This marks the last of the three straight NFC West games for the Giants. So far they are 1-1, looking to be 2-1 after this week is done. The game was forecasted for heavy rain, so Coach Burn gameplanned to run the ball and stop the run.
The Seahawks got the ball first, where they went for it on fourth down in their own territory and were stopped by the Giants. On the next drive, Barkley ran the ball well down the field, only to have Hyatt fumble the ball in the red zone. This would be just the first of the mistakes that the Giants would face.
The Seahawks would drive down the field and score a touchdown, only to be matched by a Matt Breida 50 yard touchdown run. The score would stay knotted up until about 4 minutes left in the second quarter, where Gano would kick a field goal after Barkley couldn’t punch the ball into the endzone. This would be the Giants only lead of the game, however, it would be short lived as on the very next drive, Geno Smith would throw a deep bomb to Metcalf versus cover 4 and score a touchdown.
Jones and the Giants would drive down the field with little time remaining in the second quarter, only for him to throw an interception on the 8 yard line. Anyone watching the ball would assume that Jones overthrew the receiver, however, if you watch the receiver, he was bumped off of his route past 5 yards which should have been a penalty.
The Seahawks would score on their first drive, going up 11, putting the Giants in a spot that they don’t like to be in. After a sack, it was 3rd and 27, and Jones put the ball perfectly where his receiver would get the ball but just like with the interception earlier, the receiver was moved before the ball got to him and wasn’t called for a penalty by the referees.
The Giants would get the stop that they needed on the next Seahawks possession, but Jones would overthrow a streaking Barkley for an interception. THe score would stay 21-10 going into the fourth quarter. The Giants defense would get another stop, and the special teams would block the field goal try. THis was exactly what the Giants needed in order to get back into the game. Jones would once again throw an interception on the following drive, trying to fit a ball into a spot he shouldn’t have. This led to a Sehawks touchdown, making the score 28-10. Jones, on the very next drive would then throw his fourth interception, on a throw that was very overthrown on a wide open Waller streak. Waller didn’t even have a chance to catch the ball. THe interception would be run in for a pick 6, sealing the game at 35-10.
Key Injuries:
RG Justin Pugh 75 OVR: Broken Ribs (4 Weeks)
LT Andrew Thomas 92 OVR: Abdominal Tear (4 Weeks)
Pugh went down early in the game, forcing the Giants to start two backup lineman for most of the game. Thomas went down late in the third quarter, forcing the Giants to start three backup offensive lineman for the rest of the game. WIth these two out, mixed with Neal also out four weeks, the Giants are going to field very low overall lineman for the next few games. Coach Burn will need to come up with a quick passing game plan because, as we saw in the fourth quartet, the Giants backup lineman can’t hold a block for more than one second.
Key Statistics:
QB Jones: 16/30 167 Yards, 4 Interceptions
Jones played awful to say the least. He sold the Giants and their defense at least 10 times in the game. He continues to play worse and worse each week. FOr someone making 40 million dollars he should be playing much better. With his contract the Giants have no choice but to play him, but it is going to be much harder for Jones given his starting offensive lineman situation.
HB Barkely: 15 Rushes 73 Yards
Barkley and Breida split carries in the game, and the Giants had an overall good day rushing the ball but Barkley couldn’t find many lanes himself. He couldn’t break many tackles on his one on ones, which led to the Giants throwing the ball.
WR Hyatt: 8 Receptions, 53 Yards, 1 Fumble Lost
Hyatt set the tone for the Giants with his lost fumble on the opening possession. This forced Coach Burn to go on conservative, which meant no broken tackles for anyone on the team. Hyatt did well catching the ball, but he couldn’t break away after the ball was caught.
The Giants are in a spot they don’t want to be in. They are 1-3, with three starting offensive lineman out, about to face off against the Dolphins, Bills, and Commanders. Coach Burn has to find a way to win at least two of these games without these lineman otherwise that hole is going to be that much harder to dig out of for the rest of the season.