Seahawks vs. Giants: Preview, score prediction for Week 7
By Nick Sparrow
Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Giants
The New York Giants are preparing to host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in a matchup between two 2016 playoff teams that have started off slowly this year. The Giants are coming off of their first win of this season, a 23-10 road over the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.
If a road win in Denver wasn’t impressive enough, the Giants beat the elite Bronco defense despite missing their top receivers for that game. Seattle is currently 3-2 and coming off their bye. The Seahawks currently find themselves a half-game back in the NFC West behind the Los Angeles Rams, who the defeated in Week 5.
Keys to Victory
The Giants seemed to have found their offense on the road in Denver last week. The Giants, who had previously been one of the worst rushing teams in the league, ran for 148 yards last week. Despite being outgained 412 yards to just 266 yards, New York’s rushing won them the game. A strong rushing attack tires out the opposing defense, which is vital against teams like the Broncos and Seahawks.
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Additionally, it allowed the Giants to control the tempo of the game, which they have failed to do in their first five losses. Seattle has a good defense but has still struggled against the run this season. The Seahawks rank 26th in rushing yards allowed entering Week 7, allowing over 127 yards per game. If the Giants exploit this hole, they could walk away with their second consecutive win.
The key for Seattle is to keep the Giants out of the end zone. That is painfully obvious for every team, but the Giants offense is bad enough that the Seahawks have a realistic chance to do it. In New York’s Week 6 game, they only scored a single offensive touchdown. The Giants kicked three field goals and returned an interception in that game as well. With star receiver Odell Beckham Jr missing the rest of the season, the Giants offense lacks the explosiveness needed to compete with talented Seattle secondary.
Seattle’s Achilles heel has been their run defense this season. However, the Giants have proven that their run game rarely leads to scores. The Giants currently rank 27th in the league with just two rushing touchdowns this season, one being a scramble by quarterback Eli Manning. Seattle can allow New York to rack up yards, but the key will be a bend-not-break defense in the end zone.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Seattle -4.5
Moneyline: Seattle -220, New York +184
Over/Under: 40
All betting odds provided by BookMaker via the Sportsbook Review
Next: NFL: 5 Teams on upset alert in Week 7
Prediction
The Giants looked like a different team in Week 6 but the problem is we don’t which team will show up on Sunday. New York ranks 25th in the league averaging just 89.5 rushing yards per game even after their 148-yard performance last week. In the end, the loss of Beckham is just too devastating for me to see this team having a huge comeback to save their season.
Final Score: Seattle Seahawks: 25, New York Giants: 19