Week 9 NFL Pick: New York Giants vs. Seattle Seahawks

In spite of the fact that he really hasn’t gotten a heck of a lot of help this year, QB Eli Manning is making the best of an iffy situation. He has had a number of injuries to contend with, yet his offense is still putting up 388.7 yards and 25.0 points per game this season, both very respectable figures. Manning hasn’t gotten much out of RB Brandon Jacobs this season, though we know that RB Ahmad Bradshaw is emerging as one of the best backs in the NFL. He has 708 yards and three scores this season. Through the air, Manning has been picked off 11 times, but he also has 14 TD passes and knows that a number of his blunders have been courtesy of balls that have been tipped in the air by his wide outs. Still, WRs Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith are having fantastic seasons. Nicks has 45 catches for 525 yards and eight TDs, while Smith has 43 grabs for 471 yards and two tuddies. Defensively, this team is no joke either. DE Mathias Kiwanuka is out for the season, but his replacement, DE Osi Umenyiora has eight sacks and is leading a unit that ranks No. 2 in the NFL in total yards at 263.3 yards per game.

The Seahawks are going to be looking to make a real statement this week, as they have to feel disrespected as such big underdogs at home. Forget about last week’s 33-3 loss to the Oakland Raiders, as there won’t be a beat down like at the hands of these Seahawks again this season. Offensively, there is a lot of work to be done for a team that ranks third to last in the NFL with an average of just 275.6 yards per game. Seattle is only parlaying those yards into 17.6 points per game, and the offense only has ten TDs to show for seven games worth of work. There really is no semblance of a rushing game to be found, though RB Marshawn Lynch is trying to get accustomed to the way the HC Pete Carroll offense operates. WR Mike Williams is having a nice year and is really coming on strong in recent weeks. He has 33 catches for 375 yards and a TD, and has accounted for 237 of those yards in his L/3 games.

The Giants laying this many points in a cross-country game seems to be a bit absurd. Yes, they absolutely have the better team, but that doesn’t mean that they should be laying a TD at home against Seattle, let alone on the road. If this is a bunch of Seahawks that think they are going to get to the playoffs, this is the type of game they have to win and make a big statement in. That statement could be made on Sunday.