Giants vs. Seahawks 2014 picks and predictions: Seattle looks to bury fallen Giants

The Giants have fallen on hard times, while the Seahawks are starting to hit their stride as they look to defend their Super Bowl crown.

by Jason Marcum

Nov 8, 2014, 2:40 PM UTC

Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants are fading fast, and life isn't getting any easier when they had to Seattle to take on the defending Super-Bowl champion Seahawks. Seattle started off slow this year at 3-3, but have won two straight to climb to 5-3 and within striking distance of the 7-1 Arizona Cardinals for the NFC West lead. Seattle is coming off a narrow 30-24 win over the winless Oakland Raiders, and they haven't exactly looked like the Super Bowl champions of a year ago.

Sadly, New York looks exactly the same as last year, as they continue to struggle on offense while not getting much out of their defense either. The Giants ranked 20th in total defense compared to 23rd in total offense, as they’ve been consistently below average for the past two seasons. That’s led to a three-game losing streak, the last of which a 40-24 beating at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football.

The one bright spot for New York has been the re-emergence of quarterback Eli Manning, whose reminded us that he's still capable of playing like an elite QB. He's thrown for 1,932 yards, 16 touchdowns and just five picks this year, a far cry from last year's 18 TD and 27 interception season. The play of Manning is the only reason why this team three wins, but at 3-5, that's not good enough to eventually earn a playoff spot.

Seattle wants to win the NFC West for the second year in a row, but even getting a Wild-Card berth looks like it will be difficult this year. The latest playoff standings have the Seahawks barely in as the No. 6 seed, owning the tiebreaker over the Green Bay Packers, also 5-3. New York has to win this game to even begin to get in the playoff conversation.

This game will be decided on the ground, as Seattle ranks No. 2 in rushing offense, and with New York ranked just No. 22 in run defense, this is where the Seahawks will likely win this game.

As for what the experts have to say, the entire CBS crew went with Seattle in an 8-0 sweep, and Pete Prisco picked the home team, 23-21. He offered up this reasoning:

This is a tough turnaround for a Giants team that didn't play well against the Colts Monday night. Now they face the defending champs in one of the toughest places to play. The Giants will keep it close, but Seattle is too good at home.

The entire SB Nation staff agreed, as everyone sided with the Seahawks: