Giants at Seahawks Week 13 storylines: Quarterback questions, and more

The 4-7 New York Giants have to travel across the country to face the 8-3 Seattle Seahawks this week. Let’s go through some of the major storylines leading up to the game.

Quarterback questions

Daniel Jones’ hamstring injury combined with the example of what happened to the quarterback-less Denver Broncos on Sunday in this COVID-19 impacted world are making this an interesting quarterback week for the Giants.

First, we don’t know yet whether or not Jones will be able to play on Sunday. That seems unlikely, and it may not be the smart move even if he could play, but we just don’t know yet.

“There are actually more question marks than answers right now,” coach Joe Judge said on Monday. “I couldn’t give an answer on if it’s one week or more than one week right now. I’m not qualified and, to be honest, the doctors I talked to today don’t have a crystal ball to look through either. I would say this, this is a tough dude. He is a tough guy. He is a very competitive guy and he wants to be out there. If we gave him the option today, he would jump out there, I’m sure, with duct tape on his leg and try to go at it. That being said, we have to give this guy a few days to get out there on the field and see if he can move around, see if he can do something. The time will tell based on when he can get out there and properly defend himself and execute the game plan effectively.”

Giants fans should likely prepare to see veteran Colt McCoy, 7-21 in his career as a starter, on Sunday vs. Seattle.

“Look, he’s a vet, he has a lot of experience. He goes out there with a good amount of savvy, can really manage a game,” Judge said. “But we’ll set the game up however we need to, whether it’s Daniel, whether it’s Colt, whether it’s Clayton [Thorson], whoever it ends up being, in terms of working to their strong points.”

Which brings us to the backups for the backup.

Clayton Thorson, who has been on the team’s practice squad since the end of September, is likely to be No. 2 behind McCoy for the Giants vs. Seattle.

Interestingly, the Giants reportedly have a pair of journeyman backup quarterbacks — Alex Tanney and Joe Webb — going through COVID-19 testing protocols right now. That could mean that the Giants, with what happened to Denver when the Broncos lost all four quarterbacks due to COVID-19 for last Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, might add both Tanney and Webb.

They could add both to the practice squad, perhaps bringing one in to physically practice while having the other remote from the team as a COVID-19 precaution. That is something Judge was asked about on Monday.

“Obviously, what happened with the Broncos this week, I think every team in the league had similar conversations. We did as well Saturday night at the hotel,” Judge said. “Considering in the future, not only just the quarterback position, but several key positions throughout the team, is it worth keeping those guys isolated and having them Zoom in for the meetings? That’s definitely something we’re discussing right now. That is something we’re considering.”

Dealing with DK

Seattle wide receiver DK Metcalf dominated Darius Slay of the Philadelphia Eagles, one of the game’s better cornerbacks, on Monday night. He had 10 catches in 13 targets for 177 yards, his second-double-digit catch game of the season.

The monstrous 6-foot-5, 229-pound Metcalf already has a league-leading 1,039 yards receiving on 58 catches (17.9 yards per catch, No. 3 in the NFL) with 9 touchdowns this season.

The Giants play a high percentage of zone coverage. When they match up man-to-man it seems likely that their best cornerback, James Bradberry, will have the “honor” of dealing with Metcalf. As good as he is, the 6-1, 212-pound Bradberry would be at a physical disadvantage.

That’s a big number

The Giants are a 10-point underdog on Sunday, per Draft Kings Sportsbook. The 8-3 Seahawks are 5-0 at home, and the Giants will likely be without quarterback Daniel Jones, so the big number shouldn’t be surprising. My guess is it will get bigger if and when Jones is officially ruled out for Week 13.

Hello, old friend

Former Giant Damon ‘Snacks’ Harrison will be playing his fourth game of the season for Seattle on Sunday. ‘Snacks’ has played 63 snaps and has only 1 tackle to his credit thus far. He’s not the fearsome run defender Giants fans remember.

Eyeballing the NFC East

With the Giants improbably leading the NFC East, what happens with the division’s other teams matters more than usual.

The 3-7-1 Eagles are 9-point underdogs on the road against the Green Bay Packers. The 4-7 Washington Football Team will be at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, and the 3-8. Dallas Cowboys will be at the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday. Because the Steelers and Ravens are playing Wednesday afternoon, there are no lines yet on those games.