Seahawks suffer stunning defeat
Giants come in to Lumen Field at 4-7 and push Seattle around in second half
GIANTS 17, SEAHAWKS 12
So much for entering the easy part of the schedule that was going to mean smooth sailing to the NFC West title and into the post-season.
The Seattle Seahawks suffered one of their most shocking losses of this or any season Sunday, 1712 at Lumen Field to a New York Giants team that came in as double-digit underdogs, a 4-7 record and starting backup quarterback Colt McCoy.
But the Giants pushed the Seahawks around all afternoon, sacking Russell Wilson five times and making him look as mortal as he ever has, while also rushing for 190 yards, 158 in the second half against a Seahawks' defence that looked like it had played a road game the previous Monday night.
Seattle is now 8-4 and two games behind the Saints in the NFC, and in second place in the NFC West after the Rams beat Arizona. Seattle has also now lost four of seven since a franchise-best 5-0 start.
Seattle led 5-0 at the end of a bizarre first half. But that lead melted away quickly as the Giants dominated the third quarter and never gave up the lead. The Giants took an 8-5 lead on their second possession of the third quarter, moving 80 yards in four plays, three of which were runs, including a 60-yarder by Wayne Gallman that took the ball to Seattle's 17. Two runs by Alfred Morris then finished the drive, and the Giants got a McCoy pass to Sterling Shepard for two points.
The Giants had 32 yards rushing on 11 carries in the first half.
On Seattle's next drive, the Seahawks went for it on fourth-andone at their own 48. Wilson rolled out and quickly found no one open and, under pressure, a harried pass to Chris Carson fell incomplete, a play that typified the day.
The Giants then needed just five plays to move for the TD — four runs and then a six-yard pass from McCoy to Alfred Morris for the touchdown. The PAT was no good but the score put the Giants up by two possessions at 14-5.
After each team punted, the Seahawks had a first down at their own 30. On the first play, a Wilson pass went off Carson's hands, and then was tipped by Tae Crowder with Giant cornerback Darnay Holmes picking it off at the Seattle 38.
The Seahawks defence rose up to at least force a field goal, with Jamal Adams making a stop on third down of Evan Engram a yard short of the first. But Graham Gano hit a 48-yard field goal that put the Giants ahead 17-5 with 9:55 left and meant Seattle had to score two touchdowns to win.
Seattle finally got its offence
going, moving to the 33, and on third-and-15, the Seahawks caught a break when Holmes was called for holding Tyler Lockett.
On the next play, Wilson found a wide-open Carson down the left sideline for a 28-yard TD that cut the lead to 17-12 with 6:09 left. Carson lined up wide on the play and was left open when the Giants sent two defenders at receiver DK Metcalf down the middle of the field. That capped an 11-play, 82-yard drive, the Seahawks converting two third downs as well as getting one on the penalty.
The Giants then got two first downs and moved from their own 25 to the Seattle 42, using up 4:21. But a third-down pass to Sterling Shepard was incomplete and the Giants had to punt. The kick went into the end zone and Seattle took over at its own 20 with 1:48 left.
Wilson hit Metcalf for 15 yards to get the drive going, then Jacob Hollister for 10 to get the ball into Giants territory at the 46 with 1:04 left. On the next play, Giants safety Julian Love dropped a pass downfield intended for Freddie Swain.
The next play was a pass to Lockett broken up by Julius Peppers.
On third down, Wilson was sacked for a loss of eight.
With 48 seconds left, Wilson dropped back, wheeled around and threw basically a Hail Mary in the direction of Metcalf. It wasn't answered, and the Seahawks had suffered one of the most shocking losses of the Pete Carroll era.
Seattle led by the unlikely score of 5-0 at halftime, getting a field goal and a safety off a blocked punt with the offence held out of the end zone. Seattle moved it a bit, gaining 173 yards, but wasn't explosive, managing just 4.9 per play (the team's average coming into the game was six).
Seattle moved inside Giants territory on five-of-six drives in the first half, but four stalled before the 37, with the Seahawks getting their lone offensive points on a field goal after their first drive of the game.
Seattle moved 57 yards on its first possession, but the drive stalled with three incomplete passes from the 13, leading to Jason Myers' 31yard field goal.
Neither team scored the rest of the quarter, but the Giants threatened, moving to the Seattle 16.
But on third down, the Seahawks went with a six-defensive back look and Ryan Neal jarred a McCoy pass out of the hands of Evan Engram, with Quandre Diggs picking off the deflection and returning it to the Seattle 36.
Seattle got to the Giants 37, 42, 36 and 45 on its next four drives but came up empty.
On the first, the Seahawks elected to punt rather than try a long field goal.