New York Giants vs. Seattle Seahawks: Complete Week 10 Preview for Seattle
In the Seattle Seahawks' (5-3) Week 10 matchup, the 3-5 New York Giants head across the country to take on the defending champs at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks continued their sloppy play with seven starters out of the lineup, holding on just long enough to beat the winless Oakland Raiders.
The Giants have regressed since starting running back Rashad Jennings went down with an injury in Week 5. New York suffered from several drops by receiving targets, an ineffective rushing attack and an inability to pressure Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. They lost the game 40-24 as a result of their poor performance.
With both teams struggling offensively, this week's game could easily turn into one of the season's most haphazard. Seattle already sits two games behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West and is in a tie for sixth in the conference.
Midway through the year, Seattle must hope recovery from injuries and improvement in play on special teams and offense come sooner than later.
Seattle Seahawks Week 9 Recap
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The Oakland Raiders continued their string of close-but-no-cigar losses since Tony Sparano became interim head coach, losing 30-24 to the Seattle Seahawks. The high score is a bit misleading, as early on it looked as though Seattle would defeat the Raiders handily.
Three first-quarter turnovers led to just 10 points, with the defense picking up the touchdown itself. Marshawn Lynch was the sole offensive weapon who came ready to perform and carried the team with 143 total yards and two scores.
If not for penalties negating gains totaling another 74 yards through the air and ground, Lynch's day would have been even greater and likely would have kept things from getting close later in the game. Russell Wilson had another poor day with accuracy and finding open targets, bringing up questions about his ability to carry an offense.
Since the trade of Percy Harvin, the Seahawks passing game has been subpar in all but one game and there's no signs of improving soon. Seattle has gotten by with its sloppy play against lesser opponents, but the schedule only gets tougher from here.
News and Notes
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Seahawks Claim Defensive End Off of Waivers
Demarcus Dobbs was cut by the San Francisco 49ers and joined fellow former 49ers FB Will Tukuafu and WR Ricardo Lockette on Seattle's roster, per The Sacramento Bee. The roster claim adds to a bevy of signings between the two rivals' jettisoned players.
How Has Harvin Fared?
Since suddenly being traded to the New York Jets three weeks ago, Percy Harvin has been learning a new offense and finding his role on one of the league's worst teams. In his first game, Harvin was targeted nine times, catching three for 22 yards and taking four carries 28 yards. Last week against Kansas City, Harvin showed up in a big way. The star receiver pulled in 11-of-13 targets for 129 yards and had one carry for eight yards.
Quote of the Week
New York Giants QB Eli Manning on the challenges of being a Super Bowl champion:
"Well, I think the team faces challenges. You’re always going to get everyone’s best. Everyone wants to go up against the most recent Super Bowl champion. You can lose a few guys, have high expectations and a lot of things can be asked of you. Your schedule kind of gets thrown off.
"
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
|---|---|---|
| Zach Miller | TE | Out |
| Bobby Wagner | LB | Out |
| Marshawn Lynch | RB | Questionable |
| Doug Baldwin | WR | Questionable |
| Tharold Simon | CB | Probable |
| Kam Chancellor | S | Questionable |
| Byron Maxwell | CB | Questionable |
| James Carpenter | OL | Questionable |
| Malcolm Smith | LB | Questionable |
| Eric Pinkins | DT | PUP |
| Stephen Schilling | C | Questionable |
| Michael Bennett | DE | Probable |
| Russell Okung | OL | Questionable |
| Jordan Hill | DT | Doubtful |
Courtesy: The Seattle Times
The injuries continue to mount for the Seahawks, but reinforcements are on the way as well. Cornerback Jeremy Lane is set to make his first appearance of the year at a position in which the Seahawks have suffered several injuries.
The offensive line showed improvement in their run blocking, but that could decline again with the amount of injuries to starters in the unit. Max Unger is expected to finally return to the lineup, but that's still tentative. Russell Okung and James Carpenter don't appear likely to play, meaning at least two reserves are likely to make a start again.
*Update 11/7/2014 1:30 p.m. PT
"Carroll said that C Max Unger and LT Russell Okung will play Sunday. G James Carpenter is game time decision #Seahawks
— Liz Mathews 710 ESPN (@Liz_Mathews) November 7, 2014"
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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TE Larry Donnell vs. Seattle Linebackers
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes in the 30-24 loss to Seattle last week. Both of those passes came from one yard out and went to tight end Mychal Rivera.
After managing to keep Greg Olsen off the score sheet against Carolina during Week 8, Seattle has now allowed 10 touchdowns to opposing tight ends. Eli Manning has had great success throwing to Donnell so far this season. Manning has thrown the ball to Donnell six or more times in every game but one this season. Donnell has five touchdowns on 37 receptions for 357 yards.
Seattle's defense will have its hands full covering the big-framed target, especially in the red zone. It will be important for the defense to key on Donnell in red-zone situations.
X-Factor: WR Doug Baldwin vs. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
The New York Giants lost their No. 1 corner Prince Amukamara to a season-ending injury last week, giving Seattle a prime opportunity to take advantage of another team's injury situation. Rodgers-Cromartie has done solid job in coverage, outside of Week 1, holding receivers to less than 40 yards per game over the last seven games.
With the transition to being New York's top corner, he will face tougher competition now. With Russell Wilson struggling lately, Baldwin has been the lone standout receiver on the team the last three weeks but it has not been enough.
With Wilson targeting Baldwin 22 times in that span, it's up to Baldwin to beat Rodgers-Cromartie's coverage and make an impact in this game. Seattle cannot continue to get by without an effective passing game.
Prediction
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Seattle has seen an uptick in turnovers the last few weeks, racking up five takeaways over the last two weeks. It's a trend the Seattle defense will need to keep up should Russell Wilson continue to struggle, despite the Giants' middle-of-the-pack defense.
Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will need to keep the offense focused on feeding Marshawn Lynch the ball, as it's proven effective over the years if last week wasn't convincing enough. It's ultimately a must-win game for New York and a very important one for the Seahawks.
These two teams aren't very far apart right now in level of play, but each team's record makes this game a big one for different circumstances.
Prediction: NYG 29, SEA 24
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