Seattle Seahawks @ New York Giants Game Preview & Prediction

By Joanne Kong

Twitter: @kongfu4u  New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks (3-2) @ New York Giants (1-5)

Yes, the New York Giants have won a game.  Can you hear the angels singing?  Unicorns are crying tears of joy.  And leprechauns are throwing gold at the end of the rainbow.  Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating (just a little).  But without Odell Beckham Jr, Sterling Shepherd and Brandon Marshall, the Giants managed to look on point against the Denver Broncos, finally getting their run game going.

Although it might be too early to speculate, the play calling of offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan might be the reason behind the change in offensive rhythm for the Giants.

Whatever the Giants are doing, can they continue it into week 7?

The Giants have never in recent history gone 1-5 in the first six weeks of the season.  But with ten games left in the regular season, a post season bid is still within reach…assuming they win every single game from this point forward.  Let’s start with week 7.

What can we expect?

1. Run Game

In week 6, Orleans Darkwa (RB) had his best game of his NFL career with 117 rushing yards and 13 receiving yards.  According to Football Outsiders, the Seattle defense is ranked 26th against the run, allowing an average of 127.2 yards per game.

Don’t let the numbers fool you.  Seattle was able to hold the Los Angeles Rams running back, Todd Gurley, to 48 rush yards in week 5.  They’re a defense that shouldn’t be taken  lightly.  But if the Giants were able to have 148 rushing yards against the Denver Broncos in week 6, the Seahawks theoretically shouldn’t be a problem.

With Seattle having the 5th best pass defense, the run game will be a key factor in whether the Giants win on Sunday.

In week 6, the Giants offensive front line did a great job in protecting Eli Manning and opening up the run game.  To be successful, Seattle will have to once again disrupt the offense and slow down the run with Michael Bennett, Frank Clark and Sheldon Richardson (former New York Jet).

But most importantly for the Seahawks, Bobby Wagner will be the player to watch.  The two-time All-Pro has a team high of 41 tackles, ranked 2nd on the team with three pass defenses.  Wagner is tied for 2nd with four quarterback hits, has one interception and one fumble return, which he took back for a touchdown in Seattle’s week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

2. Holding the Seattle Offense

According to Football Outsiders, the New York Giants defense is currently ranked 22nd overall, 20th against the pass and 27th against the run.  The Giants have allowed an average of 248.3 passing yards per game and 123.5 rushing yards per game.

In week 6, the Giants defense held the Denver Broncos to 10points (a passing touchdown and a field goal), but although Trevor Siemian had 2 interceptions, he also amassed 376 passing yards.  The game could have gone in a different direction.

With injury plaguing the Giants offensively and defensively, the Giants will continue to face an uphill battle this season.  Without Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants offense lose a valuable target and decoy, leaving the offense vulnerable and requiring the defense to work that much harder.

With Oliver Vernon (ankle) unlikely to play against the Seahawks, Jason Pierre-Paul (3 sacks against the Denver Broncos in week 6) will be a key component to disrupting the Seattle offensive line along with defensive tackle Damon Harrison and Dalvin Tomlinson working the inside.

The Giants have allowed six touchdowns to tight ends this season, so containing Jimmy Graham will be of key importance to the Giants defense.

3. The History

The Seahawks and Giants have played 17 games, where the Giants have a 9-8 record, losing their last three match-ups, two of which have been at home.

The Seahawks are favored by 5.5.

But, I’ll take…

The New York Giants to Win.

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