Keys to division leaders Seahawks-Giants in silent-again Seattle, and the prediction
The Seahawks come home for two straight games in Seattle.
But again they will be without one of the NFL’s most impacting home-field advantages. The coronavirus pandemic continues to keep fans out of Lumen Field. One of football’s loudest stadiums weirdly silent again throughout Sunday’s game between the NFC West-leading Seahawks (8-3) and the NFC East leaders the New York Giants (4-7).
“I mean, imagine the factor we are missing here. Geez!” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.
“It’s one of the great factors in sport.”
The Giants won’t even have to deal with normal Seattle weather for December. The odd lack of rain to begin the Christmas month is supposed to continue today. The forecast for the 1:05 p.m. game is cloudy with a high temperature of 52 degrees and not much wind (9 mph).
Here are the keys to the Seahawks’ attempt to stay at least one game up atop the NFC West, with the divisional rival Rams (7-4) and Cardinals (6-5) playing at the same time Sunday in Arizona:
1. Is this Seahawks defensive surge for real? Or is it truly still the NFL’s last-ranked unit?
Consecutive weeks throttling Kyler Murray and the Cardinals then the inert Eagles have Seattle thinking the turnaround is on. End Carlos Dunlap has been gigantic. In four games since arriving from Cincinnati in a trade he has four sacks. Jarran Reed had three sacks in two seasons. He has 3 ½ in four games playing next to Dunlap.
Fellow tackle Poona Ford had a half sack in his career until Dunlap showed up. Ford has two sacks in his last three games.
Seattle has 19 sacks in the last four games, and has gone from the bottom of the league to its fifth-most sacks.
But now Dunlap has a sprained foot. The team lists him as questionable to play, and he will be a game-time decision. He looked Friday while working on a side field that he is going to try to play. His status is a large issue for Seattle’s defense entering this game.
2. That pass rush will be pursuing Colt McCoy.
Yes, that Colt McCoy. The last time the Seahawks played the 34-year-old journeyman quarterback, it was October 2011. Charlie “Clipboard Jesus” Whitehurst was Seattle’s quarterback in Carroll’s second season leading the team. Seattle lost to McCoy and the Browns 6-3 in Cleveland in perhaps the ugliest game of the otherwise beautiful Carroll era.
The veteran quarterback will start for injured Giants franchise QB Daniel Jones, who has a strained hamstring. McCoy has made just three starts in the last six seasons.
The rugged, 6-5 McCoy is like Jones, a big drop-back passer--albeit one who doesn’t run as well as Jones. New York’s approach probably won’t change much with McCoy. Coach Joe Judge this past week talked about how tough McCoy is, and how much the Giants trust him.
“I have a lot of confidence in Colt...He’s got a lot of instincts, a lot of savvy...he’s a tough dude,” Judge said.
And Seattle’s approach to defending the Giants won’t change either: pressure the pocket passer with a seemingly resurgent pass rush.
3. The Seahawks have a unique challenge against the Giants that it hasn’t had much this season: covering an elite tight end. Zach Ertz was on injured reserve last week for the Eagles.
Evan Engram is not on IR for the Giants.
Engram leads New York in receptions and yards. He even has run the ball five times, including for a touchdown--a rarity for a tight end.
“He’s a tremendously fast tight end...as natural as you can get,” Carroll said.
4. Jamal Adams is likely to get most of the coverage responsibility for Engram on Sunday.
That will be a switch.
Seattle hasn’t relied on its All-Pro safety much this season to cover. He’s been a blitzer supreme. He’s tied his career high in sacks for an entire season already. He has 6 ½ sacks in just eight games. He is 1 ½ sacks from an NFL record for a defensive back in a season.
He has gotten fired up at the perceptions and low ratings he’s gotten from Pro Football Focus and other about his coverage.
“Yeah,” he said two weeks ago, percolating. “I’ve had one bad play, versus Diggs. Stefon Diggs, versus the Bills.”
That was early in the game he and his defense got thrown at and all over in a 44-34 loss at Buffalo Nov. 8.
“And I went from being one of the guys that can take away all the tight ends to all of a sudden can’t cover,” he said, scoffing.
“So, to answer your question, brother, you know, I’m fine. I mean, I’m doing fine in coverage.”
Sunday against Engram is likely be Adams’ most extensive cover day this season. Or the Seahawks will use Ugo Amadi and Ryan Neal as fifth and sixth defensive backs a lot to free Adams to blitz instead.
That would leave Seattle somewhat more susceptible to a running game the Giants like to use, and may rely on more with Jones out.
5. Chris Carson eased back into his first game in five weeks on Monday night at Philadelphia. He had only eight carries, and yielded to Carlos Hyde for much of the game.
Carroll says Carson was “a little sore” coming out of the Eagles game. Carson says his sprained foot is fine.
Hyde is questionable (toe), though he and Carson were doing everything at the start of practice Friday. Carroll indicated the team was “taking care” of its two top running backs during practices on a shorter week following a Monday night game on the East Coast.
In his first game in more than a month Monday night, Carson got his eight rushes (for 41 yards, including a bulldozing touchdown of 16 yards) plus two catches on swing passes on Seattle’s first two offensive plays.
Asked if he wants Carson to get more touches Sunday against the Giants, Carroll smiled.
“More is good,” the coach said. “I love seeing Chris play...
“It’s likely Chris will get the ball more than that. ...I would like to see Chris get the ball more than that.”
Expect him and Hyde to test a Giants defense that is fifth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed. Carroll wants to reestablish a physical running game in time for the playoffs. This is the portion of the schedule and time of health with his two top backs to do that.
What I see happening: The Giants’ big defensive front keeping the game relatively low-scoring. New York targeting Plan-C cornerback D.J. Reed, who will start at cornerback because Quinton Dunbar and now (as of Saturday) Tre Flowers are on injured reserve with hamstring injuries. And the Seahawks (as usual) in another close one.
But Russell Wilson versus Colt McCoy in a close game in the fourth quarter is clearly advantage: Seattle.
Seahawks 21, Giants 16.
This story was originally published December 6, 2020 at 9:49 AM.
