SEATTLE — This is about as far from home as it can be for the Giants, and this cross-country road trip was a fun diversion for the team, who returned home feeling better and feeling better about themselves and their prospects for the season.
On Sunday, before the Giants could get any momentum going, they allowed an incredible 101-yard fumble return for a touchdown, resulting in a 14-point upset.
This could have stopped the Giants, but instead they dominated for long stretches, got some vintage play from quarterback Daniel Jones, and cruised to a 29-20 victory over the Seahawks at Lumen Field. Ta.
The Giants (2-3) did it without rookie sensation wide receiver Malik Nabors and without starting running back Devin Singletary.
They had to improvise offensively, but head coach Brian Daboll did it calmly, trusting in young players who hadn't done much in the first four games.
Rookie running back Tyron Tracy had 129 rushing yards and rookie tight end Theo Johnson joined the passing attack.
Jones (23 of 34, 257 yards) threw touchdown passes to Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton and never turned the ball over.
Slayton played a big-play role for the Neighbors, finishing with eight catches for 122 yards.
The Seahawks took over with 1:40 remaining, trailing 23-20, and the Giants needed one last defensive move to hold on.
They were within field goal range, but the Giants came up with a big special teams play with 55 seconds left.
Jason Myers attempted a 47-yard field goal to tie the score, but Isaiah Simmons jumped up and blocked it.
Bryce Ford Wheaton scooped up the ball and ran 60 yards for a touchdown, turning the Giants' nerves into elation.
The score was 10-10 at halftime and it looked like the Seahawks were going to take the lead in the third quarter, but Deonte Banks forced a fumble on DK Metcalf, but rookie Tyler Nubin recovered it at the Giants 26-yard line. did.
It had been a short game up until that point, but Jones hit a perfectly placed ball down the right sideline for a 41-yard gain to Slayton, followed by a 30-yard scoring strike that led to Slayton's brutal defeat of Tre Brown. did.
This gave the Giants a 17-10 lead.
Banks played Metcalf on third down to thwart Seattle's drive, and Myers' 48-yard field goal pulled the Seahawks within 17-13 midway through the third quarter.
Tracy's 25-yard run led to Greg Joseph's 31-yard field goal, extending the Giants' lead to 20-13.
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 on the 27th, as Brian Burns burst in to sack Geno Smith, giving the Giants the ball.
That led to Joseph's third field goal, a 24-yard chip shot, extending the Giants' lead to 23-13 with 11:54 remaining.
Dexter Lawrence had another monster performance, sacking Smith for 10 yards on third down on a Seahawks possession followed by Kayvon Thibodeau.
But nothing came easy for the Giants, and Smith put together a 95-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Smith-Njiba with 2:09 left, cutting the Giants' lead to 23-20. Shrunk.
The Giants went three-and-out with just 29 seconds left, giving Seattle one last chance.
The Seahawks came within field goal range, but a block saved the Giants.
In an almost unthinkable comeback late in the first quarter, the Giants' dynamic and early lead turned into a shocking 7-0 deficit.
Eric Gray caught two screen passes for 37 yards and helped lead his team to first-and-goal at their own 5-yard line.
Gray ran for 2 yards, keeper Jones ran for 2 yards, and a pitch out to Gray was stopped for no reason, creating a 4-and-inch situation.
Rather than try to sneak Jones in, Gray was called again and disaster struck.
The second-year running back tried to dive, but was stopped short of the goal line and lost the ball on a hit by linebacker Jerome Baker.
The ball was deflected into the end zone and safety Rayshaw Jenkins scooped it up.
For a moment, everyone froze — everyone but Jenkins snatched the ball from the end zone and sprinted almost casually down the field, no one in pursuit.
He had a 101-yard fumble return for a touchdown, but all of the Giants' great work came with heartache.
To their credit, the Giants didn't allow that tremendous momentum swing to stop.
They got the ball and moved 81 yards in eight plays, with Tyrone Tracy gaining 27 yards rushing and Johnson gaining 22 yards receiving.
Jones made a 7-yard scoring toss to Robinson, who reached the end zone ahead of former Giants safety Julian Love.
The next time they had the ball, the Giants held it for 12 plays, going 5 minutes, 12 seconds into a possession where Robinson and Jones showed off their ability to break tackles.
But Robinson took a knee and was unable to secure the pass, and Joseph's 38-yard field goal with 22 seconds left before halftime gave the Giants a 10-7 lead.
But after the first defensive blunder of the first half and Smith completing two passes, Myers made a 43-yard field goal to make it 10-10 at the break.
The Giants should have taken the lead considering how dominant they were in the first 30 minutes.
The Giants held an advantage in first downs (15-5), total yards (225-90), rushing yards (90-2) and time of possession (21:55-8:03), but Gray's fumble It seems like it was a decisive blow. .
As it turns out, it wasn't.
