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After a tough battle with the arch rival Cowboys in week 4, the Giants face an uphill climb heading into week 5. The season can be defined by the next few weeks, let's see if they can muster a few wins.
The Giants head to Seattle for a week 5 clash against a surging NFC contender. Another tall task awaits them; can they bounce back and upset the Seahawks similar to the infamous Colt McCoy game in 2020?
I won't waste anymore time; off we go after a long time off for Big Blue. Here are a few things to watch for when kickoff commences at 4:25 on Sunday.
Malik Nabers is shake & Wan'Dale Robinson is bake
Talladega Nights, anyone? Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton? It's the only fitting duo to compare Nabers and Robinson to after the first four weeks they've had as the focal points of the Giants offensive philosophy.
Through four weeks here are their stats per Pro Football Reference:
Malik Nabers
35 receptions (most in the NFL) on 52 targets
386 yards receiving with 174 of those coming after the catch
19 first downs accounted for, three touchdowns, and most importantly zero fumbles
Wan'Dale Robinson
26 receptions on 38 targets
194 yards receiving with 100 of those coming after the catch
10 first downs accounted for, one touchdown, and zero fumbles
For added context, Daniel Jones has attempted 144 passes during the same stretch of time and Nabers and Robinson account for 90 of those attempts good for 62% of his passes thrown. It is clear that Jones has his favorite targets locked down and Brian Daboll is actively trying to get the ball in their hands week over week.
Week 5 will be the Giants' first true test since week 1 as they will face a tough Seahawks secondary consisting of Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon at the corner spots, and former Giant Julian Love at safety. A big reason that the Seahawks have seen a ton of early season success is because of their secondary. They rank 7th in the league in passing yards allowed per game (167.5 per game), and allowed just 14.3 points per game prior to last Monday night against Detroit where they surrendered 42 points (one point less than the 43 they had given up in the first three weeks).
Nabers did not travel with the team to Seattle and is out after suffering a concussion late in their week 4 battle with Dallas. That is an unfortunate sign as the Giants will need to look to Robinson and deep ball threats like Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt to step up. I wouldn't be surprised to see Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Daniel Bellinger a bit more involved in the passing game now that Nabers is officially out.
Run defense & Micah McFadden emergence
The Giants held their own against the Cowboys, allowing just 80 yards rushing on 23 attempts. In week 4, that was good for fifth in the league behind the Cowboys, Chiefs, Broncos and 49ers. Listen, the Cowboys run game is not the most effective tandem in Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle, but keeping any team at bay from a rushing standpoint and forcing their hand in the passing game is nothing to write off. The Giants now rank 15th in the league, per Covers.com, in rushing yards allowed with a 118.8 yards per game average and have surrendered just one rushing touchdown this season. That's two straight weeks of keeping teams to 80 or less yards rushing after allowing just 69 yards to the Browns rushing attack in week 3.
How about Micah McFadden's play early on this season? The guy has been a force from the line backing position and has been the anchor of the second level. He has registered 27 total tackles (18 of them solo), 1.5 sacks and 4 QB hits in weeks 2-4, per ESPN. Looking at the numbers a little deeper, he has been great from a tackling standpoint missing just three out of 27 for a missed tackle percentage of 10%. That number was almost 8% higher in 2023 when he missed a whopping 22 tackles. He has worked on being better from the point of attack and at putting himself in a position to make tackles this year. Look at this play he made late in the fourth quarter against Dallas, he senses the double team on Dexter Lawrence, shoots the A gap and makes the play on Ezekiel Elliott for a big three yard loss.
Courtesy of NFL+
Giants fans already know what Bobby Okereke brings to the table, so having McFadden take that next step as a key complement to Okereke would be a big plus for the defensive side of the ball.
Week 5 X-Factor
Daniel Jones. He was my x-factor prior to the week 1 matchup against the Vikings and he will be yet again heading into week 5.
Jones has thrown for 230+ yards in back-to-back weeks for the first time this season. In those games, he also registered a 70.6% completion percentage against the Browns and a 72.5% completion percentage against the Cowboys. He is still shaky on throws of 20+ yards (2-14 on the year) but he is completing passes at a much higher clip as the season chugs along.
With Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary out for this game, I'd look for the Giants to lean on Jones in a big way with his arm and his legs. I'm not in the Giants team meetings the week leading up to the game but I'll take my best guess at their gameplan being to give Jones time to pass mixed in with some RPO action to keep the Seattle defense on their toes. He has ran for 70 yards on 23 carries so far this season so look for the Giants to key in on some opportunities for Jones as a runner.
All in all, the success of Jones as an accurate passer will most likely define this one. If he has a clean pocket, doesn't think and just slings the rock to his guys then they will have a strong shot at pulling off the upset. He needs to trust his wide receivers without Nabers and I hope for the sake of all Giants fans he puts in a good day at the office.
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