The New York Giants are gearing up for a tough contest against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, and without quarterback Daniel Jones under center, extracting a win from this game is going to be difficult. Nonetheless, the Giants have the 10th ranked defense in points allowed per game, with one of the best run-stopping interior lines in the NFL. However, their pass defense is ranked 19th, indicating they have some problems in the secondary, but they have taken massive strides the past few weeks against some lackluster competition.
Seahawks’ Russell Wilson represents an entirely different beast, considering he’s a future Hall of Famer and is currently in the running for MVP this year. His primary threat is second-year wide receiver DK Metcalf, a player who transcends average size and represents one of the most physical and daunting pass catchers in the league.
For the Giants to win this game, it will take all three phases, but their defense is the one unit that needs to step up big time if they want to stay competitive.
The one major factor in this game is mitigating plays downfield. As Giants’ cornerback James Bradberry stated, Metcalf is primarily a ‘go-route’ receiver. So far this year, he has four touchdowns from 20+ yards downfield, including over 500 yards. At 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds, he is a physical specimen that is capable of dominating any corner in the league. However, against Jalen Ramsey in week 10, he was limited to just 28 yards.
If Bradberry can take away the deep route, he can force Metcalf to settle for underneath routes, something he is not proficient at. However, on the other side of the field, the Giants have to deal with Tyler Lockett, who has eight touchdowns this year, normally preferring to settle in the short/intermediate portion of the field.
Holding down these two talented receivers is going to be problematic, but the Giants have shown they can compete with any team in the league, performing well against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their trio of pass-catchers.
Putting pressure on Russell Wilson is essential for this game Considering he has 10 interceptions on the year, one more than Daniel Jones, it is clear that the Giants can force turnovers against the 32-year-old quarterback. He’s been sacked 35 times this season, which suggests that the OL has been problematic at times.
Attacking rookie right guard Damian Lewis from LSU is the Giants’ best chance of getting after Wilson. With a 54.5 overall grade, per PFF, Lewis is the weakest link in pass protection. While he’s been dominating in the run game, the Giants match up well in that category and need to excel when Wilson drops back into the pocket. In addition, Lewis has been hit with nine penalties this year, which ranks second in the league.
Nonetheless, the Giants are thin at outside linebacker with Kyler Fackrell hitting injured reserve, so expect to see a rotation of Carter Coughlin, Cam Brown, and Jabaal Sheard.
The Giants have enjoyed three consecutive games with 140+ rushing yards, and with reserve back Wayne Gallman having scored six touchdowns in the last five weeks, we should expect the offense to rely on the ground game. The only issue, Seattle has a top-three run defense in the NFL, indicating the Giants are going to have to throw the ball if they want to put points on the board. With Jones out, Colt McCoy will get the start, and with Seattle representing the worst pass defense in the NFL, Jones’ injury couldn’t come at a worse time.
The one category the Giants have dominated the past three weeks is time of possession, and if they can walk away with more offensive possessions, they can increase the probability of winning.
This post was published on 2020-12-06 07:45
