The New York Giants (1-2) and Seattle Seahawks (2-1) will square off on Monday night in a Week 4 matchup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Giants opened the week as 1-point home underdogs but that spread has only gotten worse. They are +1.5 as of this writing.
Buy Giants TicketsWith this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Seahawks Wire managing editor Tim Weaver.
The Seahawks have given up a lot through the air but is that a byproduct of their high-scoring offense? Or are there other glaring issues?
Weaver: There are a couple of other issues that are mostly responsible. First, their pass rush was non-existent the first two weeks. Any pressure they got came as a result of blitzing. Things were a lot better last week against Carolina when they got to Andy Dalton for three sacks and 11 QB hits. However, the overall trend has been a very toothless pass rush generally speaking — and it was really bad last year too despite good sack numbers.
The other big problem has been on the back end of the defense, which is really unfortunate given what they’re spending at safety. It seems the safeties just aren’t in position to make stops in coverage far too often. This is a systemic problem — and we see some evidence in that in the PFF grades. Quandre Diggs, Julian Love and Coby Bryant are all either at the bottom or very close to it in their coverage grades. Defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt has to make some adjustments to give them a better chance to make plays on the ball.
What does a healthy Jamal Adams mean for Seattle's defense in Week 4?
It’s difficult to say before we see how they employ him. In his first year in Seattle (2020) Adams was an absolute wrecking ball around the tackle box. They embraced his skillset and unleashed him as a pass rusher and he wound up with more sacks than any DB in a single season. Then, they moved him out to more of a traditional two-high area where he predictably struggled in coverage. Then the string of injuries set in, so we really don’t know what kind of Jamal Adams we’ll be getting. My best guess is that they’ll use him as a third inside linebacker along with Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks, who are both playing exceptionally well so far. The odd man out defensively is likely to be Coby Bryant.
How are all the ex-Giants performing out in Seattle -- Geno Smith, Julina Love and Mario Edwards?
Geno Smith has been great thus far this season. While not quite as productive as he was in the first five games of 2022, Smith has done a much better job of protecting the ball, which was a major issue in the second half of last season. So far he’s only thrown one interception in three games and 103 attempts. He stared down Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a slant and got picked off by Deion Jones. Aside from that one glaring mistake he’s been just the right mix of aggressive and cautious, taking what the defense gives him while also pushing them downfield.
Julian Love played brilliantly last week against the Panthers, but the first two games of the season were pretty rough. Again, I don’t really blame him for it — I think schematically the safeties have been put at a disadvantage in coverage. I expect that Love will continue getting significant playing time even with Jamal Adams coming back into the lineup. Once they get these Xs and Os issues figured out (they always do by midseason) he’ll be fine.
Mario Edwards was quiet the first two games but he totally blew up against Carolina. While he still doesn’t have any sacks yet he managed to get nine pressures against the Panthers, which was a team high on a day when the whole rotation was cooking. Obviously, we’d like to see more of that going forward. Jarran Reed has been playing out of his mind, so if Edwards and Dre’Mont Jones get going too this will be a strong line across the board.
Can you pinpoint one area where the Giants have a distinct advantage over the Seahawks?
It’s tough to find, to be honest — but my best answer is they just don’t have a disruptor anywhere near the level of Dexter Lawrence. I had a draft ready to go and my finger over the publish button expecting that they would pick Jalen Carter at No. 5 overall but of course, they threw a curveball and went with Devon Witherspoon. He looks phenomenal, but I think it’s going to be impossible to match Carter’s value. The hope is they eventually find someone who can develop into a threat like Dex, but it’s been a long time since Michael Bennett left and they haven’t really found a dominant DL since.
The Giants are bad against the run. Is there any way they can stop (or slow down) Kenneth Walker III?
Unfortunately for the Giants, the Seahawks run game finally got going last week after it sputtered in the first couple of games. None of that was on Kenneth Walker, though — he was simply getting overwhelmed with tacklers on nearly every attempt. Despite the poor numbers he put up Walker was magnificent on film. He’s faster and more elusive than last season and more importantly he’s gained some patience, so his success rate has dramatically improved, as well. Walker has also proven really productive as a receiver so far, too. I don’t have any silver linings. He looks fantastic and may be right up there with Christian McCaffrey by the end of the season if he continues to grow.
How do you see this game playing out? Who wins and what's the score?
I’m not quite expecting a shootout, but I do think it’ll be a reasonably high-scoring game. Seattle has a great passing offense, a decent run game, and a defense that has given up the second-most explosive passing plays in the league this year. The Giants probably won’t be able to pull off an upset but they will score some points. Seahawks 33, Giants 27.
