Giants face tough task vs. Seattle
The 1-3 New York Giants are continuing to search for a consistent winning formula. Can they find it this week on the road against the 3-1 Seattle Seahawks. Here are five story lines to follow this week.
Scoring touchdowns
The Giants have scored only six touchdowns, 27th in the league. They are 29th in points per game at 15.0. That despite being 15th in the league red zone opportunities per game at 3.0, 21st in total yards and ninth in time of possession.
The Giants are one of five teams without a pass play of 40+ yards. They also have only two running plays of more than 20 yards.
Daniel’s Jones struggles to complete deep passes (3 of 15, 20%), drops, and inopportune penalties have all contributed.
“We just have to execute in the red zone. We’re getting down there. We’re doing what we have to do,” said wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. “We just can’t have negative plays, and we’ve just got to finish with touchdowns instead of field goals. It’s as simple as that.”
Simple to say. For the Giants, not so simple to accomplish.
The most points the Giants have scored in a game is 21. The Seahawks are averaging 25.5, with a season-low of 23. To have a chance at an upset, the Giants are going to have to find the end zone.
How good are the Seahawks?
Seattle leads the NFC West with a 3-1 record. The Seahawks are 6.5-point favorites at home against the Giants, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
How good, though, is Seattle?
The Seahawks’ three victories have come over the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Tua Tagovailoa-less Miami Dolphins. The games against Denver and New England were both one-score contests. Seattle surrendered 42 points to the Detroit Lions on Monday, albeit with a defense minus several starters due to injury.
Dealing with the 12th man
Lumen Field in Seattle, with crazed Seahawks’ fans famously called ‘the 12th man,’ is a loud, difficult environment for visiting teams.
“The 12s are well-known. They’re well-documented. It’s a loud place to play,” said wide receiver Darius Slayton. “They have a good football team. They’ve been a good football team for it feels like, the last two decades, so they’re always competitive. We know it’s going to be a tough challenge, but we’re going to work to go out there and get a win.”
Offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor said offensive players are well-versed in dealing with crowd noise.
“Typically away games you are dependent on silent count. I don’t think there’s ever been an away game in my career, unless you’re up big in the fourth quarter, that you don’t use silent count for an away game,” the eight-year veteran said. “It’s something that you’re used to.”
The 12s, though, are different. Handling the noise will be a big factor for the Giants.
Will Malik play?
Star wide receiver Malik Nabers suffered a concussion near the end of the Giants’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys. We will get our first indication of Nabers’ potential availability against the Seahawks when the Giants practice on Wednesday.
The extra few days of recovery time with the Giants having played on Thursday works in Nabers’ favor.
Nabers is the most-often targeted receiver in the league through four games, with 52 targets (13.0 per game). Nico Collins of the Houston Texans (43 targets, 10.8 per game) is the only other receiver averaging double-digit targets.
What the Giants’ offense would look like without Nabers is not a question the Giants want to have to answer.
Can the Giants run the ball?
The Giants are last in the league in yards per rushing attempt at 3.4. They are 30th in rushing yards per game (85.3). They missed an opportunity Thursday against the Cowboys, who entered the game giving up a league-worst 5.4 yards per rushing attempt, gaining just 26 yards on 24 rushing attempts (1.1 yards per carry).
The offensive line, much improved in pass protection, is 31st in the league in run blocking, per Pro Football Focus. That despite often relaying on two tight ends, and occasionally employing a fullback. The Giants are also 31st in Adjusted Line Yards and 30th in rushing DVOA (Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average) at -27.1% below league average.
The Giants have only two running plays of 20+ yards in four games.
One of the theories in letting Saquon Barkley leave in free agency was that a team can run effectively without a superstar running back — as long as it can block effectively and open running lanes. To this point, the Giants have been unable to do that.
