What We Saw: Seahawks at Giants

A drab Monday Night Football matchup saw season prospects get a lot worse for the hapless New York Giants

Benjamin Haller
What We Saw 10 Months Ago

Seahawks @ Giants

Final Score: Seahawks 24, Giants 3

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)

 

There’s no skirting around the fact that this game was a tough watch for long periods with both teams guilty of sloppy football, silly penalties and poor execution. As the game played out, one team got a bit better but the other team got significantly worse. The New York Giants crumbled to nothing on offense for the second time this season with Brian Daboll unable to inspire Daniel Jones to a competent performance – the Giants signal-caller was sacked 10 times and threw two terrible interceptions as the Seattle Seahawks defense proved to be the game changing factor. Shout out to first round rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who was a man possessed and laid out a number of Giants players through the contest. He finished with two sacks, three quarterback hits, seven tackles and 97-yard interception returned for a touchdown. Arise, IDP King!

 

Pete Carroll‘s defensive unit was fired up and made play after play against a beleaguered Giants offensive line that was no match for Seattle’s dominant defensive scheming. On a sad note, after a big tackle on the Giants’ opening drive, the returning Jamaal Adams went in low on Jones and suffered a nasty looking concussion. He was visibly wobbly and very agitated once the doctor ruled him out.

The Seahawks marched on but the Giants woes continue.

 

Three Up

  • Kenneth Walker – clearly the lead back with rookie Charbonnet unlikely to eat further into his carry share.
  • DK Metcalf – even on a negative game script with just four targets, Metcalf delivers a fantasy relevant score due to his red-zone impact
  • Saquon Barkley – every game that the Giants play makes Barkley more valuable as they will have no choice but to centre the offense around him once he returns.

Three Down

  • Zach Charbonnet – fantasy managers drafted the rookie with the hope he would become the starter but that looks a long way off right now
  • Tyler Lockett – this is the worry with Lockett, if the game goes this way he will not garner enough targets to be fantasy effective – he has failed to find the end zone in three of four games this season
  • Darren Waller – anonymous for large periods of this game once again, the tight end cannot be trusted for fantasy purposes in this offense

 

Seattle Seahawks

 

Quarterback

 

Geno Smith: 13/20, 110 Yards, TD, 2 Sacks

 

It was a strange night for the often calm and composed Geno Smith, who struggled to find rhythm early in the game and was sacked twice, once by Isaiah Simmons as he was going out of bounds which he reacted angrily to after being checked on the sideline for injury. He was held out for the Seahawks next drive, which Drew Lock turned into a 7-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, before resuming the field for the second half.

 

Prior to this he had found his favorite target in the red-zone, DK Metcalf for a 6-yard score to put the Seahawks ahead after the defense strip-sacked Jones inside his own 20-yard line. Smith showed poise before anticipating pressure and rolling to his right, throwing on the run to hit Metcalf in the back of the end zone with an elite throw.

 

Smith spent much of the second half handing the ball off as he attempted just 10 passes in the second half before giving way to Lock for the final drive of the game.

 


Drew Lock: 2/6, 63 Yards | 1 Carry, 11 Yards

 

It was quite the cameo from Lock on his actual real football debut for the Seahawks. Lock found fellow former Bronco Noah Fant with a check down on third-and-long, and watched with delight as the tight end bulldozed his way through some dreadful defensive tackling from the Giants for a 51-yard gain. The play was initially ruled a touchdown but was overturned on review.

 

Lock gave way to the returning Smith after halftime but took the field and handed the ball off for the final series as the Seahawks ran out the clock.

 

Running Back

 

Kenneth Walker: 17 Carries, 79 Yards, TD

 

Sorry to those fantasy managers who thought Kenneth Walker ripped off a 72-yard touchdown run on the Seahawks’ opening drive. After being tackled and spun over and on top of Bobby Okerere, Walker continued his run unabated to the end zone. It was extremely close but the replay showed that Walker’s backside did make contact with the ground. Still, he did get into the end zone eventually after Noah Fant’s big run was initially called a score before being brought back to the 1-yard line on review. Walker had no problems breaking the plane.

 

Walker only had 48 yards rushing midway through the fourth quarter but a big 31-yard run on the first play after Jones’ last interception padded out his statistics from a fantasy perspective. It was an extremely friendly game script for Seattle’s top running back still he did what he needed to do.

 

Zach Charbonnet: 5 Carries, 31 Yards | 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 9 Yards

 

Rookie running back Zach Charbonnet showed his speed and toughness in limited opportunities in the second half after the Seahawks extended their lead. The back was hardly seen in the first half as the Seahawks prioritized the passing game. A couple of short field positions due to turnovers also meant Walker got the work near the goal line. Charbonnet was the only back to see targets out of the backfield, however and that seems to be where his role will be relevant.

 

DeeJay Dallas: 1 Target

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Noah Fant: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 63 Yards

Tyler Lockett: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 54 Yards

 

A quiet night for the Seahawks No.2 receiver who did most of his work on the opening drive of the second half that resulted in Seattle turning the ball over on downs after a failed fourth-and-one. He nabbed four catches for 54 yards but saw one of those moved back after Smith again got angry and drew a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. He was targeted just once in the first half, yikes! This is the trouble with Lockett, he cannot be relied on for consistent production. He had two scores in Week 2 but has failed to catch more than four passes in any of the other games.

 

DK Metcalf: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 34 Yards, TD

 

Despite only four targets on the night, Metcalf managed to find the end zone to satisfy fantasy managers who needed just enough from him to win their fantasy matchup. The star wideout was the first Seahawk targeted in the end zone but those opportunities dried up as the Seahawks leaned to running out the clock. He was double-teamed for most of this game and throws for easy yards in the second half went Lockett’s way rather than his. Was not targeted in the second half and wasn’t on the field for much of the fourth quarter with the game tied up – he had been limited with sore ribs during the week.

 

Cody Thompson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards

Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 5 Yards

 

Another disappointing night in terms of involvement for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, with the Seahawks primarily using 12-personnel and seeing out the second half with the run game. The rookie was used mainly out of the slot and as a catch-and-run receiver out of the backfield but didn’t have any impact.

 

Colby Parkinson: 1 Target

Jake Bobo: 1 Target

 

New York Giants

 

Quarterback

 

Daniel Jones: 27/34, 203 Yards, 2 INT, 10 Sacks | 10 Carries, 66 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)

 

Another horrific night for Daniel Jones, who endured intense pressure from all sides and was sacked 10 times behind a dreadful offensive line that gave the quarterback no time to throw all night. Jones was mainly reduced to short throws, dump-offs and checkdowns in his 34 passing attempts – many completions were broken plays as he tried to escape pressure and find the nearest downfield player to avoid a sack. If he took too much time, he went down. It all came crashing down near the end of the first quarter, and it got worse from there.

 

There seemed to be no alternate plan and throwing the ball downfield looked to be absent from the playbook. Jones’ only trip to the red zone resulted in the terrible sideline throw that was returned 97 yards for a touchdown by Witherspoon. He was kept in the game until the final drive and Daboll showed visible frustration multiple times on the sideline, once confronting Jones after the pick six. This relationship is broken.

 

Running Back

 

Matt Breida: 14 Carries, 30 Yards | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 48 Yards

 

Well, the Giants at least tried to get the ground game going this week. A week after criminally giving Matt Breida just four carries as the starter against the 49ers, the former Bills running back carried the ball a season-high 14 times but averaged just 2.1 yards per carry as the Seattle defensive front annihilated the Giants offensive line in both run-blocking and pass-protection. Breida’s longest run was just five yards and he had more joy in his traditional role as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. He caught all five of his targets for 48 yards, his most impactful play was a scramble that Jones flicked forward to him as he separated from the defensive back who had to go to meet Jones. Not scripted, obviously.

 

Gary Brightwell: 4 Carries, 9 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 10 Yards

 

It was lucky that Gary Brightwell was even given the opportunity to have touches in this game as he committed two terrible penalties on special teams in the first half that allowed the Seahawks to get away with poor field position. His involvement was limited to a couple of second down carries and a pass to try and prevent third and long.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Sorry, I am bucking the trend of writing notes about each receiver for the Giants as really there is nothing of note and the problem here is a system one. Jones only attempted two passes beyond 20 yards in this game and one was intercepted by Quandre Diggs late in the fourth quarter. Parris Campbell never had a chance of catching it.

 

The Giants receivers were used on short routes to the sideline or behind the line of scrimmage in an attempt to exploit yards after the catch. They had obviously not watched the tape on Devon Witherspoon, who along with Tariq Woolen played high in the box and stuffed out these plays, time and time again, as they knew the ball was never going over their heads.

 

Wan’Dale Robinson: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 40 Yards | 1 Carry, 7 Yards

The only bright spot on the night for the Giants was the return of second-year utility man Wan’Dale Robinson, who showed some elusiveness in his route running alongside a willingness to hurry up the offense. He faded in terms of use as the game went on but he did show more than any other offensive skill position player.

 

Darren Waller: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 21 Yards

As alluded to above, the entire Giants wide receiver room is uninspiring and is rightfully avoided by the vast majority of the fantasy football community. Much has been expected from Darren Waller, however, and he has failed to deliver this season. Nearly everyone expected Top 10 production from Waller and viewed him as the clear alpha in the passing game, but those prognostications, viewed as a given by most, have yet to come to fruition. Fantasy managers are not pleased with 5.1 fantasy points from Waller and could’ve found countless streaming options to offer more in Week 4 fantasy lineups.

Isaiah Hodgins: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 24 Yards

Darius Slayton: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 23 Yards

Parris Campbell: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 15 Yards | 1 Carry, -8 Yards

Jalin Hyatt: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 10 Yards

Sterling Shepard: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards

Daniel Bellinger: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards

Ben Bredeson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 0 Yards

2 responses to “What We Saw: Seahawks at Giants”

  1. Mike says:
    October 4, 2023 at 11:26 am

    How do you feel about Wan’dale? I feel like WR1 is his for the taking if this offense can even support one receiver.

    Reply
    • Benjamin Haller says:
      October 5, 2023 at 8:05 pm

      Hey Mike, yeah he was the only bright spot on the offense to be honest. The Giants seem to be cycling through receivers to find something that they don’t have in one receiver. Robinson is never going to be a guy who can win on the outside but the more they get him involved over the middle and in rushing plays he could be FLEX option relevant. Teams have worked that out though which makes it hard to be effective

      Reply

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