Week 3 Game Recap: New York Giants 30, Seattle Seahawks 42

What you need to know

New York Giants

Eli Manning and the Giants started off slowly for the second week in a row, and unfortunately for them, the result was not the same. Manning turned the ball over three times in the first half, all three resulting in Seattle touchdowns. At halftime, New York trailed 35 – 3 and things could not have been much worse. They turned it on in the second half, where Manning threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns. This time, however, it was not enough, and the Giants were unable to overcome the large first half deficit.

The New York receivers were unable to put up big numbers, as WR David Tyree led the way with five catches for 72 yards, including a touchdown. However, WR Plaxico Burress, WR Amani Toomer and TE Jeremy Shockey combined for only eight catches for 110 yards. Toomer was able to haul in a touchdown reception, but Shockey was frustrated for most of the game and Burress played so poorly in the first half, he was benched at halftime.

RB Tiki Barber ran for 64 yards on 14 carries and caught four passes for 14 yards, but was unable to provide the spark the Giants so desperately needed, especially early on. The early onslaught put on by the Seattle offense took most of New York’s rushing plans on the back burner, which is a big reason Barber only touched the ball 18 times for the game.

One of the few positives the Giants could take away from the game defensively was a late interception by DB R.W. McQuarters that was returned for a touchdown.

Seattle Seahawks

QB Matt Hasselbeck took advantage of early New York turnovers and great field position to throw for four first half scores and help put Seattle up 35-3 at halftime. Hasselbeck connected with seven different receivers for the game, and threw touchdowns to four different receivers. He did make a few bad decisions, throwing three interceptions, but his play early on helped lead the way to victory.

Darrell Jackson hauled in seven passes for 57 yards, and scored two touchdowns to lead the way for the Seattle wideouts. Deion Branch caught two passes in his Seahawks’ debut, and Nate Burleson and Bobby Engram each had solid games that included a touchdown reception each.

Shaun Alexander had a sub par day, rushing for only 47 yards on 20 carries, but was able to score on a two yard plunge early on. He was rested for most of the second half, getting only seven carries after the break, and seemed to be slowed by his injured foot.

Seattle opened up their large first half lead, largely because of the play of their defensive secondary. DB Ken Hamlin picked off two passes that both put the Seahawks’ offense in great field position. They put pressure on Manning early, forcing him to make some bad throws, and gave the New York receivers limited space in the passing game. The Giants’ receivers were frustrated early and often, and the Seattle defense was a big reason why.

What you ought to know

QB Eli Manning, Pass: 24 - 36 - 275 - 3 TD / 3 INT

For Eli Manning, much like last week, this game was a tale of two halves. In the first half, Manning was awful, completing eight of 16 passes for 65 yards, and was picked off three times. As a result, the Giants found themselves on the wrong end of a 35-3 halftime deficit. After the half, Manning picked things up and managed to put up respectable numbers, finishing 24 of 36 for 275 yards, three touchdowns and the three first half interceptions. Going without a huddle for most of the second half, Manning looked more relaxed and made better decisions, spreading the ball around to his receivers and connecting on touchdown strikes with WRs Amani Toomer, Tim Carter and David Tyree.

RB Tiki Barber, Rush: 14 - 64 - 0, Rec: 4 - 14 - 0 (4 targets)

Barber ran well when he got the ball on the ground, rushing for 64 yards on 14 carries, for a 4.6 ypc average. The problem was, due to the large lead Seattle opened up, he didn’t have many rushing opportunities. His long run of the game was 14 yards, and he was unable to break loose for any big plays that he’s accustomed to making. He was targeted four times in the passing game, and caught all four balls, but gained only 14 yards. Seattle’s defense did a good job bottling Barber up when he did get touches.

RB Brandon Jacobs, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets)

With the Giants trailing big for most of the game, Jacobs did not see much action. He rushed for nine yards on one rush, and caught the only ball thrown to him for a nine yard gain.

WR David Tyree, Rec: 5 - 72 - 1 (6 targets)

Tyree had respectable numbers, with five receptions for 72 yards and a nine yard fourth quarter touchdown. He was targeted six times in the game, and played a bigger role in the second half with the benching of Burress.

WR Tim Carter, Rec: 3 - 43 - 1 (5 targets)

Carter caught three passes for 43 yards on five targets, and came down with a 25 yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. One of Carter’s targets could have resulted in a big gain, but the receiver was unable to catch a perfectly thrown ball by Manning that hit him right in the hands.

WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 3 - 29 - 1 (6 targets)

Toomer was targeted six times for the game, hauling in three balls for 29 yards and a 13 yard touchdown. Much like all of the New York receivers, he just could not find any room in the Seattle secondary.

WR Mike Jennings, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (2 targets)

Jennings caught both balls thrown to him for 22 yards.

WR Plaxico Burress, Rec: 1 - 23 - 0 (5 targets)

Burress had a game, or a half, to forget. He was targeted five times in the first half, catching one pass for 23 yards, only to lose the ball on a fumble. Two passes intended for Burress were intercepted and he was called for offensive pass interference. As a result of his play in the first half, head coach Tom Coughlin benched Burress for the remainder of the game.

TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 4 - 58 - 0 (6 targets)

Shockey was targeted six times for the game, catching four balls for 58 yards. His ankle did not seem to bother him much during the game, but Shockey was visibly upset on numerous occasions, both on and off the field. Most of his frustration seemed to be with QB Eli Manning, but Shockey was also seen yelling on the sidelines in the direction of coaches.

PK Jay Feely 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points

Feely hit a 46 yard field goal on his only attempt, and connected on all three of his extra point attempts for six points.

NYG Rush Defense

New York did not give Seattle much running room, limiting the Seahawk offense to 106 yards on 41 attempts, for a 2.6 ypc average. They did give up a rushing score, but the majority of the damage came in the passing game. DB Gibril Wilson led the way with ten combined tackles.

NYG Pass Defense

The Giants were scorched through the air, giving up five passing touchdowns. Their numbers, at least yardage wise, don’t seem too bad, but most of Seattle’s damage came on short fields. They really had no answer for the Seahawk talented stable of receivers, as Jackson, Engram, Burleson and Branch had their way with the New York defensive backfield.

Their effort in the second half is tough to measure, because Seattle went to a rush heavy offense and abandoned their pass attack for the most part. They did limit the Seahawks to seven second half points, after giving up 35 in the first half. DB R.W. McQuarters was able to capitalize on a bad decision by Hasselbeck, picking him off and returning it 27 yards for a touchdown. That was one of the few bright spots in New York’s defensive performance for the game.

QB Matt Hasselbeck, Pass: 24 - 33 - 227 - 5 TD / 3 INT

Hasselbeck had a huge first half, throwing for 176 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He looked sharp, capitalizing on early Giants turnovers and turning them into Seattle scoring strikes. While he threw for five touchdowns, his yardage numbers weren’t huge, mostly because of the short field they played on for most of the first half. In the second half, Seattle resorted to running the ball and playing a conservative offense in an effort to shorten the game. One of Hasselbeck’s touchdowns did come in the third quarter, but he threw for only 51 yards and turned the ball over twice on interceptions in the second half. For the game, he finished 24 of 33 for 227 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. The addition of Deion Branch seemed to give Seattle’s offense a big boost, and Hasselbeck and the Seahawks’ passing attack will no doubt benefit from the newly acquired wideout.

RB Shaun Alexander, Rush: 20 - 47 - 1, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (2 targets)

Alexander and the Seattle rushing attack still have not been able to produce numbers like they did for much of last season, and this game was more of the same. He did get 20 carries, but was able to fight out only 47 yards on the ground, for a 2.4 ypc average. Alexander did score on a two yard run early in the first quarter, but his long run for the game was only 12 yards, and he seemed to show some affects of the sore foot that he’s suffering from. Leading big in the second half, he was spelled by Maurice Morris, most likely to rest the aforementioned sore foot. He also had two receptions for 12 yards on two targets.

RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 15 - 18 - 0

Morris spelled Alexander late in the game with Seattle leading big, and ran the ball 15 times for 18 yards. While the yardage doesn’t look the greatest, keep in mind Seattle was using Morris to run out the clock, and the Giants knew what was coming.

RB Mack Strong, Rush: 5 - 33 - 0, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (3 targets)

Strong’s stat line may not look too good, but the veteran fullback made contributions in many ways for Seattle. He ran the ball five times for 33 yards, and four of those rushes resulted in Seahawk first downs. He also caught one pass for three yards, and was targeted three times for the game.

WR Darrell Jackson, Rec: 7 - 57 - 2 (9 targets)

Jackson was Hasselbeck’s favorite target in the passing game, getting nine looks for the game, and catching seven balls for 57 yards and two scores. His touchdowns came from four and 12 yards out.

WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 5 - 62 - 1 (7 targets)

Engram had five grabs for 62 yards and a touchdown from 21 yards out. He was targeted seven times for the game, second most on the team.

WR Nate Burleson, Rec: 4 - 42 - 1 (6 targets)

Burleson caught four passes for 42 yards, including a 12 yard touchdown, and was targeted six times for the game.

WR Deion Branch, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (4 targets)

Branch made his Seahawks’ debut, catching two passes for 23 yards on four targets. One of his targets came in the red zone, but the pass was overthrown. He also rushed one time for eight yards. The Seattle offense looked deadly with their four talented receivers, and the addition of Branch could pay big dividends, especially if the performance of the offense is any sign of things to come.

TE Will Heller, Rec: 3 - 28 - 1 (3 targets)

Heller caught all three balls thrown his way for 28 yards, including a ten yard scoring strike from Hasselbeck.

PK Josh Brown 0 - 0 FG, 6 - 6 XP, 6 points

Brown did not attempt a field goal in the game, but was busy kicking extra points, making good on all six PAT attempts for the game.

SEA Rush Defense

Seattle’s rush defense did a good job containing Tiki Barber and the Giants’ rushing attack, limiting big plays when Barber did get the ball on the ground. The score, particularly early in the game, took the New York rushing game plan out of the equation as they were forced to throw the ball in an effort to keep up with the Seahawks. LB Lofa Tatupu led the way with six solo tackles.

SEA Pass Defense

The Seahawks’ pass defense played great early in the game, intercepting Eli Manning three times and holding him to 65 first half passing yards. They played inspired defense early on, giving the offense great field position on two of the three turnovers, both of which resulted in touchdowns.

In the second half, Manning and the Giants picked it up offensively, and Seattle’s pass defense was torn apart for 210 yards and three touchdowns through the air. New York went to the no huddle for much of the second half, and it seemed to help the Giants find open areas in the Seattle defense.

DB Ken Hamlin intercepted two passes and fellow DB Michael Boulware also had a pick for the game.