5 Turning Points That Led to Seattle Seahawks' Head-Scratching Loss To Giants

The Seahawks suffered a befuddling loss to the underdog Giants in Seattle on Sunday. How did that happen? Here are the five moments that led to the defeat.

Oct 6, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks place kicker Jason Myers (5) reacts after a blocked field goal was returned by the New York Giants for a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Seahawks dropped a second straight game, this time as home favorites, bungling and fumbling the game away to the lowly New York Giants on their own home turf. Seattle now sits at 3-2.

How did they get here? Five turning points from a dreadful loss at Lumen Field:

12:17 3rd Quarter: DK Metcalf fumbles at the Giants 21-yard line

For the second straight game, the momentum seemed to hinge on a fumble by Seattle's Pro Bowl receiver. The Seahawks were already in field goal range in a tied game. Metcalf caught a pass, looking to put the Seahawks into the redzone. Cornerback Deonte Banks came in and punched the ball out and the Giants recovered. That killed the drive and killed a chance for the Seahawks to take the lead. Things could have stabilized for Seattle after going into the locker room tied at the half. Instead, it was a bad omen of things to come.

10:41 3rd Quarter: Daniel Jones connects with Darius Slayton for 30-yard touchdown pass

Whatever you feel about Daniel Jones, you've got to give him credit. Jones made some clutch, accurate throws down the stretch. After the Giants got the ball back following the Metcalf fumble, the Giants drove right down the field and stunned the Seahawks with a 30-yard touchdown pass as Tre Brown allowed Slayton to rocket past him on a deep crossing route. This gave the Giants a 17-10 lead in the third quarter and put the Seahawks defense back on their heels.

14:13 4th Quarter: Geno Smith sacked on 4th and 1

The Seahawks still had belief they could win the game as it turned to the fourth quarter. Facing a short 4th down in their own territory, the Seahawks felt confident they could get it. Ryan Grubb called for a play action pass. Unfortunately, there was a complete breakdown in pass protection which allowed Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Burns to run freely into the backfield and sack Smith before he could even make a read. That sack turned the ball over on downs and gifted the Giants a short field.

11:54 4th Quarter: Greg Joseph hits field goal to increase Giants lead

With that gift of a short field, the Giants needed just a field goal to increase the lead to two scores. The Giants took advantage, getting inside the 10 yard line and getting Joseph a chip-shot field goal. With that conversion, the Giants increased their lead to 23-13 and the Seahawks were forced into scramble mode to try and play catch-up.

0:55 4th Quarter: Giants block field goal, return it for 60-yard touchdown

After all the adversity, all the head-scratching moments, and all the blunders the Seahawks experienced on Sunday, they still had a chance to tie the game and possibly send it to overtime with the home crowd behind them. At the Giants' 28-yard line, it was a very makeable 45-yard attempt. But the Giants snuck through the interior line of the field goal unit and blocked the kick. As if that didn't hurt enough, Bryce Ford-Wheaton ran it back 60 yards for the touchdown to ice the game. The Seahawks went from possibly tying the game and going to overtime to being down by two scores in the blink of an eye, putting a nail in the coffin.