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How the NY Giants deflected the noise for Brian Daboll's biggest win

Posted on by Vanessa
How the NY Giants deflected the noise for Brian Daboll's biggest win

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SEATTLE – The noise at Lumen Field was deafening for 58 minutes and 55 seconds Sunday afternoon.

So what was Isaiah Simmons of the New York Giants hearing as he jumped over Seattle lineman Laken Tomlinson and then jumped as high as he could again to score a potential game-winning field goal from 47 yards out in the final moments ?

“What did I hear? A thud from the ball hitting my hand, that's all,” Simmons told NorthJersey.com, smiling as teammate Kayvon Thibodeaux laughed at the question. “Then Bryce (Ford-Wheaton) called 'ball game' – you didn't hear much after that.”

The silence of the 12s, a typically rowdy home crowd that left stunned and disbelieving, was the sweetest sound the Giants have produced in a long time. It was the biggest regular-season win in Brian Daboll's three years as head coach, there's no doubt about it, and Simmons has teamed up with Ford-Wheaton to claim it.

Simmons' block of Jason Myers' field goal attempt bounced once right into the arms of Ford-Wheaton, who grabbed the ball and scored, the final 60-yard score in the Giants' 29-20 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday.

The thing is: The Giants can't make up for the missed opportunities that led to losses to NFC East foes Washington and Dallas, two games in which they had legitimate chances to reverse the result but failed to do so.

The deck was actually stacked against Daboll and the Giants against Seattle, a playoff team from a year ago that had won three of its first four games and is back in contention for the postseason.

Malik Nabers, the Giants' best offensive player, was at home in New Jersey, still in the concussion protocol.

Devin Singletary, their leading rusher, was unable to play because of a groin injury.

The outside expectation was that if the Giants lost for the fourth time in five games, the season would suddenly become a referendum not only on Daniel Jones as quarterback, but also on Daboll as head coach and Joe Schoen as general manager. In reality, there is an inner belief in what Daboll and Schoen are trying to build, and that was the case in this game too.

According to right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, there was no panic, just an urgency to get the football right.

Rookie running back Tyrone Tracy rushed for a career-best 129 yards in his first start. Darius Slayton caught eight passes from Jones for 122 yards and a touchdown. Jones completed 23 of 34 passes for 257 yards and a quarterback rating of 109.6.

A reviled secondary was led by Tae Banks, who struggled in the first month with a “Murderer's Row” of elite wide receivers, drawing criticism for his failure to finish his plays, including from his own position coach Jerome Henderson , who admitted he challenged the sophomore receiver. Annual Pro for his effort on a touchdown catch by CeeDee Lamb in the final game.

Seahawks star DK Metcalf saw a lot of benching and managed just four catches on seven targets for 55 yards, just a year after teaching him what the Giants' 2023 first-round pick called “rookie” in a 24-3 win at Seattle. Lessons” called.

Perhaps most impressively, the Giants' offensive line committed no pre-snap penalties in one of the loudest buildings in the NFL.

“The challenge is always silencing the doubters,” Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns told NorthJersey.com. “More importantly, we want to make sure no one here doubts this team, and now we get ready for (Cincinnati next Sunday night at MetLife Stadium).”

The patience with which the Giants withheld this play call for the field goal block speaks to this.

Daboll said Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial identified a gap he thought they could exploit, focusing on Simmons' ability to jump over Tomlinson's down block. The Giants lined up Simmons next to Dexter Lawrence, and when Tomlinson blocked, Simmons took advantage of the crease and got things going.

There was a temptation to go in early in the game — Myers had kicked two field goals before his final attempt — but Ghobrial implored Daboll to wait. Don't drop the hammer too soon, he argued.

When the Seahawks pushed Myers for that 47-yard attempt with 65 seconds left, the Giants sounded the alarm.

“I knew I would be able to get up high enough. The biggest thing for me was the ability to do a double jump,” Simmons said. “So land and go straight back up. There's no time for anything else. Once I felt clear, the only thing on my mind is touch and go, touch and go, touch and go. I guess that's where my long jump skills came into play.

Giants star Dexter Lawrence had three sacks and dominated up front, as he has done for three seasons in his rise to the position. Burns had another fourth down in the fourth quarter that gave the Seahawks a crucial drive.

According to NFL Research, the Giants' 22 sacks as a team through five games are the second-most in franchise history (26 in 1985).

“All in all, I understand the records, but a record doesn’t always define who you are and what you can do,” Burns said. “I feel like a few of our games have been lost due to unfortunate events.” But at the same time, I firmly believe that you shouldn't let that affect you and define who you are. That's exactly what this game represents. I’m pretty sure everyone here was against us.”

And just when it looked like they were going to face the Giants again, Simmons and that sweet sound of silence sparked the kind of block party that Big Blue wants to build on in the future.

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