Seahawks Gameday preview capsule

Olympian News Services • Published October 04, 2008

Seattle Seahawks (1-2) at New York Giants (3-0)

•Kickoff: 10 a.m. at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

•TV: Fox-13. Radio: 1240-AM, 1030-AM

•Line: Giants by 7

•Series: Giants lead 7-5

•Last meeting: Seahawks won 42-30 on Sept. 24, 2006

•Last week: Both teams had a bye. In Week 3, Seattle defeated St. Louis 37-13, and the Giants beat Cincinnati 26-23 in overtime.

Injury report

•Seahawks: Questionable — RB Maurice Morris (knee), WR Koren Robinson (knee). Probable — WR Deion Branch (knee), WR Bobby Engram (shoulder), CB Kelly Jennings (rib), T Walter Jones (hip), DT Craig Terrill (back), QB Seneca Wallace (calf), T Floyd Womack (hamstring).

•Giants: Probable — WR Mario Manningham (illness), DE Jerome McDougle (knee), CB R.W. McQuarters (calf), CB Terrell Thomas (hamstring), K Lawrence Tynes (left knee).

Players to watch

•Seahawks: QB Matt Hasselbeck had career-high five touchdown passes in last start against Giants. ... RB Julius Jones has had two straight 100-yard games, and fellow RB T.J. Duckett has run for three TDs in past two games. ... John Carlson leads rookie TEs with 12 catches and 168 yards. ... DE Patrick Kerney has 21/2 sacks in past three games against Giants.

•Giants: QB Eli Manning has thrown just two interceptions in past seven games, including playoffs. ... DE Justin Tuck has five sacks in past four games, including Super Bowl. ... DT Fred Robbins has had two sacks in each of past two games.

Keys to the game

The Giants have won seven straight games, a streak that began with their playoff run to their Super Bowl championship last season. But they will be without star wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who was suspended for missing a team meeting during the Giants' bye week. They will rely on 264-pound running back Brandon Jacobs and the defense that stymied New England last year. Seattle will be getting back both Bobby Engram and Deion Branch as wide receivers, upgrades over what they had to cobble together in recent weeks. They also have a running game that currently is ranked second in the NFL, averaging 166 yards a game. The Seahawks, however, have to overcome their recent inability to perform well in the Eastern time zone, where they have lost five of their past six.

•Bottom line: A win today would help the Seahawks put their 0-2 start well behind them. But beating the Giants in New York might be too much to ask.

•Pick: Giants, 21-17