Seattle Seahawks Week 5 scouting report versus the New York Giants

Looking back, January 15, 2023, looked like a genuine turning point for the New York Giants. That’s the Seattle Seahawks’ next opponent. The team from New York (New Jersey, really) travels west with a 1-3 record and is in last place in the NFC East, a spot they have grown far too familiar with over the past decade. But less than two seasons back, that all seemed on the brink of a change.

On that winter day in 2023, the G-Men went on the road and beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. It was their first playoff win since defeating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. The fact that they came back to earth in a blowout loss to the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles the following week didn’t put much of a damper on the optimism coming from the Meadowlands.

Then the 2023 season happened, and, well, that optimism went the way of the automat and rent-controlled apartments in Manhattan. Let’s check in on where the Hawks’ upcoming opponent stands after one month of the 2024 season.

What the Seahawks expect from the Giants in Week 5?

The Giants last year

As mentioned, 2023 began with optimism. The doldrums under GM Dave Gettleman and coaches Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge seemed over. A combo from Buffalo – GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll – had begun rebuilding the team. Daboll won a number of Coach of the Year awards in 2022. But things went south immediately.

The Giants stumbled to a 1-5 record, including a decisive 24-3 loss to the Seahawks in week 4. In that game, a strip sack set up the Seahawks’ first score, and late in the third quarter, with the Giants trying to mount a rally, Devon Witherspoon jumped Daniel Jones' pass to Paris Campbell and returned the pick 97 yards to snuff out any hopes New York was harboring. By week 10, the Giants were 2-8, and fans were calling for the reigning NFL Coach of the Year to be fired.

The Giants offseason

And so the Giants once again attempted to rebuild a roster short on talent this off-season. They faced one enormous decision. They chose to pay Jones, a former first-round QB who has had limited success since he arrived in 2019, and chose to let Saquon Barkley, their potential stud running back with a history of injuries, walk.

Schoen tried once again to build a decent offensive line – a sore spot on the team for the better part of a decade. He signed four veteran free agents, three of whom are now starting on the line. He also signed journeyman running back Devon Singletary to replace Barkley as the primary ballcarrier.

On defense, Schoen didn’t tinker nearly as much. He brought in pass rusher Brain Burns in a trade with Carolina, but the clear focus of the off-season was to rebuild the drab offense.

In the 2024 draft, Schoen added wide receiver Malik Nabers in the first round, tight end Theo Johnson in the fourth, and running back Tyrone Tracy one round later to supply Daniel Jones with a little more offensive firepower. He also addressed a struggling secondary with early picks of safety Tyler Nubin (brought in to replace departed free agent Xavier McKinney) and cornerback Dru Phillips.