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Giants (3-1) vs Seahawks (1-3)
Last Sunday the Seahawks were down 24-7 at the half
and then 27-7 at the start on the third quarter. They came back with three touchdowns
while holding Atlanta to just one more field goal but that was all the Falcons
needed to deal the Seahawks a 30-28 loss.
Eli Manning tossed a 29-yard touchdown
pass to Hakeem Nicks with 2:46 remaining right after a controversial call went
their way. This game wasn't easy or pretty, but the Giants were able to escape
from Arizona with a come-from-behind 31-27 victory. Seattle
Seahawks.
They are the 2010 NFC West division champs
and they did that somehow with a 7-9 record. Head coach Pete Carroll in his first
year, got them up from an even worse 5-11 record and since they had defeated the
equally poor 7-9 Rams twice, they were in. Carroll even managed his team to one
playoff win against the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints (11-5)
before going on to lose to Chicago. The weakest area on this team
was their running game. They ranked next to last in the NFL in 2010 and are currently
in that same spot. Shaun Alexander is long gone and they haven't found a capable
replacement. Why not pick up his look-alike, Tiki Barber? Even an aging Barber
could crack their 67.5 yard per game average. Now here's a quote for you - "It's
crazy," Plaxico Burress said to the New York Post about Barber not getting a run
with a team. "He's better than half the backs in the league." Seahawks
coaching - WTF? (Why The Fieldgoal?)
Last week many Seattle fans were
not happy with Pete Carroll's decision to try for a game winning 61 yard field
goal with 13 seconds left on a 4th down and 8. His quarterback was having a hot
second half and with 1:49 left had gotten the team from their 15 yard line down
to Atlanta's 43 yard line even saving the one timeout that was left. The longest
field goal ever made by any Seahawks kicker was a 55 yarder. Carroll was asking
a lot from Steven Hauschka since only nine players in NFL history have made field
goals of 60 yards or longer, and Hauschka's best was 54 yards back in his rookie
year 2008 with Baltimore. The NFL record is 63 yards, a tie by Jason Elam and
Sebastian Janikowski, both made and helped by the Mile High Stadium altitude in
Denver. Hauschka, kicking into the wind (by his own admission), was short and
wide left and the Seahawks lost 30-28. So once again, many were left to wonder
at that point, Why The Fieldgoal? Seahawks
offense.
Last
week Tarvaris Jackson threw for a career high 319 yards and seven different receivers
caught at least three passes. Once they decided to switch to the no-huddle in
the second half, Jackson missed on only 7 of his 24 passes, while leading the
team to 3 touchdowns. One unfortunate pass was his second interception, which
was on target for another touchdown, but when receiver Zach Miller took a hard
hit the ball popped and was intercepted.
The
offense seems to be improving in pass protection. They gave up 14 sacks in the
first three games, but none last week. The running game is another matter. Seattle's
starting running back Marshawn Lynch ran for 24 yards on 8 carries, and 3 yards
per carry is just about his overall average over these first four games. Seahawks
defense.
Well they couldn't stop Atlanta last
week in the first half, giving up 256 yards, and they let them score on four out
of their five possessions for a 24-7 lead. They clamped down in the second half,
which is their trend this season, and allowed just two field goals while their
offense tried to catch up. Overall they are tied
for third in the NFL defending against the run, yielding just 3.2 yards per carry,
however, quarterback pressure isn't their strength. They've come up with only
five sacks, all of them in the first game, and then none over the last three.
That means Eli Manning will have time to test their cornerbacks with his talented
receivers. Giants offense.
The offensive line held the Cardinals
to only one sack on Eli Manning for the day, but the running attack was just 54
yards, and it averaged only 2.3 yards per carry. That drags down their already
four game average, which now amounts to just 3.3 yards a carry. The numbers show
Ahmad Bradshaw averaging 4.1 yards per carry, and Brandon Jacobs averaging 3.1
which suggests that better up front blocking is called for. Eli Manning saved
the day hitting Victor Cruz with 6 six passes for 98 yards and Hakeem Nicks for
10 catches for 162 yards and the game-winning touchdown. He managed the come from
behind win with them rushing for just 14 yards
in the second half. It's great that the rebuilt offensive line can keep them off
Manning, but the offense can't stay one dimensional and expect to keep wining. Giants
defense.
Last week Osi Umenyiora was
back, but the Giants were missing Justin Tuck and that likely hurt their run defense.
Without him on the field, Cardinals running back Beanie Wells carried 27 times
for 138 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards a carry. In the first
two games they held the Redskins and Rams to a total of 134 rushing yards. The
next two totaled 333 yards.
Osi Umenyiora
and Dave Tollefson kept the quarterback pressure up and each recorded two sacks
on Kevin Kolb, but wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald still caught eight passes for
102 yards. Luckily, a fourth-quarter pass directed Fitzgerald's way ended up instead
in the hands of his old teammate, safety Antrel Rolle. So the weaknesses are still
the secondary coverage and the run defense, which is slipping. Overall.
Pete Carroll agrees that his offense is more
dangerous out of the no-huddle and he regretted not using it sooner last week.
His defense is good against the run and the Giants are suffering in that area
with a rushing attack that ranks 24th in the NFL.
The Giants faltered last week before pulling out a win over a weaker team. They
have also shown a weakness in the secondary, and trying to defend against a quick
effective no-huddle offense could be tough if the Seahawks decide to go that way.
Points could be high this game if both offenses can take advantage of the other
teams obvious weaknesses. NFC
East.
Two teams in the NFC East sit
this week out. The Cowboys and Redskins are both on their bye week. The Eagles
(1-3) travel to take on the Bills (3-1), playing their game at the same time as
the Giants, at 1pm. The Giants and Eagles were favored to win their games.
Check out.
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Giants Store, and see some of the really unique items we put together.
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Notes.
Giants Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined
for 2,058 yards on 4.9 yards per carry last year. Giants
Aaron Ross averaged 10 yards per punt return last week and Devin Thomas averaged
25.8 yards per kick return. Seahawks
offense has scored seven touchdowns so far this season, only one in the first
half. Seahawks defense has only allowed
one touchdown in the second half this season. Seahawks
kick returner Leon Washington is a former Jet player. Seahawks
Doug Baldwin leads the team with 12 receptions, tied for fourth in receptions
among rookies. 
Next Games
Oct 16 - Bills at Giants.
Giants Tickets
- Buy
or Sell
Oct 30 - Dolphins at
Giants.
Giants Tickets - Buy
or Sell
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