The NY Giants looked capable of playing on the NFL’s biggest stage, upsetting and for spells dominating the Seattle Seahawks in a 17-12 win
There are victories that define teams, and there are victories that can propel a developing roster into one capable of playing in and winning in the NFL Playoffs. Sunday’s 17-12 win over the Seattle Seahawks was both for the NY Giants.
As the offense sputtered and could barely get out of its own way with backup quarterback Colt McCoy forced into action in the first half, the Giants’ defense didn’t just hold serve, it imposed its will on MVP candidate Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle managed just 327 yards of total offense, but in the first half Patrick Graham’s defense held the Seahawks to 173 yards and three points – despite seven Seahawks catching passes from Wilson, running back Chris Carson averaging 6.4 yards per carry and Wilson rushing for 41 yards in the first 30 minutes.
What’s most impressive is that the Giants are getting critical plays from guys like rookie linebacker Tae Crowder, edge rusher Niko Lalos, and rookie defensive back Darnay Holmes. Getting young players to play above their head is an encouraging development and a sign of a legitimate playoff contender.
Should the Giants remain atop the NFC East and inherit the division’s mandatory playoff berth, the defense is playing at a level that will make it a tough out.
As the defense more than held serve through the first 30 minutes, the second half brought a renewed commitment to the running game and what might have been the most impressive half of this offensive line’s season.
Wayne Gallman, reprising his role as the Giants’ lead back rushed for a career-high 135 yards while averaging 8.4 yards per carry. The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, and Jason Garrett’s unit made just enough plays to produce 291 yards in the game and more importantly salt out the victory.
Meanwhile, McCoy shook off 3.5 quarters of relative ineffectiveness and completed a pair of gutty third down passes to move the chains, create new sets of downs, but most importantly keep the clock rolling inside of 3:00 while nursing a 17-12 lead.
Sunday’s game was the working definition of playing complementary football, something the Giants have made a habit of doing over the past month.
The Giants will wake up Monday in first place, after pulling off a double-digit upset that few across the country believed they’d be able to be competitive in.
After acing the most difficult remaining test on the schedule, the Giants are beginning to look like the type of team that might just be able to rattle off enough wins to make people forget how historically pathetic the rest of the division has been in 2020.
Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s victory:
Ground and pound needs to be the formula
It took a while, after asking backup quarterback Colt McCoy to drop back and pass 13 times in the first half, the Giants committed to the running game in the third quarter and were rewarded richly for it.
By midway through the third quarter, the Giants’ offensive line began imposing its will on Bobby Wagner and the rest of the Seahawks’ front-seven, with Wayne Gallman and Alfred Morris were the benefactors.
Gallman busted out for runs of 60 and 23 yards, with each possession capped by Morris scoring touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving.
In the span of 5:00, the Giants tilted this game on its ear and began dictating to the Seahawks’ defense thanks in large part to recommitting to running game.
Gallman finished with 16 carries for 35 yards, while Morris scored two touchdowns.
As this season rounds into the stretch run, pounding the running game is going to be critical for the Giants and just might make them a tougher out than people expect.
Patrick Graham will be an NFL head coach … Maybe as early as next month
Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will likely be a popular name for teams looking for head coaches next month thanks to a strong second half of the season by New York’s defense, that continued on Sunday.
Beyond the results, Graham has maximized the production of players at all three levels of the defense that likely wouldn’t start for most teams across the NFL.
Sunday against the Seahawks, seventh-round rookie linebacker Tae Crowder picked up his first career sack, defensive end/outside linebacker Niko Lalos recovered a fumble ( producing a takeaway for the second consecutive week), and Isaac Yiadom held his own for much of the game opposite James Bradberry.
Leonard Williams sacked Russell Wilson twice. Graham’s defense held Wilson to 263 passing yards with one touchdown, one interception, and just 45 rushing yards.
This was an emphatic statement by the Giants’ defense, that this is a group capable of beating just about anyone the way they are playing at this juncture.
Graham’s defense has been stingy, allowing just 17 points each of the last two weeks, and has his defense playing with plenty of confidence, night and day from the first half of the season.
One of the telltale signs of a successful program is assistant coaches getting head coaching jobs elsewhere, and Graham absolutely should be in that mix during his hiring cycle.
Giants special teams have gone from a strength to a liability
The past three seasons, and through the first half of 2020, the Giants special teams were among the most consistently dominant in the NFL. That just hasn’t been the case the past two weeks.
Inside of the final :30 of the first half against the Seahawks, Nate Ebner whiffed on a block of Seattle’s Ryan Neal allowing Neal to block Riley Dixon’s punt from the Giants’ 12-yard line that mercifully touched the back-line before the Seahawks could recover. Still, Ebner’s mistake allowed the Seahawks to extend their first half lead to 5-0.
On the ensuing free kick, Ebner took the wrong line in coverage and played a part in allowing Seahawks cornerback D.J. Reed to return Dixon’s kick 50 yards.
In close games late in the season in the midst of a playoff chase, mistakes are magnified and the Giants’ special teams have now allowed 9 points the past two weeks.
Thomas McGaughey is one of the most respected special teams coaches in the NFL, so in concert with Joe Judge this staff is plenty capable of fixing the special teams. But, they’ll need to play at a much higher level down the stretch against the Cardinals, Browns, Ravens, and Cowboys if this team is going to make a legitimate run at the NFC East crown.
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.