New York Giants @ Seattle Seahawks
Final Score: Giants 29, Seahawks 20
Writer: Jason Wolf (J_Wolf_Picks on Twitter)
No Malik Nabers, no problem for Daniel Jones and the Giants as they were able to move the ball down the field with surprising ease against Mike McDonald‘s Seattle defense. Jones opened up the game with a methodical 14-play, 94-yard drive, taking New York down to the 1-yard line where RB Eric Gray fumbled on the goal-line, which Seattle returned for a 102 yards and the TD. Despite that, the teams were tied at 10-10 at halftime in a game that was much closer than it should have been. Despite Seattle’s inability to protect Geno Smith, their non-existent run game, and their failure to stop the Giants on defense, they were in position to win the game when they lined up for a go-ahead field goal on a Jason Myers 47-yard attempt. The Giants blocked the kick and returned it for a touchdown, sealing the unlikely victory on the road. Down their WR1 in Nabers and RB1 in Devin Singletary, the Giants got major contributions from WR Darius Slayton as well as Rookie RB Tyrone Tracy, who stepped into the lead-back role for this game and might have walked away with it by the end by totaling 130 yards on only 19 touches.
Two Up
- Daniel Jones – Quietly, Daniel Jones might be figuring some things out. For the third time in four weeks, Danny Dimes recorded over 200 passing yards and threw for two touchdowns while taking care of the ball, recording zero turnovers. He had a season high 11 rushes for a season high 38 yards; using his legs decisively and effectively to quickly pick up small gains when the Giants needed them the most. After taking a (recovered) sack fumble on the Giants’ first play on offense, Jones was completely locked in, having a hyper-efficient first half where he connected on 12 of his first 13 passes. Jones was hyper-efficient in the first half, finishing 14-18 with 145 yards. Jones played largely mistake-free and hit receivers on all levels of the field. Expectations for this offense without star WR Malik Nabers were low but Jones kept the offense humming while being smart with his legs and taking what the defense was giving him. Sustaining this level of play without Nabers on the field is a highly positive (and unexpected) development for the Giants.
- Tyrone Tracy – Coming into this game, the preseason hype-train darling hadn’t done much to make a name for himself but with Devin Singletary inactive for this one, Tyrone Tracy seized the opportunity and had a career day, undoubtedly earning more touches moving forward. In his first start, Tracy finished with 129 yards on 18 carries, good for a 7.2 YPA. Tracy looked great, putting his vision and lateral quickness on display as he made quick cuts and sped by defenders with regularity. Tracy has big play ability and looks explosive with the ball in his hands, bringing something different to the table than Singletary, a much needed element for an offense bereft of playmakers on offense outside of Malik Nabers.
Two Down
- DK Metcalf – It was a day to forget for DK Metcalf as he fumbled and lost the ball for the second time in as many weeks. Other than his fumble, he also dropped his first target of the day on a perfectly placed ball from Geno Smith. Metcalf saw three targets come his way on Seattle’s first drive but then saw only four targets over the next 58 minutes of play. While he has put up some numbers in the box score this season, it is apparent that there is a lot of meat on the bone being left out on the field. He has been fed targets in this offense (except today) but he’s not doing as much with them as we’ve come to expect from him. With Tyler Lockett getting healthier and Jaxon Smith-Njigba commanding more targets, it is fair to wonder if Metcalf’s target share will look more like this moving forward.
- Kenneth Walker – After being listed as questionable for most of the week, Kenneth Walker was active for Week 5, though you could be forgiven for wondering where he was for half the game. Coming into this game, the Giants were 31st in run defense, allowing 5.1 YPC. Despite this, Walker was only given two (two!) rushes in the first half, going for 2 yards. Though his two runs weren’t positive plays, it is absolutely inexcusable for KW3 to finish with five rushes against a Giants team that were regularly getting gashed on the ground. In a game where the Seahawks opened the scoring and was tied going into halftime, his usage was baffling. Though he did essentially nothing of note on the ground, he did lead the Seahawks in targets (8) and catches (7), making up for his subpar day on the ground. The offensive line troubles that Seattle had as well as his usage was a recipe for disaster for Walker, and it is valid to wonder if his offensive line will continue to hold him back.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Daniel Jones: 23/34, 257 Yards, 2 TD | 11 Carries, 38 Yards, 1 Fumble (Recovered)
Daniel Jones came out firing, connecting on 12 of his first 13 passes in the first half. Despite his excellent first drive resulting in a defensive touchdown, he stepped up and delivered a game-tying TD drive in the following quarter. Jones was cool, calm, and collected on the day, making quick decisions and decisively using his feet to gain important yards. Jones finished with a season-high in carries, passing yards, and QBR. His first touch of the game was a fumble – which the Giants luckily recovered – but after that play, one couldn’t be blamed for thinking the Giants were going to be a mess without Malik Nabers. However, Daniel Jones stepped up and put on a polished performance, showing strong rapport with Darius Slayton while connecting with him on two long bombs for gains of 41 and 30. His long pass of 41 yards to Slayton was a thing of beauty, hitting Slayton perfectly in stride just beyond the reach of the DB. Jones excelled at getting the ball out early and read the defense perfectly, finishing 13/17 for 130 passing yards and a touchdown against the blitz. Jones has flashed his high-ceiling potential before but he seems to be improving in the areas he needed to the most; notably on his deep ball and avoiding costly mistakes and turnovers. Surely, Seattle CB Tariq Woolen picking up an injury and coming in and out of the game made Jones’ life easier but he was consistently impressive from start-to-finish. Jones played a near-perfect game on the road without his best weapon and showed improvement in his mental processing and accuracy.
Note
- He’s crafty in the open field and hard to bring down. He is not afraid to lower his shoulder and gain a few yards through contact, which he did several times in this one. He unleashed a monster stiff-arm on a Seattle LB trying to tackle him, gaining an extra 7-8 yards in doing so.
Missed Opportunities
- Though Jones lifted the floor of the Giants’ offensive potential, there were times he was still let down by his supporting cast. Wan’Dale Robinson in particular had a really bad drop on a third down
Running Back
Tyrone Tracy: 18 Carries, 129 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard
Giants’ rookie RB Tyrone Tracy took the starting RB role in Week 5 and ran away with it, a common theme of the day as he was running away from everyone on the defense as well. Tracy looked dangerous with the ball in his hands as seemingly every time he touched the ball he gained chunk yardage. Too many times to count, Tracy ran horizontally, setting up his blockers and instantly cut through the defense for good gains. Even if you take away Tracy’s long gain of 27 yards, he gained 102 yards on 17 carries, good for 6 YPA. Throughout the day, Tracy displayed an impressive ability to stop + start on a dime in the open field, making defenders miss at the second level several times. His jukes and quickness allowed him to create a solid amount of extra yards whereas a lot of other RBs would just get brought down. Some speedy backs have a tendency to go for the home run every play but Tracy was a patient runner today, setting up his blockers and making life easier for himself in the process. On outside carries, he ran laterally until a hole was created, and when it was, he hit it hard and fast. He was almost never brought down 1 vs. 1 in the open field. Not only did he make guys miss, he juked them out of their shoes on multiple occasions. He puts his foot in the dirt and heads downfield in a hurry. Even when a defender had him dead to rights on his lone catch of the game behind the line of scrimmage, Tracy absorbed a big hit by the full sprinting defender, shrugged it off and still gained a yard. Tracy also showed off impressive balance and a low-center of gravity, allowing him to take contact and fight through it.
Eric Gray: 4 Rushes, 4 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 50 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)
Eric Gray did most of his damage on the Giants’ first drive. Damage in the box score and damage to the Giants’ chances of winning the game all came on the same drive as Gray picked up receptions of 18 and 19 yards on consecutive plays on the Giants’ first drive. On a 3rd & 17, Gray took a simple screen pass and did a nice job turning upfield and evading would-be tacklers to pick up the first down. Gray had enough quickness to beat defenders to the edge and made a nice play. However, Gray also fumbled the ball at the goal-line at the end of the Giants’ (very promising) first drive, resulting in a Seattle defensive touchdown. After watching replays from different angles 20+ times, it seems like Gray might have broken the plane before losing control of the football, yet Gray still needs to do a better job of holding on to the ball.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Darius Slayton: 11 Targets, 8 Receptions, 122 Yards, TD
Darius Slayton must love the month of pumpkin spice lattes. Through all of September he accrued 10 receptions for 122 yards. Flipping the page of the calendar to October, he brought in 8 catches for 122 yards and a score. The connection between Daniel Jones and Darius Slayton was humming, as Slayton caught two long receptions of 40+ yards and 30 yards. On his touchdown catch, Slayton just used his straight line speed to gain half a step on the defender and Jones fired the ball where only Slayton could make a play on it at the back of the endzone. On Slayton’s long gain of 41, he did an excellent job running past the defender down the sideline while tracking the ball over his shoulder, coming down with the impressive catch. Slayton was cooking on the day, operating as Jones’ go-to guy when needing a big play or a drive-sustaining first down. Slayton was consistently burning man coverage all game, finding pockets of space which Jones capitalized on by firing in with great accuracy. Slayton led the team in all receiving stats against the Seahawks, and it wasn’t even close. In a classic case of “ball don’t lie,” Slayton was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on a very run-of-the-mill first down celebration which the referees mistook for some kind of gun celebration. After Slayton was wrongfully penalized, he connected with Jones on his 30 yard touchdown where he burned his man for the big play.
Wan’Dale Robinson: 9 Targets, 6 Receptions, 36 Yards, TD
Though Wan’Dale Robinson didn’t produce eye-popping numbers, he was a reliable target for Daniel Jones when needing a short gain or just a positive play. Robinson’s 6 yards per reception is a tiny number from a small sample size but it is indicative of how he is used in the Giants offense. He is particularly quick and shifty, allowing him to be great at getting open for quick throws, which Daniel Jones was excelling at today. Robinson gained significant separation on his touchdown catch, running free with his defender several yards behind him for the easy pitch and catch TD. Wan’Dale was peppered with targets as he was targeted on over 25% of Jones’ pass attempts. His style of catching with his body led to his drops though, a fixable problem if he used his hands more to bring balls in.
Missed Opportunities
- Had a brutal drop on a third down pass that would have given the Giants a first down but instead forced them to punt. He was wide open and the pass was on the money. Just an inexcusable drop from Robinson.
Theo Johnson: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 48 Yards
Rookie TE Theo Johnson set career highs across the board, hauling in all five of his targets for 48 yards, looking good while doing so. He exploded off the line of scrimmage for his big 20+ yard gain off play action, finding himself wide open. Johnson showed sure hands in bringing down all of his target and wasn’t afraid to go through defenders to get some yards after contact. Johnson’s athletic profile is vey promising, with him being a 6’6 beast who runs a 4.58 40-yard dash and he looks every bit of the athletic freak with the ball in his hands.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Geno Smith: 28/40, 284 Yards, TD | 4 Rushes, 72 Yards
Geno Smith’s first pass of the day was a perfectly placed back shoulder throw to DK Metcalf, who proceeded to drop the highly catchable ball on his way down. This was the first play of the game and the first of many times that Smith’s teammates would let him down as he ended up taking 7 sacks on the day to go along with countless other pressures. All things considered, Geno actually played a very solid game despite incredibly poor pass protection from his offensive line. Geno has been playing like a top 5 QB so far this young season and that continued in this one as he showed impressive poise under pressure and showed off his elite accuracy and ball placement. Geno had to be near-flawless to keep the Seahawks in it, and he was for most of the day. A 40:5 split of Geno Smith passes to Kenneth Walker runs is definitely not what the Seahawks aim for on a weekly basis, as Seattle got away from the run game too early and put immense pressure on Smith to keep the offense alive and thriving. Geno got hurt twice last year in part due to poor offensive line play letting him get hit, and this game was probably triggering for similar reasons for Seahawks fans. Granted, the Giants have one of the league’s nastiest pass rush in the league but the Seattle playcalling has got to help Geno out more. Smith is leading the NFL in passing yards after five weeks and he has become quite the gunslinging QB, nailing throws across all levels of the field with impressive zip and accuracy. He also flashed some good decision making in deciding when to break the pocket, particularly on his 32-yard scamper on what was the potential game-winning drive. Another microcosm of the game is how Geno got them in FG range with a minute left for a game-winner but Seattle couldn’t convert.
Running Back
Kenneth Walker: 5 Rushes, 19 Yards | 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 57 Yards
Kenneth Walker only rushed the ball twice in the first half, an absolutely disgustingly low number for someone who just pulled an entire gymnastics routine off of while being tackled last week. Walker didn’t do anything on the ground in this game but he also wasn’t given a fair shot to. Seattle pretty much immediately abandoned the run game after Walker’s first two attempts which went for a combined 2 yards. Walker had two rushes and only two targets going into halftime. He accrued the vast majority of his stats in the second half when the Seahawks were playing in clear catch-up mode down two scores. Walker flashed his usual skillset of power + speed whenever he did get the chance but that wasn’t often as he was racking up yards on short passes when the Giants were playing softer defense and sitting on a lead. The Seahawks put Zach Charbonnet in on 3rd downs in the first half and I don’t see the advantage that gives them as Walker is an excellent receiver out of the backfield and should be getting the ball in his hands as much as possible.
Zach Charbonnet: 2 Rushes, 11 Yards | 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 19 Yards
Zach Charbonnet got just as many touches as KW3 did in the first half of the game, doing just as much (if not less) than Walker did with his touches. At one point in the game, Charbonnet had three catches while Metcalf and JSN had three catches combined. Between the Seahawks dropping back constantly in a tie or one-score game and throwing flats to Charbonnet when down 10, I can’t say I know what OC Ben Grubb is doing, and I’m not sure he does either. In any case, Seattle does seem insistent on getting Charbonnet touches, so that doesn’t seem likely to change at this point.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DK Metcalf: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 55 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)
DK Metcalf had a frustrating day highlighted by a second consecutive game with a lost fumble and uncharacteristic drops on easily catchable balls. Metcalf was held in check by Giants’ CB Deonte Banks, who only allowed Metcalf to go for one catch for 10 yards on three targets. You could tell Metcalf was frustrated at different points of the game and that was partly due to the strong coverage of Banks. Metcalf’s body language was visibly poor, leading him to appearing to take a few plays off or not give 100% on some routes. For someone who can be so dominant week-to-week, he is also surprisingly inconsistent. Metcalf saw three out of seven targets on the opening drive and then only got four more the rest of the way.
Tyler Lockett: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 75 Yards
Ol’ Reliable, Tyler Lockett led the Seahawks in yards on only four receptions (6 targets), doing his thing per usual in the deep game, coming down with gains of 28 and 33 yard gains. Lockett ran the third most routes out of Seattle receivers which is in line for how his usage has been over the years. Lockett had the opportunity to pick up some more YAC on his 33-yard receptions but was tripped up by one of his teammates. Before he ran into his teammate, he put on some nice moves in space, making three defenders miss him and looked spry while doing so.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba : 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 31 Yards, TD
It was an encouraging sign that Jaxon Smith-Njigba once again got a healthy portion of the target share but he wasn’t really able to do much with his seven targets, other than coming down with Geno Smith’s only touchdown of the game. JSN ran right by the defender in the endzone, putting his hand up to say he was open immediately because he knew no Giants defender was going to be anywhere near him. He was right, and Geno Smith hit him for what will be one of the easiest TD receptions of his career. Like the rest of his receiving room partners, JSN inexcusably dropped a pass on the third-down before the fateful blocked field goal at the end of the game. Smith-Njigba needs to come down with that catch, and it ended up perhaps costing his team the game as the difference between a first down and 47-yard FG attempt could have been all the difference. JSN has incredibly high potential but with such a crowded room and a healthier Tyler Lockett, it is difficult to rely on him for consistent production.
Noah Fant: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 24 Yards