Despite early challenges and injuries, Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks rallied in a dominant 24-3 victory over New York Giants.
Daniel Jones will be in the ice bath for, probably, the entire week.
The New York Giants got demolished at home under the lights yet again when the Seattle Seahawks came into town and won 24-3 on Monday Night Football.
Despite a Geno Smith injury scare that paved the way for some Drew Lock reps, Seattle's defense put the game on their back and cruised to victory.
The Seahawks moved to a solid 3-1 start while the Giants dipped to 1-3. And for the latter, it doesn't get any easier with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills up next.
Let's break Seahawks-Giants down further with five takeaways:
Daniel Jones stood no chance
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You just have to feel bad for Jones at this point. Saquon Barkley's return won't completely solve the issue, the offensive line is in shambles and there's no actual threat in the receiving department. Add that Seattle sacked him 10 times and you don't have much to go on.
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Jones completed 27-for-34 passes for 203 yards, no touchdowns and two picks, one of which was returned 97 yards for a score. He also added 66 yards through the ground on 10 tries, mostly as a means to escape Seattle's pressure. And with their schedule, it looks like things will only get worse for this offense.
Devon Witherspoon has his breakout game
The 2023 No. 5 overall pick had his "Welcome to the NFL moment" -- and what a moment it was. Witherspoon picked Jones and took it 97 yards to the house.
He would finish the game with seven tackles (six solo), three QB hits, two sacks, two tackles for loss and one pass defended. The Seahawks looked to freshen up the roster and go younger this past season, and Witherspoon exemplifies what they're looking to build for their next competitive cycle.
Giants' receivers remains an issue
As aforementioned, you can't expect Jones to do much when his leading receiver on the night was backup running back Matt Breida. Yes, you read that right. Breida caught five passes for 48 yards, with Wan'Dale Robinson recording five catches for 40 yards. Darren Waller, the team's most experienced option, had just three catches for 21 yards.
Very few quarterbacks can salvage something out of what the Giants gave Jones to work with this past offseason, even though a lack of quality receivers has been an issue for years now.
Jalin Hyatt, a third-round pick this draft, had two catches for 10 yards on two targets.
No Jamal Adams, no problem
A long 385 days later, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams returned from a quadriceps injury that nearly persuaded him to retire. He made his long-awaited return on Monday, though it lasted just one possession. The 27-year-old took a knee to the head and was ruled out with a concussion.
But it didn't matter, as the Seattle defense held New York to 248 total yards of offense despite it having the ball for 36 minutes to 24 for the Seahawks. The unit intercepted Jones twice, including the touchdown, and recorded 11 total sacks -- 10 on Jones and one on Parris Campbell. That tied a franchise record for the most sacks in a game.
Adams will likely get to return in Week 5 when Seattle faces Joe Burrow and the struggling Bengals in Cincinnati to give the defense another boost.
Giants' 2023 record in prime time
The Giants have played three prime time games already this season through four weeks. They lost on Sunday night in Week 1 40-0 to the Dallas Cowboys. Then they lost 30-12 to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night in Week 3. Now they lost 24-3 at home to Seattle on Monday night. The extra spotlight on a poorly assembled roster just adds to the pressure.
New York will be back under the lights in Week 6 when the squad heads to Buffalo to face Josh Allen and the Bills on Sunday Night Football. The league can flex Sunday night games twice from Weeks 5-10, if you're curious.
