The Giants are coming off a tough Thursday night loss to the Cowboys. The (1-3) New York Giants travel across the country to play a (3-1) Seattle Seahawks. It’s a team reeling off a Monday night loss. With both looking to return to the win column, the heat will be turned way up in the Seattle atmosphere. Can the Giants get this key win on the road? Here are the keys to a victory for the team.
New York Giants vs. Seattle Seahawks Matchup History
Over the past 10 years, the Giants and Seahawks have played each other five times. The Seahawks won all but once, and it’s been four years since the Giants have gotten the better of the matchup. Last time the Giants won, Daniel Jones wasn’t playing due to injury and Russell Wilson was still the QB1 in Seattle.
Jones has never beaten Seattle, and it seems like the defense has a plan for attack against him. Devon Witherspoon told the media that Jones likes to stare down his first target, making it easy to thwart him as long as their defense is winning the one-on-one matchups.
There are a few things that need to go right for them to be able to win this game. Let’s dive in.
Key Players for the Giants
The Giants got some bad news regarding the availability of Malik Nabers, with him already declared out with a concussion. That leaves a lot of work to fall to Wan’Dale Robinson.
Robinson will be the top target on the team now. Does he come through and make the key plays when they are needed? He’s struggled with drops, but has commanded a 27.9 percent target share. He’ll be a key player for Jones to throw to in this matchup.
The team is going to have to try something downfield. Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt need to step up for the offense. Hyatt has only had an 18.4 percent snap share so far this season but can serve as a deep threat even if his route running isn’t great.
Let’s see if Jones can move the ball around now that Nabers isn’t on the field. He’s been struggling with accuracy, and will need to spread the ball around and get the ball downfield to help this offense.
Another key injury for the Giants is Devin Singletary, who has to sit out this game with a groin injury. This leaves the backfield murky, as we don’t know how it’ll break down between Tyrone Tracy and Eric Gray. The Lions just gashed the Seahawks on the ground. It would be nice for the Giants to be able to also run the ball on them, but we’ll see how effective the backups are.
The defense will have their hands full. The Seahawks have three good receivers and two good running backs, with DK Metcalf and Kenneth Walker playing at an elite level this season. Geno Smith has also been playing great, spreading the ball around and looking competent in the pocket.
Defensive back Deonte Banks has been called out for his poor play by his coaches, particularly on his play against CeeDee Lamb where he broke for a 55-yard touchdown. If he can clean up his technique and up his tackling, he can make the big impact that the team needs from him.
Dexter Lawrence, Bobby Okereke, and others on the DL will be needed to help minimize the run. If the Seahawks backfield gets the better of the DL, it’ll be a long game for the Giants defense and one they’d rather have back.
Key Players for the Seahawks
The Seahawks have a trio of receivers that would make any team jealous. Metcalf’s size, speed, and strength make him a challenge for any team to contain. Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are good talents that can help Geno move the ball effectively. If the passing game is as good as it was last week, the Giants will have a hard time winning this game.
On top of their solid receiver core, they have an elite talent in Kenneth Walker. Walker just gashed a top tier Lions rushing defense for 80 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries. He had this key play where he somehow didn’t go down right away, showcasing his elite skillset. He’ll be a key player in this game and one to watch against the Giants’ bad run defense.
It remains to be seen if Jones can move the ball effectively against the Seahawks defense. History has shown that they know how to get the better of him. If they can shut down the Giants offense, Big Blue won’t have much of a chance against one of the league’s best offenses up to this point in the season.
Keys For A Giants Victory
Jones is going to need to spread the ball around, especially without his top target available in this game. He’s been having issues with the deep ball all season, and will need to clean that up. If the Giants can move the ball downfield, they can utilize Robinson in short yardage situations.
One of the running backs is going to need to step up in this game. Tyrone Tracy seems likely to get the first shot. If successful they can take some of the pressure off of Jones and help this offense move the ball and put up points.
The Giants will need to get some pressure on Geno to disrupt their offensive scheme, but will most likely be forced to rush with four a majority of the game. The receiver threats that the Seahawks have will force the defense to not stack the box. If the Giants can’t get pressure, they can limit the passing attack and take out the deep ball. The defense will be busy all game with Metcalf, Lockett, and Smith-Njigba to worry about, and it will definitely be a challenge to contain them.
The defense will also need to step up in the running game. They have Walker and Charbonnet to worry about. If they can’t stop the run, then it won’t matter how much they limit the receiving game as they will just get run on all day.
If the Giants can put up points and force the Seahawks to throw. Then they have a shot at winning the game. Let’s see if the team can pull off the upset victory and break their losing streak against the Seahawks.
Evan Solomon
Evan is originally from Queens, NY and grew up on Long Island, and grew to love The New York Giants being surrounded by Giants fans. He's a social media marketer and content creator by day, which is what led him to joining The League Winners creating content about something he loves - football. Keep an eye out for his fantasy content and NFL team breakdowns.