Giants Blow Golden Opportunity in Seattle

SEAHAWKS 38
GIANTS 17

The New York Giants had a great opportunity to do something special on a rainy Sunday in Seattle. They were up 14-7 and, later 17-14. They found a way to quiet the 12th man, and found a way to slow down Russell Wilson and company. A win in Seattle, coming off of a inept 40-24 showing at the hands of the Colts, would have not only been amazing, it would have breathed new life into a dying Giants season.

Instead the Giants blew a 17-14 lead, and watched it turn into 38-17, Seattle in the blink of an eye. It was like watching the tortoise and the hare, only instead of the lowly turtle winning the race, it was the rabbit, who realized he was better, faster and stronger and pulled away like most champions are supposed to. 

Now, the Giants season is on full life support; then again it might be D.O.A. Heck the Giants have only one more win than the Jets! Think about that.

With seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, everything the Giants hoped this game would be became the game they feared when Russell Wilson rolled to his right to avoid the rush and heaved a bomb down the sideline to Jermaine Kearse in single coverage, for a 60-yard gain to the Giants six yard line. You could feel the air came out of the Big Blue balloon.

Seattle settled for a field goal, 17-17. Not all is lost, right?

On the Giants ensuing offensive possession they teased us even more when Eli Manning his Preston Parker and Odell Beckham for huge third down conversions to move the ball deep into Seattle territory. That is when this game, once again, went from being everything the Giants hoped it would be to the game they feared it was meant to become.

Manning lifted a pass down the sideline to Beckham, but the rookie was heavily covered by Richard Sherman. Beckham had no choice but to try to knock it out of Sherman's grasp, but when he did it landed in the hands of safety Earl Thomas for the interception in the end zone. The play was eerily similar to the one in the NFC Championship game when it was Sherman who deflected a Colin Kaepernick pass into the hands of Malcolm Smith that sent Seattle to the Super Bowl. It was the same end zone too.

That Giants turnover was the turning point. Seattle never looked back as they plowed down the Giants with their running game. Christine Michael hit one up the gut for 18-yards; then Wilson dashed for 11 more and Marshawn Lynch ate up chunks of 17-yards, and finally three yards for the score to make it 24-17. 

The Giants were dead. On the next Seattle possession it was more of the same: Marshawn Lynch all day. Lynch gutted the Giants for 28-yards on the drive, including 16-yards on a touchdown run to blow the game open at 31-17. It was now a humiliating night for the Giants.

The Seahawks gorged the Giants for 350 yards on the ground and 510 yards of total offense. New York could do nothing with their running game since Rashard Jennings missed his fourth consecutive game with an injury. Andre Williams was his usual ineffective self.

At 3-6 it looks over for the Giants. They get the 49ers next week at the Meadowlands. The 49ers are in no great shakes themselves, but they did beat the Saints today in overtime. This is likely Tom Coughlin's last stand -- even though this is not all his fault.

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