Giants' four-game win streak ends with loss in Seattle

SEATTLE — The Giants fashioned their 6-1 start largely with late-game dramatics, as fourth-quarter specialists who bide their time and strike when it matters most.

On Sunday, it looked as if they were headed in that direction again at raucous Lumen Field, but then it all suddenly went awry.

The result was a 27-13 loss to the Seahawks that ended the Giants’ winning streak at four games and left them 6-2 heading into the open week on their schedule.

Are they proud of that record at the break, especially given their lack of success in recent seasons? Sure, but . . .

“I’m not proud of losing,” rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux said. “You’re only as good as your last game.”

After a dreary start, the Giants tied the score at 13 on a field goal by Graham Gano with 11:17 left. It appeared they had the Seahawks where they wanted them.

“Definitely, nobody was hanging their head,” receiver Darius Slayton said. “We’ve been in that situation more than once this year.”

Said quarterback Daniel Jones, “We had not played a great game up to that point, but we are confident in our ability to close out games.”

Then former Jets and Giants quarterback Geno Smith, who is having a career-reviving season, led Seattle on a five-play drive on which he was 5-for-5 passing.

It covered 75 yards in only 1:59 and ended with Tyler Lockett — who earlier had fumbled and dropped a sure touchdown pass — blowing past cornerback Adoree’ Jackson with a double move and catching a 33-yard touchdown pass.

The Seahawks now led 20-13 with 9:18 remaining.

“That’s a drive where we have to bow up and execute,” safety Julian Love said. “We have to reach down on defense.”

About three minutes later, the Seahawks were punting and the Giants were poised for a chance at a late tying score.

But Richie James lost his second fumbled punt return of the game with 6:04 left. Two plays later, Kenneth Walker scored on a 16-yard run, and it was over.

James’ two fumbles led directly to 10 Seattle points.

“When you look at these first eight games, it’s really come down to turnovers and penalties,” Love said. “Today we lost that battle — turnovers and penalties.” (The Giants had six penalties to Seattle’s three.)

As big of a surprise as the Giants have been, the Seahawks (5-3) might be an even bigger one, with Smith continuing to excel.

He finished 23-for-34 for 212 yards and two touchdowns, then dedicated the game to former Giants coach and general manager Ben McAdoo and Jerry Reese.

They were fired in 2017 the day after Smith’s one start as a Giant — which sent Eli Manning to the bench after 210 consecutive starts.

“I spent one year with the Giants,” Smith said. “That year to me was like a blur. My life has moved on from them. I don’t have any remorse towards anyone there.”

Late in the game, Seahawks fans began to chant Smith’s name.

The Seahawks frustrated the running attempts of Saquon Barkley and Jones all day, holding the Giants to 78 yards on the ground.

Slayton was the only Giants wide receiver with more than two receptions, and the Giants managed only two offensive plays longer than 20 yards.

“They did everything better than us today,” coach Brian Daboll said. “I’m not happy with what we did today. A long trip back, a lot to fix. But we’ll fix it.”

The Seahawks scored first, on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Smith to DK Metcalf in the second quarter. Metcalf suffered a knee injury in the previous game that was widely expected to keep him out Sunday. It did not.

That first scoring drive featured two fourth-down conversions by Seattle.

At that point, the Seahawks led the Giants 9-0 in first downs and 99-15 in total yards.

The Giants tied it on a 1-yard run by Barkley after Jackson stripped the ball from Lockett and recovered it at the 2-yard line.

But James’ first fumbled punt return then set up a Seattle field goal to make it 10-7 at halftime.

The Giants opened the second half with a 14-play, 79-yard drive that consumed 8:56 on the clock, but all they got out of it was a tying field goal by Gano.

The teams then traded two more field goals, leading to the one by Gano that tied it before Smith’s quick go-ahead march.

Despite the loss, the Giants are very much in the NFC playoff picture. After the bye, they host the 1-5-1 Texans and the 1-6 Lions heading into a Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas.

The trick now is balancing all the good that has come in the first half of the season with recognizing the need to improve.

“I think feeling good will be our enemy now,” Thibodeaux said.

Said Daboll: “[We went] 3-1 in the first quarter, 3-1 in the second quarter.”

That’s good, clearly. But then he added, “Obviously not good enough today.”

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.