(Photo Courtesy of Jim O’Connor/ USA TODAY Sports)
Last week the Giants playoff hopes came to an end when they lost to the San Diego Chargers. This week Big Blue came in hoping to get a win against the NFC leading Seahawks. For the second straight week, the Giants barely showed up as they took the field looking to play for pride. The Giants were shut out at home for the first time since 1995. The Giants did not have a play inside Seattle territory until a little more than halfway through the fourth quarter.
Eli Manning’s very long season continued on Sunday as the two-time Super Bowl MVP now has a career high 25 interceptions on the season. Manning threw five interceptions to the Seahawks defense and was sacked three times although it seemed like there was pressure on Manning the whole game. Manning also had two fumbles that the Giants were lucky to fall on. Eli has taken a lot of blame for the disappointing year, however much of the blame should be placed on the offensive line, as they have let their quarterback get sacked the most times in his career.
On the flip side, The Seahawks seemed to be business as usual. Russell Wilson became the winningest QB throughout the first two years in the NFL since the Super Bowl Era started. He also threw his 50th career touchdown, which puts him in elite company for quarterbacks who have thrown that many TDs in their first two years in the league.
The Seattle Defense shinned on Sunday as well. Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell had a pair of interceptions each and Earl Thomas added one more to the defenses total takeaways. Seahawks kicker, Steven Hauschka continued his great season as he still has only missed one kick on the year. Hauschka connected for three field goals, while Marshawn Lynch and Doug Baldwin had the touchdowns for Seattle.
As if things weren’t bad enough for the Giants, Victor Cruz left the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion and a knee sprain. Antrel Rolle continued his great season as he added another interception and continues to lead the league in interceptions. Justin Tuck provided some pressure on Russell Wilson as his status for next season continues to be a topic of discussion in New York. Many believed this would be Tuck’s last year with Big Blue, but his late season performances may have the Giants thinking twice about letting their captain walk.
The Giants head to Detroit next week to take on the Lions. Although these games mean nothing to the Giants as Big Blue can help determine some playoff implications for other teams. We will see if the Giants can show some pride next week at Ford Field.
Tyler Henry: PureSportsNY