Seahawks-Giants Preview

VIDEO PLAYLIST

• Eli And The Giants Pound The Seahawks

SCOUTING REPORT

Healthy or not, Seahawks can't hang with champsBoth the Giants and Seahawks are coming off a bye, but it might have helped Seattle a little more. New York will be without WR Plaxico Burress due to a team suspension, while Seattle is starting to see its banged-up offensive line and corps of receivers returning to health. This is a good NFC matchup between two teams expected to make significant playoff runs again this year. Seattle hasn't traveled well and has struggled playing games on the East Coast. Both defenses are aggressive with their pressure designs and will get after the quarterback. Eli Manning and Matt Hasselbeck will battle this one out with a limited arsenal of receivers at their disposal.

· Full Scouting Report

Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
SEA	4-12	294	392	2-6	2-6	3-3	3-9
NYG	12-4	427	294	7-1	5-3	4-2	9-3
· Complete Standings

Individual Leaders

Seattle Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Hassel... 60.0 3029 17 17 Wallac... 65.0 700 3 2

NY Giants Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Mannin... 62.3 4021 27 14 Carr 63.6 225 1 0

Seattle Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Jones 177 663 3.7 2 Forset... 114 619 5.4 4

NY Giants Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Jacobs 224 835 3.7 5 Bradsh... 163 778 4.8 7

Seattle Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Houshm... 79 911 11.5 3 Burles... 63 812 12.9 3

NY Giants Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Smith 107 1220 11.4 7 Mannin... 57 822 14.4 5

Full Player Stats: Seattle | NY Giants

TEAM AVERAGES & NFL RANKS
TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	SEA	274.0
	NYG	356.0
Yards Passing	SEA	163.6
	NYG	198.6
Yards Rushing	SEA	110.5
	NYG	157.4
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	SEA	378.0
	NYG	292.0
Pass Yds Allowed	SEA	259.3
	NYG	196.2
Rush Yds Allowed	SEA	118.7
	NYG	95.8

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
NY Giants leads 3-2
Sep 24, 2006	SEA 42, @NYG 30
Nov 27, 2005	SEA 24, @NYG 21
Sep 22, 2002	SEA 6, NYG 9
Dec 23, 2001	SEA 24, NYG 27

The Seattle Seahawks have been waiting all season to get their top receivers back on the field. This week, meanwhile, the New York Giants want their No. 1 target to stay away.

With Plaxico Burress set to serve a one-game suspension, the Giants look to remain undefeated Sunday when they host a Seahawks team expecting Deion Branch and Bobby Engram to make their season debuts.

Branch (knee) and Engram (shoulder) should play Sunday, according to Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren. That would be a major boost for Seattle (1-2), coming off a bye and hoping to bounce back from a poor start as it faces a stout Giants' defense.

New York (3-0), meanwhile, is one of three undefeated teams remaining. But the Giants, who also had their bye last week, won't have their top offensive threat in this contest.

Burress was suspended last week for a game and told to stay away from the team until Oct. 5, a punishment handed down for missing a practice and not calling to explain his absence. With Burress out, Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss and rookie Mario Manningham will get more playing time.

Hixon, a surprise in training camp, is expected to start for Burress, opposite Amani Toomer.

"That is our strong point this season -- a lot of different weapons at the receiver position," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. "So obviously we don't have Plaxico out there and he is a tremendous threat, but our other guys have been making plays all year and will step up and make some plays this week."

Manning and the Giants can always fall back on what has been an outstanding running game. Brandon Jacobs has rushed for 244 yards on 50 carries and has been complemented by Derrick Ward, who has 177 yards on 26 carries.

If New York needs to use a ball-control strategy, its defense appears up to the task. The Giants gave up a total of 20 points in their first two games before a 26-23 win over Cincinnati on Sept. 21.

New York allowed 347 yards to the Bengals, but sacked Carson Palmer six times. Even with Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora (knee) out for the season, the Giants have 13 sacks.

Over a full season that would translate to 69 sacks, three less than the league record set by the Chicago Bears in 1984. Last season, New York led the league with 53.

"We never once had a doubt," said defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka of the Giants' ability to pressure the quarterback this season. "We just had things we had to prove. That was a different group than last year and when Osi went down we knew there would be some skepticism. If you thought the way we felt though, you knew it was just a matter of time."

If New York can't get to Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, it could be a long day for its secondary.

Engram, who set the Seahawks record with 94 catches last season but has been out for seven weeks with a broken right shoulder, will play. So will Branch, the former Super Bowl MVP who is in his third season with Seattle.

"They are great guys, great teammates and they are really good players," Hasselbeck said. "So having them back is definitely a boost for just the confidence and a swagger that we have had at times on offense."

Koren Robinson, signed on Sept. 16, may also play after missing a 37-13 win over St. Louis on Sept. 21 with a sore knee.

Of course, Hasselbeck will need time to get the ball to his receivers. Having starting right tackle Sean Locklear healthy for the first time this season will certainly help.

Locklear sprained his knee in a preseason game on Aug. 16. Ray Willis has been starting and playing well there since, but Holmgren said he "suspects" Locklear will start Sunday.

This will be the first meeting between the Seahawks and Giants since Sept. 24, 2006, when New York lost 42-30 at Seattle. Seattle and New York have the two longest playoff streaks in the NFC, with the Seahawks having been to five straight postseasons and the Giants three in a row.

Seahawks O-coordinator won't discuss LT Jones

Jeremy Bates spoke for the first time since arriving from Southern California last month and said he "won't get into what route we're going" at left tackle.

Owners talk labor situation; status quo reigns

NFL owners have met for several hours to discuss the labor situation, although it appears they are no closer to reaching an agreement with the players' union for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Beginning of end: Giants Stadium demolition on

The demolition of Giants Stadium got started Thursday when a giant metal claw attached to a crane started taking bites out of the cement helix at one of the four gates around the 34-year-old facility.

Giants DE Umenyiora threatens to quit football

New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora threatened to quit football if he doesn't get his starting job back in an interview on New York radio station WFAN.

Walter Jones 'was able 2 get in football stance 2day'

That's the twitter shorthand from the mountain of a man that has been a fixture at the left edge of Seattle's offensive line.

Tyler Roehl suffers torn anterior-cruciate ligament

Tyler Roehl, an undrafted free agent fullback signed by Seattle in April suffered a torn knee ligament during a non-contact practice on Monday, according to reporter Jeff Kolpack of The Forum, in Fargo, S.D. Roehl confirmed that it was his left knee that was injured.

Seahawks work on short-yardage, goal-line situations at practice

That's the description offered up by Matt Hasselbeck via his Twitter account. Of course, he used cool acronyms: SY and GL practice today.

Hasselbeck looks healthy, learning new Seattle offense

Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck looks healthy after being limited to seven games last season.

Seahawks rookie out to prove he's just the right size

Working with the Seattle Seahawks defensive line group, Nick Reed looks like a boy among men.

Traffic charges against Plaxico Burress dismissed

Four Broward County traffic tickets have been dismissed against former New York Giants football player Plaxico Burress , who still faces another case in which he's accused of cursing several times at a sheriff's deputy, the athlete's attorney said this morning.

NFL Putting Off Plaxico Punishment

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said today there is no timetable for making a decision on league disciplinary action for Plaxico Burress.

GIANTS: Updated: Boldin hires Eli's agent

KTAR Radio in Arizona reports that Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin has hired Tom Condon to be his agent.

Moving the Chains: Giants' Umenyiora takes aim at Eagles

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. A special buzz is building around the 2009 football season in Philadelphia, and a lot of it has to do with the rivalry between the Eagles and Giants.

Canty happy to be part of 'tremendous defense' in New York

CHAREAN WILLIAMS The movers were at Chris Canty's new home last week. He is starting to feel at home in the New York Giants' locker room, too.Canty left the Dallas Cowboys almost three months ago, the Giants' six-year, $42 million offer too rich for Dallas to beat.