4 things we learned from the Giants’ 29-20 win over the Seahawks

Ingredients:

• 1 offense that can’t get into the end zone
• 1-star rookie wide receiver is out with a concussion
• 1 started running again with a groin injury
• 1 starting quarterback who throws low and too long or low and too short
• 1 defensive line not getting to the quarterback enough
• 1 CB1 who did not contest any catches by opposing WR1s

Instructions:

• Rely on the second and third string RBs, WR2 and the so far unproductive TE1
• Mix all ingredients well
• Add the mixture to the lumen field
• Bake at 68 degrees for 60 minutes. F

It didn’t sound like a recipe for success for the 1-3 New York Giants as they faced the 3-1 Seattle Seahawks and were desperate to stay on the edge of relevance in a surprisingly competitive NFC East. Would the souffle rise, or would it fall flat like it did in the last two Giants games against the Seahawks? What did we learn from the Giants’ thrilling 29-20 win over Seattle?

The souffle Rose!

There is hope for the Giants defense

We’ve all been low-key concerned about the state of the Giants’ defense, but with all the hand-wringing over the offense, it’s flown a little under the radar. On Sunday, the defense showed off its prowess both up front and in the secondary. Particularly in the first three quarters, Seattle, a team that had a 29-point lead on Detroit’s defense a week earlier, looked unsettled.

The Giants sacked Seattle quarterback Geno Smith seven times and hit him 10 more times. They made Smith uncomfortable all day. The best thing is that they distribute the wealth. Dexter Lawrence had his usual dominant day with three sacks, including the game-winning sack at the end. Brian Burns was the most visible we’ve ever seen in a Giants uniform, with one sack and two passes defensed. Kayvon Thibdoeaux had a half-sack and was active in the fourth quarter. However, the most pleasing development was the rest the inner defensive line. Rakeem Nunez-Roches shared a sack and blocked a pass. DJ Davidson had two sacks. Elijah Chatman got to Smith just half a second late to stop his late TD pass, but at least got that one QB hit. The Giants blitzed quite a bit, more than I expected, but the line was clearly bothering Smith and looked more like what we were hoping for at the start of the season.

The other pleasant surprise was the secondary one. We actually saw Deonte Banks contest and deny a potential catch by DK Metcalf, one of three passes defensed he was credited with that day, and he forced a fumble. Cor’Dale Flott also defended a pass and Tyler Nubin had seven tackles and two assists. They didn’t disrupt the Seahawks’ passing game – Smith finished the game with 284 passing yards. However, much of this happened while Seattle was playing catch-up in the fourth quarter, and few teams have as much quality three-deep wide receivers as Seattle. Overall it was a really good performance from the secondary school.

Who is the Giants’ RB1?

I don’t mean that seriously. Assuming Devin Singletary is healthy next week, he will get the majority of the carries for the Giants. Eric Gray also showed some stuff today, with 50 yards, but had the agonizing fumble at the goal line that made a game the Giants dominated a nail-biter, it’s hard not to imagine him getting buried on the depth chart. (For the record, I’m not at all convinced that the ball was outside before it smashed into the plane.)

However, today was Tyrone Tracy’s coming out party. The fifth-round draft pick intrigued me because his Purdue video showed a player who could miss defenses and rack up yards after initial contact. I didn’t see much of it in the first four games, and I had to remind myself that Day 3 players aren’t drafted until Day 3 for a reason, and as a fan, I tend to exaggerate their chances of success. In Seattle, however, Tracy ran 18 times for 129 yards, including one for 27 yards. More importantly, he showed the contact balance that is so evident on his Purdue tape. Unlike the first few games, the Giants offensive line gave their RBs some room to run today, and Tracy particularly took advantage of that. I can imagine him seeing the field more towards the future, and I’m all for it.

Daniel Jones completed the job today

Unlike last week when Daniel Jones moved the ball up and down the field but lost because he couldn’t get his team into the end zone, today Jones was in full control of the offense. Jones finished 23 of 34 for 257 yards, two TDs, no INTs and a passer rating of 109.6. It should have been even more, but his receivers had at least three drops by my count, a couple from Wan’Dale Robinson and one from Darius Slayton. Eliminate the drops and Gray’s goal-line fumble, and Jones should have been ahead by four touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Jones kept the offense moving by successfully battling under pressure and having 38 yards on the ground, some of which were zone players or goalkeepers up the middle.

No Malik Nabers? No problem. Let’s be honest, we were worried that the Giants would be able to maintain any kind of offense without Nabers, given how much Nabers has dominated Jones’ attention in the first four games. Without him, Jones was forced to look elsewhere and he delivered. The Giants had targeted backup cornerback Tre Brown from Seattle after starter Tariq Woolen was sidelined with an injury. Slayton had eight receptions on 11 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown, including two explosive plays (!), including one for 41 yards. On that play, Jones rolled to his right and hit Slayton deep in the left corner.

The other TD was for Robinson with a similar concept. Jones faked a handoff, rolled to his right, and as the defense turned to his side, he hit Robinson with a low crosser to the left, which Robinson intercepted, turned around the corner and found its way into the end zone. Still not a Jalin Hyatt post, but you can’t have everything.

Even rookie Theo Johnson contributed with five catches for 48 yards. For the first time, we can say the Giants are getting contributions from all of their 2024 draft picks.

Jones is not Joe Burrow (who is 1-4, by the way), or Justin Herbert, or unfortunately, Jayden Daniels. However, if we take away the 28-6 fiasco in week one against the now 5-0 Vikings, he played some pretty good ball. He has the Giants after five weeks in the same place as Aaron Rodgers with the Jets. He should be 4-1 right now, and that’s partly his fault because he didn’t do anything last week. However, he is back, at least in his 2022 form.

Bonus thing: Isaiah Simmons and Bryce Ford-Wheaton

This isn’t really something we learned, so I left the title of the article at four, but Isaiah Simmons was relegated to something of an afterthought in Shane Bowen’s defense, so I had to call him out for his hustle in blocking the potentially game-winning field goal mention . Thanks also go to Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who previously only played on special teams, who sealed the game with his first NFL touchdown. As the commentators pointed out, it would have been better for him to slip before reaching the end zone like Singletary did in Cleveland, but how can you blame him?