Giants 41, Seahawks 7
What went right:
1 Bradshaw’s first quarter — Ahmad?Bradshaw ran in two short touchdowns and Hakeem Nicks hauled in a 46-yard score to give the Giants a 21-0 lead after one.
2 Manning’s first half — Eli Manning could have taken the rest of the game off following his blistering first half, as he went 17-of-21, for 232 yards and three touchdowns (152.3 passer rating). The offense was hardly rusty after the bye, controlling the ball for more than 42 minutes and racking up 487 yards.
3 Defense’s game — Shockingly, the Giants didn’t record a sack but did have two interceptions, three forced fumbles and held the Seahawks to just 162 total yards. Big Blue harassed Charlie Whitehurst, who was brutal in his first career NFL start, and even forced Seattle’s sparkplug Leon Washington into an early fumble on a kick return.
What went wrong:
1. Not much — When you’re in the middle of a glorified scrimmage, it’s hard to find fault. One factor that continues to haunt the Giants, however, is the play of their return specialists. Darius Reynaud, who was brought over to specifically give the Giants a boost in the return game, following the loss of Domenik Hixon, hasn’t panned out. He was benched in favor of newest G-Men Will Blackmon. The former Green Bay Packer was just as pedestrian, posting a 17-yard kick return average and nine per punt return.
2. Turnover — The Giants had their 22nd giveaway on its maiden drive, as tight end Kevin Boss fumbled following a nine-yard reception. New York was driving on the Seahawks, recording two first downs on its opening drive, only to see Boss fumble at the Seahawks’ 39-yard line. Thirteen of the Seahawks’ 14 takeaways have happened at home.
3. Banged up — Understandably he Giants seemed to have relaxed a bit by the start the fourth quarter and leading 41-0. Offensive lineman David Diehl, who usually starts at left tackle but moonlighted yesterday at left guard and right tackle, was taken back to the locker room for checkup following an injury. Nicks also appeared to roll his ankle late in the game and backup lineman Adam Koets was also banged up. None of the injuries appeared to be serious, but it did raise the question of why were the starters kept in for so long?
