(Sports Network) – The New York Giants did their best during the bye week to hold onto the momentum created from a four-game winning streak. They’ll need it as they’re set to visit a city they haven’t won in for more than 19 years.
The Giants head out West this Sunday and will look to deal the hobbled Seattle Seahawks their first loss at Qwest Field this season.
After starting the season with two losses in three games, New York ripped off four consecutive victories prior to last weekend’s bye, with its most recent triumph coming over the NFC East-rival Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 25. That win has the 5-2 Giants alone at the top of the division, one game ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Giants trailed the Cowboys by 17 points at one point, but knocked Dallas quarterback Tony Romo out of the game and strung together 31 straight points in the second and third quarters to claim a 41-35 victory. The defense held the Cowboys to just 254 yards of offense, while quarterback Eli Manning rebounded from three interceptions to match a career best with four touchdown passes.
New York will now hope the layoff, as well as a trip out West, doesn’t impact the club on the field.
“Well, that’s always the challenge, not just to come back where you were, but to come back and escalate the quality of your performance, lift your game to another level, which is the constant message,” said Giants head coach Tom Coughlin.
New York is aiming to win five straight for the first time since it began the 2009 season 5-0, but will have to win in Seattle for the first time since Oct. 18, 1981 to do so.
The Seahawks, who at 4-3 lead the NFC West over 4-4 St. Louis, have won all three of their home games so far in 2010 and bested the Arizona Cardinals by a 22-10 count in their last game at Qwest Field. However, Seattle visited the Oakland Raiders last Sunday and was pounded, 33-3, to fall to 1-3 as the guest this season.
Seattle yielded eight sacks and managed just 162 yards of offense in the loss. It has been outscored 84-20 in its three road defeats.
“It has been pretty clear that our ability to get turnovers has all happened [at home] and we haven’t been able to get the ball away from people when we’re on the road, so it’s just been a big factor,” said Seattle head coach Pete Carroll. “We’ve had such a difference in that aspect of it.”
While Seattle does get to return to the Emerald City, it does so with numerous injuries. Rookie offensive tackle Russell Okung (ankle), fullback Michael Robinson (hamstring), cornerback Kelly Jennings (hamstring) and defensive tackle Brandon Mebane (calf) all missed the Oakland game, while quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (concussion) was among the new injuries suffered this past weekend.
Hasselbeck has been ruled out for Sunday’s game, with backup Charlie Whitehurst to make his first career start in the veteran’s place.
Also, both left guard Ben Hamilton (concussion) and defensive end Red Bryant (knee) suffered season-ending injuries against the Raiders, while defensive tackle Colin Cole has been ruled out due to an ankle injury and wide receivers Mike Williams (knee) and Golden Tate (ankle) are both hobbled.