NFC Game Of The Week
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks
Giants: They continue to win. It may not be eye-opening or impressive, but they win, and you can tell their mindsets have completely shifted in that locker room. As I’ve been saying all year, the locker rooms under Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge showed no type of effort or energy and I take that as a group of players not wanting to play for the coach. You don’t sense that under Brian Daboll. Right now, he’s neck and neck for Coach of the Year with the Eagles Head Coach, Nick Sirianni. Right now, I’d lean in Brian’s direction because Philly was expected to be good this year, I don’t think anyone expected much from Big Blue this year. Another thing I notice with the Giants this year is how they love playing for Brian, but most importantly, they play for one another. This is a young football team that just needed someone to guide them in the right direction and they found it. I’m so happy to see Saquon Barkley back on the field, but most importantly healthy. He’s a force when he’s 100 percent and they’ve made him the point of emphasis. Daniel Jones has also improved this year as a Quarterback. He doesn’t press as he was once before, and you can see how much Coach Daboll has impacted him. He’s cut down on the turnovers and now, he’s become more of that game manager. Run the ball, control things, but most importantly, don’t lose the football game. On Sunday, they will look to keep this streak rolling with a trip to the West Coast.
Seahawks: So, I’m about to ask this question and I need full honestly. Who would’ve thought they would have a better record, be in first place in their division and be in a better position than the Denver Broncos and the Quarterback they traded away in March to start a wild off-season? I’ll serve myself a slice of humble pie and even repeat what I said about them when I previewed the NFC West. “It’s truly the start of a rebuild in Seattle. It’s all about draft positioning for them in 2022. We will revisit them in 2023. It’s a new chapter for this franchise”. In a division with a team who’s played in two of the last three NFC Championship games (San Francisco) and the team who won the division last year and won the Super Bowl (L.A. Rams), the Seattle Seahawks are in control of the NFC West. Geno Smith has bounced back in a better way than anyone expected. What I’ve noticed in watching them is an improved Offensive Line. Geno has a clean pocket to throw from and he can get the ball down the field. They’ve also gone back to running the football. Kenneth Walker has come on and provided this offense with balance. Remember how much I used to rave about him back at Michigan State? He’s come on in a big way and made a difference. Their defense has been struggling the last few years and that seemed to be the trend once again this year. As of late, they’ve been picking it up and improving. They held Austin Ekeler in check last weekend. In week eight, they return home for a showdown with Big Blue.
Giants X-Factor: Darius Slayton– The Giants passing attack has been hit or miss this year. Since Sterling Shepard went down with his knee injury, this is who Daniel Jones has looked Darius’ way a lot more. Darius is a down the field target that can create separation to get open. I said it on the radio and I’ll say it again here: If the Giants want to be taken more serious, this is where they need to go and get a free agent Wide Receiver.
Seahawks X-Factor: Tyler Lockett– I would go on and on about his impact during the Russell Wilson days. I’ve been a fan of his style of play for the longest. Tyler is a tough receiver. He has great hands, a great ability to track down deep passes and makes those diving catches. He has no hesitation with going over the middle to make a catch. Anytime the ball comes his way, it falls right into his hands. Tyler provides Seattle with that big time playmaker in the passing game.
Final Thoughts: Who in their right minds would have thought this would be one of the marquee matchups of the week? Not much was expected from either the Giants or Seahawks this year. Many thought Seattle would be rebuilding or tanking, while the Giants are in second place behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East. The Giants this year have struggled to contain heavy rush-oriented offenses so, I expect Seattle to unleash Walker on them. Wear them down and make Geno pass the ball more. Saquon has had a bounceback season and this will be the best Running Back the Seahawks will have seen all season long. This will come down to who can contain the other teams ground attack more. This will be a test for the Giants. That stadium is one of the toughest places to play.
Prediction: Seahawks 23, Giants 16
