SEATTLE — Bad move.
I mean, I'm not going to block Brian Burns.
Sunday's game between the Giants and the Seahawks at Lumen Field featured a number of big plays by a variety of players.
Brian Burns, one of the highest profile and highest paid players on the roster, came up with one of the biggest players.
Seahawks first-year head coach Mike McDonald took a big gamble by rolling the dice early in the fourth quarter, but the result came up empty.
It was 4-and-1 at Seattle's own 35-yard line, but rather than punt the ball, McDonald continued to attack down the field.
This turned out to be a bad decision, as Barnes burst in for a sack of Geno Smith, giving the Giants the ball on the 27th.
This led to Greg Joseph's third field goal, a 24-yard chip shot, extending the Giants' lead to 23-13 with 11:54 remaining.
Burns thought the Seahawks would probably run the ball in short yardage situations.
He didn't understand what actually happened.
“At first they gave me a funky look between two tight ends,” Burns said. “And I just kind of shot my gap and was ready to do whatever they came. I think it was a run play because I had four outs and first base. But they blocked me. Okay, that's smart. Free stuff is hard to pass up.
“I was a little shocked, but I was trying to do my job.”
After Darius Slayton took a 41-yard pass from Daniel Jones in the third quarter, he stood up and made a classic “first down” motion with his arms.
He was given a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, as the NFL cracks down on gestures that imitate gun gestures.
That wasn't Slayton's intention.
“You know what's funny, when I stood up, if you were near that guy, you knew that was the time to get them,” Slayton said. “So I intentionally made sure there was no one nearby, so I didn't point at anyone, I pointed at nothing.”
Head coach Brian Daboll said Slayton has since apologized.
“But I told him it was over and no more points would be awarded,” Slayton said. “Or if I were to point, this is what would happen, one finger.”
Four games into the season, the Giants have been lacking in many areas, but one stands out. It was that they were almost refusing to throw the ball to the tight end.
In those four games, rookie Theo Johnson had three receptions for 37 yards and Daniel Bellinger had two catches for 20 yards.
That was it.
He had five receptions from the tight end position.
That total nearly matched the Giants' tight ends in the first half.
Needing a new target with rookie wide receiver Malik Nabors not playing and in concussion protocol, Jones caught Johnson four times for 43 yards in the first half.
Johnson's 22-yard gain in the second quarter led to the Giants' first touchdown, and Jones' 7-yard strike to Wan'Dale Robinson.
Johnson had five catches for 48 yards.
Seahawks QB Smith didn't touch the team's performance. “We played poorly,” he said. “That's the reality. I thought we were slow coming out. We turned the ball over instead of a finishing drive. So all of the above. If you do that, you're going to lose in the NFL any Sunday.” ”
