Quarter

Bend but don't break. 

That's been the montra for the Giants' defense all year and the mantra is on full display in the Emerald City. 

The Seahawks pounded the Giants defense on the opening drive of the game in the pass and the run, but gets stalled inside the red zone. 

Three pass breakups by the Giants trio of Pro Bowl candidate defensive backs forces the Seahawks to settle for a field goal on their opening drive. 

Seahawks lead 3-0. 

Now 34-year-old Colt McCoy will trot onto the field for the Giants looking answer, needing only a field goal to tie. 

Rookie offensive guard Shane Lemieux is getting the start at left guard today in place of Will Hernandez. Lemieux, a fifth-round pick out of Oregon, has been a young star this year for the Giants on the offensive line.

However, the Giants don't get their answer from McCoy, going 3-and-out and failing to pick up a first down on their opening drive. 

Mr. Irrelevant strikes again!

Rookie linebacker Tae Crowder, the 255th overall pick in this year's draft, has his first career sack.

The Giants play their game on the ground pick up a handful of first down behind the tough running of full back Eli Penny and a veteran poise of McCoy, who completes a handful of short passes to wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate. 

A promising drive by the Giants' offense ends in disaster, as a holding penalty brings back a big gain on a screen pass to Tate, and a tipped McCoy pass falls into the arms of Seahawks defender Quandre Diggs, who takes it back 32 yards to midfield. 

Second Quarter

The Giants get the second quarter off to a good start on defense, getting penetration from safety Jabrill Peppers to bring down Wilson for a sack. It's the Giants second sack of the game. 

The Giants show good discipline on fourth down, as the Seahawks punt unit tries to draw the Giants offsides but their punt return team staysz strong and forces the Seahawks to take a five-yard delay of game penalty. 

The Giants catch a huge break as Wilson fumbles the snap near midfield and undrafted rookie defensive end Niko Lalos comes up with the ball. Lalos now has two career turnovers in his two career games played after coming up with his first interception last week against the Bengals. 

The Giants offense remains static in this game, getting stalled at midfield as the Seahawks' defensive shutout continues. 

The Giants only trail by three in this game, but those three points are looking bigger and bigger with each passing minute, as the Giants' offense seems to have no answers against the worst defense in the NFL. 

The defense however continues to play out of its mind, stifling the Seahawks top-rated defense at midfield again and forcing another punt.

McCoy will get one more chance to do something in offense before halftime but will have to start his business at the five-yard line. 

The Giants make no effort to get something going before the half, running the ball up the middle on three straight plays. The Giants force the Seahawks to burn all three of their timeouts, but will punt the ball back with 33 seconds left in the half. 

The Giants pay for their conservative attitude, as their punt is blocked and goes out of the back of the endzone for a safety. 

Seahawks lead 5-0. 

The Seahawks will get to come back onto the field and build on their lead with 24 seconds left in the half. 

Some Seahawks penalties ensure that the bleeding stops for the Giants right on cue, as the half ends. 

Halftime

The Giants have had to fight for everything they have in this game, as nothing has gone their way outside of the Seahawks' fumbled snap. 

In a game where the Giants are playing arguably their best game of the season on defense, their offense has paradoxically played arguably its worst game of the season, getting shut out in the first half for the first time this year. 

McCoy's presence has proven to be an obvious downgrade from what Jones would offer, especially against a defense that has struggled as much as Seattle has this season. 

Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett's coaching prowess will be truly tested at halftime, as his adjustments will be a big determination of just how capable this offensive system is. 

Yes, McCoy is not going to give you your entire playbook, but in a game against a basement-dwelling defense and when your own defense has played miraculously well, the Giants offense will be the scapegoat if the team is defeated today. 

Third Quarter

The Giants' power running and short pass offensive strategy has become a predictable affair for the Seahawks defense, as they shutdown the Giants' opening drive of the half. 

The Giants get one first down on a good run by Gallman, but a pair of short runs and an incompletion slows things down and forces another Giants punt. 

However, the offense gets bailed out, as the Giants defense comes up with another stop at midfield to preserve the score. 

Then on the Giants' ensuing drive, Gallman chooses a good moment to get the longest run of his career, as he breaks off for a 60-yard gain. 

The run is the Giants' longest offensive play of the game and after a 13-yard run by Alfred Morris, the Giants are in a goal-to-go situation. 

The Giants capitalize as Morris punches it in from four-yards out to give the Giants their first lead. On a two-point conversion attempt, McCoy connects with Shepard to extend the lead to a field goal. 

Giants lead 8-5. 

For Morris, it's his first touchdown as a Giant and first since Week 17 of 2018 when he was a San Francisco 49er. 

The Giants' defensive clinic continues after the touchdown as they stop the Seahawks on a 4th-and-1 conversion attempt on the Seattle side of the field.

And now all of a sudden the Giants offense is getting in gear, scoring another touchdown as McCoy finds Morris on an out-route from six yards out to put the Giants up by two possession. However, kicker Graham Gano misses the extra point. 

Giants lead 14-5. 

Fourth Quarter

Defensive tackle Leonard Williams brings down Wilson for his seventh sack of the season, tying his career high from 2016. The defense capitalizes, once again stifling the Seahawks' offense and forcing another punt. 

The Giants gave up a field goal on Seattle's opening drive of the game, but since then they've pitched a shutout with the only other Seahawks points coming virtue of the blocked punt at the end of the first half. 

The Giants defense makes a bigger play on each ensuing series from the last, as it comes up with its first interception of the game. A tipped ball falls into the arms of rookie cornerback Darnay Holmes, putting the offense in Seattle territory with a chance to extend the lead in the fourth quarter. 

The Giants are only able to turn it into three points however, as Gano connects from 48-yards out to extend the lead to 12. 

Giants lead 17-5. 

Things might have been going too well for the Giants however, as linebacker Blake Martinez goes down with an injury and is forced to come off the field in a critical series for the Giants' defense. 

Williams does it again, as he brings down Wilson on a second down for his second sack of the game and a new career-high with eight on the season. 

Holmes gets caught with a holding penalty which wipes out the Giants' defensive stop on third down. The Giants suffer for Holmes' mistake, as Wilson finds running back Chris Carson on the very next play for a touchdown, cutting the Giants' lead to five. 

Giants lead 17-12. 

McCoy has led the Giants into Seahawks territory on the ensuing drive and are all-but a first down away from clinching a win. A 3rd-and-4 is coming up inside the two-minute warning at the Seahawks' 41-yard line. 

The Giants are just out of range for a Gano field goal, but if can get inside his range, they can at the very least extend their lead to eight with less than two minutes left.

McCoy can't convert and throws an incompletion, stopping the clock. Dixon's punt goes out of the back of the end zone which will put Wilson and the Seahawks at the 20-yard line to start the drive. 

It's bend but don't break again time for the Giants' defense, and it wiill have to do it without its leader Martinez on the field. 

Williams comes up with a monster sack on third down, his third sack of the game and forcing the Seahawks into a 4th-and-18 situation. The Giants defense is one stop away from clinching a truly improbably upset victory. 

Bend

But

Don't

Break!

The Giants' defense gets the stop it needs and has delivered the Giants a truly remarkable upset over the Seahawks, earning the entire NFC East division its first win against an opponent with a winning record.

Giants win 17-12. 

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Jackson Thompson
JACKSON THOMPSON

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