Enemy Confidential: Seattle Seahawks Not Sleeping on 'Dangerous' New York Giants

Believing they are better than their record shows, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has great respect for the Giants heading into a Week 5 clash.

Sep 15, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (30) is tackled by New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) during the fourth quarter at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - Record-wise, Brian Daboll's third season at the helm for the New York Giants hasn't gone according to plan so far with three losses in the first four weeks, putting the team two games back in the NFC East standings.

But in the NFL, there's no such thing as an easy opponent, and after watching the Giants lose heartbreakers to the Commanders and Cowboys over the past three weeks, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald isn't overlooking the upcoming opponent at all as the two teams prepare to duel at Lumen Field on Sunday afternoon. In fact, even without their best receiver in Malik Nabers, who will miss the game due to a concussion, he sees a team that has played far better than its record.

“I think Coach Daboll said it the other day, they are a few plays from being away from being 3-1,” Macdonald said on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM on Friday. “And really each one of their games – in exception for the Minnesota game [in Week 1] – [they] could very easily [have] came away a winner. So, I see it as we’re playing a 3-1 football team that’s hungry, and that’s what the tape’s telling you. We always say the tape doesn’t lie. Bill Parcells says the record says who we are but the tape also [does] too. So, they’re a dangerous team.”

As Macdonald noted, with a 28-7 blowout loss to the Vikings being the lone exception, the Giants have been very competitive in the first month of the season, but they have struggled to close out games. In Week 2, they had an 18-15 lead over the Commanders early in the fourth quarter, only to allow two field goal drives late in the game to lose to their rivals. Last week, they couldn't finish drives, settling for five field goals in a 20-15 loss to the Cowboys.

If just a few plays would've gone differently, New York could easily be sitting in first place in the NFC East, in large part due to a much-improved defense coordinated by Shane Bowen. After finishing a dreadful 26th in points allowed per game in 2023, led by a defensive line featuring All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, the team has improved dramatically to 12th in points allowed so far this season, making for a compelling matchup against Seattle's ninth-ranked scoring offense.

With both teams seeking a rebound win after tough losses last week, here’s a closer look at the Seahawks Week 5 opponent, including series history, additions/departures, a deep dive into scheme, and Macdonald's evaluation of the Giants.

Series History

22nd regular season meeting. The Seahawks lead the all-time series 11-10, including winning the past two games between the teams in 2022 and 2023. Seattle has dominated the series since 2011, winning six of the previous seven matchups, with the lone loss coming at Lumen Field in 2020. The Seahawks hold the longest winning streak in the series, winning four straight games from 2011 to 2017 against their NFC foes.

What's New?

Additions: Making a major splash to enhance their pass rush, the Giants dealt a second and fifth-round pick along with swapping fifth-rounders with the Panthers for Burns, a two-time Pro Bowler who produced 46 sacks in his first five NFL seasons. They bolstered their offensive line in free agency by signing former Packers guard Jon Runyan, former Patriots tackle Jermaine Eluemenor, and veteran guard Greg Van Roten, installing all three players into the starting lineup. Taking over as the new starter in the backfield, Devin Singletary signed in free agency after spending last season in Houston. Seeking a spark for their passing game, they invested a top-10 pick in Nabers, who immediately became Daniel Jones' top receiving target upon arrival.

Departures: After receiving the franchise tag in 2023, the Giants lost star running back Saquon Barkley to the Eagles, watching him bolt for a bitter division rival in free agency. Former starting guard Ben Bredeson left to join the Buccaneers, while former first-round safety Xavier McKinney departed to sign with the Packers and defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson signed with the Panthers. New York shuffled the coaching staff by firing Don "Wink" Martindale and replacing him with Bowen, who previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Titans.

Injury Report

Still in concussion protocol, the Giants ruled Nabers out on Friday, while Singetary received a doubtful designation after missing practice time with a groin injury this week. Despite being limited with a groin strain, Burns was not on the final injury report and will start against Seattle.

Inside the Scheme

With Daboll calling the plays alongside offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, the Giants have deployed multi-tight end sets as much as any team in the NFL through four weeks. New York has ran 57 plays out of 12 personnel with two tight ends on the field at a 29 percent rate, ranking fourth in the league. The team also ranks sixth in 13 personnel usage with three tight ends on the field. They're near the bottom of the league in 11 personnel usage at 57 percent.

Currently ranking 30th in rushing yards, the Giants have struggled to run the ball regardless of scheme, but currently have called gap concepts at a 60 percent clip through four weeks. Despite that lack of success, Daboll has dialed up play action frequently for Jones, who ranks third in the NFL with 35 play pass attempts. He hasn't been overly efficient with those opportunities, completing 62.9 percent of those attempts with no touchdowns and a 7.1 yards per attempt average.

As he did during his time in Tennessee, Bowen has done a fine job of mixing in a variety of different coverages since taking over in New York. The Giants have leaned most heavily on Cover 3 looks (39 percent), ranking eighth in the league, while also calling Cover 1 with man coverage underneath 21 percent of the time. They haven't used middle of field concepts quite as frequently, ranking in the bottom third of the NFL calling Cover 2 (13 percent) and Cover 4 (11 percent) schemes.

Replacing Martindale, who earned a reputation as one of the most aggressive coordinators in the NFL, Bowen hasn't departed much from his predecessor in regards to blitzing, sending an extra rusher 31.7 percent of the time according to Pro Football Reference, which ranks fifth overall. With that extra pressure paying dividends for the most part coupled with a solid defensive line, New York ranks third in sacks (15) and 16th in pressure rate thus far.

Macdonald's Thoughts

-On Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen: “I’ve known him for a few years now and been around his defenses and stuff, and he does a great job of organizing it. It’s got roots in some of the schemes that we run here as well. They play really hard, it’s sound and they got great players to complement it as well. So, it’s a great challenge ahead of us.”

-On New York's offensive weapons minus Malik Nabers: “They still have a staple of wideouts and running backs that can run. Offensively, I think they play complimentary football. There’s explosive plays in there, but they’re obviously also trying to establish the run and trying to win it late in the games. So, we gotta we got to keep them in check.”