Giants fall to 1-6 after getting rocked by Seahawks 24-7
When we last saw the New York Football Giants, they thoroughly handled the Denver Broncos in a nationally televised game that no one expected them to win.
No team that started with a 1-5 record has made the postseason since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger. After the Giants 23-10 victory last week, there was a slither of hope that they could possibly salvage the season .
The Seattle Seahawks destroyed that hope. There’s no way around it. Even the most die-hard, optimistic fans now face the reality that the Giants will be playing for a high pick in next April’s NFL Draft.
Seattle beat the Giants 24-7 at MetLife Stadium in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score suggests.
At first, that glimmer of hope was there. The Giants defense had an impressive goal line stand that kept Seattle out of the end zone. On the Seahawks’ next offensive series, they came with a fumble that led to an Evan Engram touchdown that gave the Giants the lead.
Engram’s touchdown was the only points the Giants scored.
The Seahawks played far from a perfect game with 15 penalties for 110 yards. They did, however, win the time of possession battle (35 minutes, 26 seconds to 24 minutes, 34 seconds). Seattle also had more first downs (24 to 16) and more yards (425 to 177) and won the ground game (104 to 46).
Seattle also made plays when they needed to on both sides of the ball.
Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin continually made the Giants defense look foolish with nine receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown. Baldwin came through in the clutch because the Giants were unable to stop him on third down. Paul Richardson and Jimmy Graham also came up with scores for the Seahawks.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson finished 27-of-39 for 334 yards and the three touchdowns. Eli Manning’s day didn’t go anywhere near as well.
Manning went 19-of-39 for 134 yards and the Engram touchdown. He was forced to put the ball in the air when the Seahawks shut down the Giants’ run game. Manning said earlier in the week that he would have to throw the ball more than he did against the Broncos, where he only threw 19 passes. Unfortunately, throwing the ball more played right into the Seahawks’ hands.
Manning’s sack fumble in the third quarter didn’t help matters in the least.
It isn’t as if the Giants have a plethora of weapons on offense. Besides Engram (six receptions for 60 yards and the touchdown), the rest of the offense was shut down. Since the Seahawks are undefeated at MetLife Stadium (three games against the Giants, one game against the New York Jets, and Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos), having Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall, and Sterling Shepard wouldn’t have made one iota of a difference.
The Giants are now 1-6 with a bye next week. The bleeding will stop for them temporarily. When they return to action, they will face the 5-2 Los Angeles Rams at MetLife Stadium. Five of their remaining nine games are against teams with records of .500 or better: the Rams in Week 9, the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11, the Washington Redskins in Weeks 12 and 17, the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15.
The win against the Broncos was a temporary distraction from the muck and mire of the Giants’ season. It made fans forget about the five consecutive losses to begin this season and think, just for a moment, that they could get this thing turned around. After Seattle won their fourth consecutive game against the Giants, reality sets in.
The Giants are 15th in the NFC with the winless San Francisco 49ers (who they face in Week 10) firmly entrenched at the bottom. History is not going to be made. The Giants are not going to back up their preseason declarations that they were ready to take the next step. Injuries, questionable personnel and coaching decisions, and bad luck have doomed this season. There is no denying it now.
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for cover32 and covers the NFL and New York Giants. Please like and follow on Facebook and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.
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