New York Giants vs. Seattle Seahawks: Final Report Card Grades for Seattle
The Seattle Seahawks (6-3) came out of the Week 10 action against the New York Giants (3-6) with a much-needed 38-17 win. While the final score shows a 21-point victory, the winner of this game was largely in question leading up to the fourth quarter.
Marshawn Lynch hit pay dirt again and again and again; finishing the historic day with four rushing touchdowns. Seattle overcame some early mishandlings (two interceptions and a fumble) and came out of it still in contention for a win.
Seattle had 350 yards rushing and wore down the Giants defense until finally, in the fourth quarter, it couldn't hold it back any longer. The Seahawks scored 21 points in the quarter and looked more like the 2013 versions of themselves than they had in several weeks.
It was a much-needed victory for the Seahawks, but there's still work to do in certain areas. Let's take a look.
Final Game Stats
| New York Giants | Category | Seattle Seahawks |
|---|---|---|
| 324 | Total Yards | 510 |
| 270 | Passing Yards | 160 |
| 5.9 | Yards Per Attempt | 8.4 |
| 54 | Rushing Yards | 350 |
| 3.2 | Yards Per Attempt | 7.8 |
| 4-35 | Penalties | 6-50 |
| 2 | Turnovers | 3 |
| 6-12 | Third-Down Conversions | 7-12 |
| 26:48 | Possession | 33:12 |
Quarterback
1 of 10
Russell Wilson continued to look shaky throwing the ball, twice being intercepted on underthrown balls in the game. If looking only at his passing stats in the game, Wilson finished the day completing 10 of 17 passes for 172 yards and zero touchdowns.
The passing game looked like it would be there after the team's first drive of the day, but the rushing attack looked like it might be even more effective. With the help of Wilson's mobility, it was. The quarterback finished the day with 14 carries for 107 yards and a score.
Overall, while the Seahawks were able to run away with the victory as the game wore on, Wilson has looked poor when throwing the ball for a few weeks now. Perhaps the precipitation had something to do with Wilson's struggles, but the New York Giants' Eli Manning didn't seem to suffer from the elements.
It's an area the Seahawks will need to give some attention as the team heads into a rough stretch of its schedule.
Grade: D-
Running Back
2 of 10
To give the short version of how the Seahawks' ground game performed against the New York Giants in Week 10, the Seahawks finished the game with a franchise-record 350 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Or should I say Marshawn Lynch went "Beast Mode?"
The Pro Bowl running back finished the game with four of the team's five rushing touchdowns and accounted for 163 yards (140 rushing, 23 receiving) in the game. While his longest run of the game went for 22 yards, Lynch seemed capable of breaking loose for long gains, at will, throughout the game.
He finished the day with an average of 7.6 yards per carry. Robert Turbin ran the ball six times for 32 yards, and Christine Michael had four totes for 71 yards. Turbin also fumbled the ball away once, but it was not enough to pull back the efforts of his teammates.
While the Seahawks typically have huge rushing numbers when Wilson utilizes his legs, when he and Lynch go off, this is what happens.
Grade: A+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Jermaine Kearse had three catches for 70 yards, but one of them went for 60 yards. Doug Baldwin led the team in receptions with four for 31 yards, but none of them were memorable. Other than the latter two, no other player on the Seahawks caught more than one pass.
Tight end Luke Willson suffered an injury in the first half and was never able to return, but Cooper Helfet stepped in and made a nice 32-yard catch early in the game. With the rushing attack being as successful as it was and Wilson's continued struggles with accuracy, the chances weren't really there for this group.
However, this is a unit that is incapable of consistently creating separation and making plays in the passing game. Baldwin has regressed a bit, after stepping things up a bit following the Percy Harvin trade. And despite the solid numbers from Kearse, he's an extremely unreliable No. 2 receiver in the NFL.
This group is likely to be an issue for the duration of the season.
Grade: D+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Center Max Unger and left tackle Russell Okung returned to the starting lineup, with Alvin Bailey shifting to guard for the injured James Carpenter. The offensive line made noticeable improvements in its pass blocking, though Wilson was sacked twice on two dropbacks and running lanes were abundant.
Penalties weren't a major issue for the unit either, though it did account for a couple. The defense appeared to be at fault for the majority of the team's infractions. The Giants made six tackles for a loss of yardage in the game and saw Wilson hit five times.
While there was improvement in the team's pass blocking, there is still room for improvement as the two returnees work their way back into form. It was a promising outing for the team's offensive line.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Seattle's defensive line had made some progress in producing a quality pass rush over the last couple of weeks, but it showed serious signs of regression in this game. Manning had plenty of time to throw the ball in the game, despite a nonexistent running game.
The immobile Manning threw the ball 44 times in the game, and the Seahawks were able to hit him nine times, produced four tackles for a loss of yardage and had one sack in the game. Michael Bennett accounts for the team's sack, but he also made a boneheaded personal foul that cost the team 15 yards.
Cliff Avril was responsible for five of the team's hits on Manning. Bennett and Avril aren't an issue when it comes to pass rush, however; it's everyone else. Jordan Hill recovered a fumble by Manning late in the game.
The Giants rushed for 54 yards on 17 carries for an average of 3.2 yards per carry. New York's rushing attack was largely inconsequential throughout the game, making it one-dimensional.
Grade: B-
Linebacker
6 of 10
K.J. Wright was second on the team with seven tackles and led all linebackers for Seattle. The unit accounted for 16 of the team's 62 tackles and had one hit on Manning. While the stats don't show the value of the unit's performance, it was integral to the defense's success in stopping the run.
The Giants were able to complete several passes in underneath coverage, but most of those went to receivers. New York's running backs combined for five catches for 19 yards, and its tight ends had five catches for 38 yards.
Bruce Irvin showed off his athleticism a few times in the game, being left to cover Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on occasion.
Grade: A-
Secondary
7 of 10
The Legion of Boom saw the return of cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane to the lineup, but it also saw safety Kam Chancellor fall out of it with injury. Jeron Johnson replaced Chancellor in the lineup and led the team with eight tackles and had a pass defensed.
Earl Thomas made an interception that permanently shifted momentum in Seattle's favor. Manning attempted to complete a deep throw to Beckham for a touchdown, but he was tightly covered by Richard Sherman. Beckham was only able to get his fingertips on the ball, tipping it straight to Thomas.
The Giants completed several passes, with three receivers finishing with five or more receptions and a total of 283 yards receiving. New York made a concerted effort to throw the ball as it quickly realized its running game would be unreliable, but the Giants remained effective in the game.
It was a less-than-stellar performance by the team's secondary, but it still assisted in allowing just 17 points in the game (one aided by a Russell Wilson interception).
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
The Seahawks' special teams unit didn't make any major plays in the game, but it didn't make any costly mistakes for the first time in four weeks. The coverage units on both sides maintained coverage lanes, though a Seattle penalty on a punt return cost the team yards in the latter stages of the game.
Jon Ryan punted the ball once in the first quarter, and Steven Hauschka knocked through a 28-yard field goal in the third quarter. With Seattle turning the ball over three times in the game, having the special teams units have a strong outing was crucial.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
Though penalties remain a concern for the Seahawks, this was a well-coached game. Wilson threw two interceptions, and the play-calling was shifted toward him becoming a bigger part of the rushing attack; the defense held firm, and the special teams did their job.
The importance of Wilson's mobility to Seattle's offense cannot be understated. When he rushes for 100-plus yards, this offense is nearly unstoppable; when he's is contained is when everything on the offensive side of the ball sputters.
There was also a clear intent to feed Lynch the ball, and it proved extremely effective with Wilson's output. Defensively, things are fine. There's plenty of reacclimation in the secondary and linebacker corps that will need to take place, but it's a unit on an upward swing.
Grade: A-
Final Grades
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| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | D- |
| RB | A+ |
| WR/TE | D+ |
| OL | B |
| DL | B- |
| LB | A- |
| DB | B |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | A- |
| Cumulative Grade | B |
The Seahawks took advantage of an opportunity to play some veterans returning from injury before beginning a six-week slate of games against teams with winning records. It was a positive step for the offense and special teams units, with a minor step back on defense.
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