Seahawks: Expect a Slugfest Against New York
By Ben Renner
The Seahawks are back off of their Bye Week against the New York Giants this week. Unless they figure out how to block, expect another ugly game this Sunday.
The Seahawks slipped a half-game out of first place in the NFC West this week after the Rams defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars to go to 4-2. Their Week 7 opponent, the New York Giants, appeared left for dead coming into their road game against Denver last night, then they pummeled the Broncos 23-10 on Sunday Night Football.
The Giants aren’t dead yet, despite an inept offense ravaged by injuries. Indeed, the New York has about three offensive skill position players above replacement level at this point, and that’s being nice to quarterback Eli Manning, who was once again bad against Denver last night.
But it was the Giants defense that woke up against the Broncos. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul recorded three sacks and generally didn’t allow Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian time to do much of anything all night.
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JPP wasn’t the only defensive player to show up against Denver. Safety Landon Collins played well, as did cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who returned an interception for a touchdown and forced a fumble. The turnovers made up for Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas popping off for 133 yards. Eli Apple turned in a non-terrible performance for the first time this season, too.
The New York defensive line could keep the Seahawks and Russell Wilson bottled up on Sunday. In a defensive struggle, don’t think a 1-5 Giants team can’t knock Seattle off at home. This could be a dangerous game if the offensive line continues to struggle.
The only Giants offensive player who could hurt the Seahawks is rookie tight end Evan Engram. I know that any player any week could have a breakout, but it’s unreasonable to expect any of New York’s receivers replacing Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall torching Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and company.
Next: The Seahawks have a Timeshare Problem
We know the defense will keep the Seahawks in almost every game this year, but can their offense do enough to win in the dreaded Eastern Time Zone? We’ll see.