WEEK IN REVIEW
The Giants took care of business in a sloppy 19-17 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday. The game was kept close by a 103-yard kick return touchdown by Brandon Wilson immediately following Wayne Gallman’s first quarter touchdown. Daniel Jones recorded his third consecutive game without a turnover, although he left the game early with a hamstring injury.
Jones was not having a great game prior to the injury, and Colt McCoy filled in at a decent replacement level. From early reports, Jones appears to be on track to miss at least this week as his hamstring recovers. Colt McCoy should be able to keep the offense moving relatively well. The biggest difference between the two, would be arm strength. McCoy cannot throw the quality of deep ball that Jones can, so the offense may be shifted to more of a quick pass and run game plan. This shift could lead to more touches for Golden Tate and Evan Engram, who had an impressive day himself.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Colt McCoy has taken most of the first-team repetitions in practice this week as the Giants prepare for a Daniel Jones absence. McCoy, who is highly regarded across the league as one of the best backup quarterbacks, will have the entire week to prepare for Seattle, who just handed a convincing loss to Philadelphia. The former UT-Austin quarterback is a great fit for offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s run-first, short passing scheme. Wayne Gallman, who has impressed in recent weeks, earned praise from Saquon Barkley: “Wayne Train. So proud of him,” Barkley said. “He’s playing amazing.”
One of the biggest challenges facing McCoy in practice this week will be building chemistry with the Giants’ starting wide receivers. As the backup, McCoy has received limited repetitions throwing to this group throughout the season, and timing was clearly an issue in his time in the Cincinnati game. That effort is complicated by the nagging injuries that Darius Slayton (shoulder/foot) and Sterling Shepard (toe/shoulder) are dealing with. Both were limited in practice on Wednesday.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Giants opened the week as 9.5-point road underdogs to the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle is coming off an impressive performance against Philadelphia and are motivated to maintain their lead in a tight NFC West. Russel Wilson is having one of the best years of his career and is one of the top candidates for this year’s MVP award. The Giants defense will have their hands full with the Seahawks dynamic offense. One-on-one matchups between James Bradberry and DK Metcalf will be exciting to watch and could determine the outcome of this game.
An underrated matchup to watch will be Seattle’s All-Pro linebackers, Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright, in coverage against Evan Engram. The dynamic tight end had one of the best games of his career last week against Cincinnati and will be looking to build on that performance. Wagner and Wright have dominated their positions since the “Legion of Boom” days and continue to be the heart of the Seahawks’ defense. The 45.5 Over/Under and large spread do not instill a ton of confidence in the Giants’ offense, but if Engram can separate in coverage, he could be a difference-maker in this game.
