The New York Giants is (6-1) travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seahawks (4-3) this Sunday in a meeting between two of the NFL’s most surprising teams.
Here are five things to know about the Week 8 contest.
The series
This will be the 20th meeting between the Giants and the Seahawks since Seattle joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1976.
The Giants lead the series, 19-10. The Giants are 6-4 at home and 4-5 on the road against the Seahawks.
The last meeting between the two teams was on Dec 6, 2020 in Seattle with the Giants winning, 17-12.
The first meeting ever was on Nov. 28, 1976 at Giants Stadium. New York won that one, too, 28-16.
Both teams are coming in hot
The Giants are on a four-game winning streak while the Seahawks have won three of their last four.
Seattle is averaging 34 points per game over that span. The Giants have allowed an average of 6.0 points to opponents in the second half of games over the last three weeks.
MVP or Comeback of the Year?
The Seahawks are led by veteran quarterback Geno Smith, a former New York Jet draft pick who also played for the Giants and Chargers. Smith leads the NFL in completion percentage (73.5) and is third behind Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in QB Rating (107.7)
His name is being bandied about for Comeback Player of the Year as he had only started five games between 2015-2021.
Giants running back Saquon Barkley leads the NFL with 906 total yards from scrimmage this season. He is also second in rushing yards (726) behind Cleveland’s Nick Chubb (740).
Barkley’s resurgence has put him in the MVP conversation this season.
Injuries
The Giants and Seahawks have been successful despite being the two most inured team in the NFL this year.
The Seahawks have 13 players on either IR or PUP, including star safety and defensive leader Jamal Adams.
The Giants also have 13 players on IR or PUP, including three members of their 2022 draft class, veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard, and starters Aaron Robinson and Shane Lemieux.
Rookies are making an impact
The Seahawks traded away quarterback Russell Wilson as part of their rebuilding process for a package of players and draft picks.
In this year’s draft, they used some of those picks, along with their own, to replenish the roster. In this year’s class are: two starting offensive tackles in Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, stud running back Kenneth Walker III, defensive end Boye Mafe and defensive backs Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant.
The Giants’ draft class has contributed to several wins thus far but all but two (linebacker Micah McFadden and offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu) have missed time to injuries.
