NFL Predictions Week 5: New York Giants Need to Show Up Against Seattle

Let's not kid ourselves here: the New York Giants have a history of taking sub-par teams a little too lightly and coming up short in trap games.

And this is a trap game.

If they're not careful, they may be in for an upset on Sunday against the lackluster 1-3 Seattle Seahawks at 1 p.m.

The Seahawks are coming off of a tough 30-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in which quarterback Tarvaris Jackson threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.  The Seattle D held Matt Ryan to under 300 yards and one touchdown and limited Michael Turner to just 70 yards on 26 attempts.

But if all goes right, the Giants should be able to handle Seattle with little trouble.

Since their Week 1 loss to the Washington Redskins, Eli Manning and the G-Men have been rolling.  Aside from an ugly first half in St. Louis, the defense looks better and Manning has had little trouble finding his two favorite targets: Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. 

Since the second half of the St.Louis game in Week 2, Manning has shined, tossing eight touchdowns to zero interceptions.  His 105.6 passer rating is third in the league, behind fantasy studs Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.

The Giants, who are coming off of two consecutive fourth-quarter comebacks, need to carry that momentum into MetLife Stadium on Sunday and take care of business. 

In a 2010 Week 9 matchup, the Giants torched the Seahawks, with Manning throwing three touchdowns, one of them to Nicks, who finished the day with six grabs and 128 yards.  The New York offense also rushed for close to 200 yards, and the defense forced two Charlie Whitehurst interceptions .  Of course, Whitehurst is long gone and Jackson has taken over the reigns at QB, but Jackson has yet to put up sufficient numbers to achieve more than a 13-10 win over Arizona.

While the Giants dominated the Seahawks last season, they did it both through the air and on the ground, which is something they haven't been able to master yet this season. The Giants are averaging an unusual 87.5 rushing yards per game, as opposed to an effective 137.5 last season.

Also hurting the Giants is the mental lapse of Mario Manningham, who apparently forgot how to run a route, putting extra pressure on the inexperienced Cruz to fill the No. 2 receiving spot. 

With Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs both doubtful this Sunday, look for Jason Pierre-Paul and Ahmad Bradshaw to step up, with Manning and Nicks dominating like usual.

Giants win.