Rost on Seahawks: What was and wasn’t the problem in loss

Oct 6, 2024, 5:20 PM | Updated: 7:19 pm

Host, Bump & Stacy (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

It’s any given Sunday in the NFL but, respectfully, the New York Giants had no business beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

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It feels incredibly rude, blasphemous even, to write that knowing that upsets happen every single week and the Seahawks have proven little in terms of establishing themselves as a serious NFC contender this season. After all, the Giants’ roster has playmakers and first-round talent. Dexter Lawrence is a Pro Bowler. Darius Slayton stepped up to fill the void left by rookie sensation Malik Nabers and met the moment, becoming the best pass catcher for either team. They have a coaching staff that’s been to the playoffs. There are no gimmes in the league.

But this was also a Giants team that was entering this game short its two biggest playmakers on offense, including Nabers, who led the NFL entering the week with 35 receptions. They were on a long road trip to Seattle with the only advantage being a bit more rested following a Thursday Night Football loss to the Cowboys. They’d scored six total touchdowns in four weeks. They were seven-point underdogs. They were facing an uphill battle. If the NFL script was real, it would have the Giants losing this one amid spicy conversations about quarterback Daniel Jones and coach Brian Daboll’s futures continuing into Week 6.

Instead, the Giants outplayed and outcoached the Seahawks. This wasn’t the hang-on-for-dear-life upset we saw from a Colt McCoy-led group in 2020. This was a team that out-executed Seattle and did so soundly. New York had 24 first downs to Seattle’s 16, outgained in net yardage 420 to 333, and were 7 of 16 (44%) on third down.

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Why it happened, and how the Seahawks let it happen, is another question.

What was a problem

• Defense

That the problems start with Seattle’s defense is bad news for a team that spent its entire offseason trying to fix those problems. The defense couldn’t get off the field on third down. For a second week they let an offense rattle off explosive plays and establish the run. Wideout Darius Slayton got the better of cornerback Tre Brown for most of the day. The lone bright spot was a forced fumble by linebacker Jerome Baker that was recovered and returned for a 102-yard touchdown by safety Rayshawn Jenkins.

Watch: Jenkins makes Hawks history with fumble-return TD

Otherwise, this was their worst performance of the season, and there’s little blame to be placed on injury this time with the returns of Leonard Williams, Baker and Julian Love. It was the most points (29) allowed to the Giants in any game this season and the most yards (420) allowed not just this season but since Week 2 of last season (that was against the Arizona Cardinals’ struggling defense).

• Offensive line play and playcalling

There have been questions facing the interior of the offensive line all season, and this week didn’t answer any of them with quarterback Geno Smith sacked six times.

It wasn’t altogether shocking against a solid Giants defensive line. More surprising was playcalling. Ryan Grubb has been a boon overall for the Seahawks offense as a first-year coordinator, but Seattle’s hesitancy to get to the run early set up more pressure for Smith. One would assume Grubb had a reason for some lopsided playcalling (third and long situations and limited time of possession didn’t help) but it wasn’t working.

What wasn’t a problem

• Geno Smith

Yes, we all wish Smith would’ve slid one yard further and picked up a first down on his third-down scramble. But he did his job Sunday: he moved the Seahawks down the field for a touchdown late in the fourth, and once again after that, this time to tie the game (that field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a Giants touchdown). He also led the team in rushing yards (72 on four carries).

Geno takes us into field goal range 💨 pic.twitter.com/NeaM0iqGy4

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 6, 2024

• Tyler Lockett

Lockett hauled in a key, deep pass late in the first half to set up a field goal and led the team in receiving yards. Complain if you must about him avoiding contact, but his decision to go down in the second quarter got Seattle a shot at a game-tying field goal.