Keys to Victory: Finish drives, force the hard throw

The New York Giants are 2-1-1 when they have more than a week of rest under coach Brian Daboll. The lone loss came to this week’s opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, in 2023.

Just like last season, the Giants will face the NFC West foe following a Thursday night game. This year, however, it will be at Seattle’s raucous Lumen Field.

“It’s electric,” Daboll said of the road venue. “It’s a hard place to play. We’re going to have to try to simulate it the best we can. But it’s loud. Communication can be an issue. … The way you practice it is you blare it as loud as you can blare it and make it hard for those guys to communicate during practice because it’s usually pretty loud there. So, it’s a cool place to play just with the atmosphere and their fan base. It makes it challenging on an offense communication-wise at times.”

Here are three ways the Giants can make some of their own noise on the other side of the country:

Fans of the Giants and Seahawks can commiserate about recent losses that flew in the face of statistics. Last Thursday, the Giants didn’t punt until 3:04 remaining in the third quarter (their only one of the night) and controlled the clock for more than 35 minutes while averaging just 1.1 yards per carry. Two weeks before that, they became the first team in NFL history to lose a regulation game despite scoring three touchdowns and allowing none.

Seattle said, “Hold my coffee.”

The Seahawks lost in Week 4 at Detroit despite recoding season-highs in points (29), total yards (516), pass yards (383), and first downs (38). In fact, their 38 first downs were the most by a losing team since at least 1950.

As is often the case, the outcome of Sunday’s game could be decided in the red zone.

Even if they had a healthy Malik Nabers – the sensational rookie who leads the NFL in receptions and ranks second in receiving yards through four weeks but will not play on Sunday due to a concussion – the run game was still going to be an emphasis over the extended break. The Giants average a league-low 3.44 yards per carry, forcing a run-pass imbalance of 39-61 percent overall and 35-65 in the second half.

Complicating matters, starting running back Devin Singletary has been dealing with a groin issue all week. But no matter who is out there, the Giants have stressed the importance of getting the run game going. They will need it especially on early downs to avoid long conversion situations, when the 12^th Man can come alive.

On the other sideline, Kenneth Walker III leads the Seahawks with 183 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns despite missing Weeks 2 and 3 with an oblique injury. Walker is the first player in franchise history to have at least four rushing touchdowns in the player’s first two games of a season.

The Seahawks have five players with double-digit receptions and triple-digit receiving yards – including the wide receiver trio of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett – while Geno Smith leads the NFL in pass attempts and yards entering Week 5. The Giants are allowing the third-highest completion percentage (72.6) to opposing quarterbacks and want to change that.

“Take away the easy throws,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “Make them throw the hard ones.”

“We have to just continue to fight, scratch, and claw that we get those balls on the ground,” defensive backs coach/defensive pass game coordinator Jerome Henderson said, “or we catch those balls.”

The Seahawks allowed 42 points in Week 4 after allowing 43 combined points in Weeks 1-3.

The Giants have allowed just one rush touchdown in 2024, tied with the Vikings and Steelers for the fewest in the league.

Entering Week 5, the Giants are the only team to have multiple players (Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson) with 35+ targets in 2024. They are also two of five players in the NFL with more than 25 catches.

The Giants are 2-8 under Daboll when they have 90 or fewer rush yards in the game. Seattle’s defense has allowed 116.3 rush yards per game.