Tyler Lockett’s redemptive catch, defense, more Geno Smith send Seahawks over Giants

Tyler Lockett had just dropped a sure touchdown. It was the second score he’d missed in a day.

That usually doesn’t happen in five years.

His great friend Quandre Diggs, the Seahawks Pro Bowl safety, came up to Lockett seated on the Seahawks’ bench after the deflating dropped. Diggs grabbed the back of Lockett’s head. He hugged it.

The message was clear: You aren’t done helping us.

“Just keep being great,” Diggs told Lockett. “You know, it’s rare that we see that from him.”

Pete Carroll, his 71-year-old leader who’s been coaching since Richard Nixon was president, got on one knee at the bench. Carroll told Lockett: “You are the best receiver I’ve ever seen.”

Lockett later said with a smile: “I don’t know if he was really telling me truth.”

DK Metcalf got the head of his fellow Seahawks top receiver focused on something else.

“Whatdya have for breakfast?” he asked Lockett, on the sideline.

On cue, per his sterling eight years with the Seahawks, their offensive captain took off for a key catch in the fourth quarter for a first down. Then he raced down the right sideline, past every Giants defender. Geno Smith sent his rainbow pass onto his hands.

Lockett didn’t drop this one.

Lockett’s makeup, 33-yard touchdown with 9 minutes left gave the Seahawks a 20-13 lead. Will Dissly then came up with his second mammoth play covering a punt. And rookie Kenneth Walker ran through Giants like Marshawn Lynch used to do on a 16-yard touchdown run with 5 minutes left in first-place Seattle’s latest surprising win, 27-13 over previously 6-1 New York at shaking Lumen Field.

The game ended with more Seattle chants of “GEE-no! GEE-no!” perhaps the most unlikely story in the league right now.

The NFL leader in completion rate entering the day (73.5%) had dropped passes mar his numbers early Sunday. Yet Smith finished 23 for 34 passing, 212 yards, two touchdown throws, to Lockett and to DK Metcalf — and, once again, no turnovers.

Smith gave all the credit to Lockett for the go-ahead score. He said Lockett saw Giants cornerback Adoree Jackson playing man coverage way off him, sitting on a route at the line to gain 10 yards off the line. Lockett signaled to Smith he was going to run a double move, a stop at 10 yards. Then when Jackson jumped that route Lockett would run by him to the end zone.

That’s exactly what happened.

“He gave me a sign,” Smith said.

There are transforming ones with the Seahawks defense.

A unit obliterated by San Francisco’s and New Orleans’ running games earlier held a Giants team second in the NFL at 173 yards rushing to just 78 Sunday, and only 225 yards total.

And, yes, the remade, forgotten, Russell Wilson-less Seahawks (5-3) will enter November and a game at Arizona (3-5) next week staying atop the NFC West.

“This is really special,” Carroll said. “This is a very special opportunity right now. And it’s been because of all of the hype and the circumstances and all that, and the challenge and the doubting. ...Yeah, I like this challenge. I’ve liked it from the start.

“The fact the guys are coming through is the way they’ve worked. ...It’s a coach’s thrill. It really is.

“All the people doubting, that ‘You’re losing it. You run the ball too much. You don’t understand football. You can’t stay up with the new game,’ and all that, that’s a bunch of crap. I’m telling ya.

“Because look, we’re doing fine. We’re all right. I don’t mind proving it day in and day out.”

Picking up Tyler Lockett

Everyone — backup quarterback Drew Lock, inactive players in sweat suits and rain coats, equipment men, coach Pete Carroll--hugged Lockett on Seahawks sideline following his redemptive touchdown catch.

Lockett, who was questionable to play with hamstring and rib injuries, kept the touchdown ball. He brought it to the bench. Yes, that meant something to him.

Lockett lost two touchdown passes from Smith. The first, in the opening half, came when he didn’t do what he almost always does: get a second foot down inbounds, in that case inside the left sideline of the end zone. Seattle settled for a field goal and a 10-7 lead.

In the third quarter, after the Giants had tied the game coming out of halftime, Smith lofted a perfect pass over Lockett’s shoulder down the right sideline on third and 2. Lockett dropped the pass off his hands and chest in the end zone. He grabbed the top of his helmet with both hands.

“I couldn’t believe I just did that,” Lockett said. “It was frustrating.

“I just had to breathe a little bit.”

The Seahawks got another field goal from Jason Myers for a 13-10 lead, instead of a touchdown and a 17-10 edge into the fourth quarter.

Tariq Woolen, shutdown corner

For most of the game, Giants coach Brian Daboll and quarterback Daniel Jones flat refused to throw at Seahawks rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen. All of the Giants’ first 13 passes went away from the NFL co-leader in interceptions entering Sunday. New York picked instead on opposite cornerback Michael Jackson for multiple first-down completions.

The first time the Giants threw at Woolen, he made a four-point play for Seattle. Midway through the third quarter New York was on a 14-play march into the red zone poised to take a 14-10 lead. But on third down Jones threw at Woolen, trying to complete a pass on an inside route by Wan’Dale Robinson. Woolen reached around the receiver and batted the pass away incomplete.

New York settled for a tying field goal and a 10-10 game, instead of the lead.

The Giants finally got to Woolen on the next drive, on their second target of him Sunday. On a third and 11 with the Lumen Field crowd roaring, Jones fired a pass to Darius Slayton that Woolen broke on and thought he had intercepted. Slayton ripped the ball from the rookie for a completion at Giants first down near midfield.

Will Dissly, special-teams ace

The tight end entered Sunday leading Seattle with three receiving touchdowns. His key block the previous weekend freed Walker for the clinching touchdown of the team’s win at the Los Angeles Chargers.

Sunday, Dissly had two catches, one for a first down, before he made the play of the opening half for the Seahawks—and the play that clinched the victory in the fourth quarter.

Both while covering a punt.

Michael Dickson was punting the ball back to New York with 6:18 left and Seattle leading 20-13 when Travis Homer, off the injured reserve list after missing four games, slammed into Giants returner Richie James. Dissly immediate saw the fumble and covered it at the New York 32.

The Seahawks’ punt team, missing captain Nick Bellore (out with a concussion), danced around Dissly’s recovery like it was Mardi Gras.

Smith and the offense turned that gift into Walker’s refuse-to-go-back bull through the Giants on a 16-yard touchdown run.

Stunningly, the taut, tied game was now 27-13 Seahawks with 5 minutes left.

Lumen Field was shaking like Lynch was running for the home team, 10 years ago.

In the first half, Dissly was getting blocked and knocked off course as one of the first Seahawks down onto James. Dissly slammed sideways into James, causing a fumble Seattle rookie Joey Blount recovered at the Giants 19-yard line.

Two plays later Smith and Lockett thought they had a 21-yard touchdown. But Lockett’s second foot came down after the catch in the end zone onto the left sideline boundary for an incomplete pass.

The Seahawks settled for Jason Myers’ 35-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead. It bounced off the crossbar and through, after New York’s Dexter Lawrence partially blocked it at the line of scrimmage.

That made Myers 16 for 17 on field goals this season.

Boye Mafe emerges

Seahawks rookie Boye Mafe raced in off the left edge and sacked Jones on a Giants third and 2 with 18 seconds left in the half. Carroll called time out to give his offense a bonus chance to perhaps kick at field goal. But Gillan ended that idea with a soaring, 52-yard punt with no return.

Backed up to their own 25, the Seahawks just ran out the rest of the clock and took their 10-7 lead to halftime.

Mafe continued to impress as an every-down outside linebacker. He’s replaced Darrell Taylor there on early, running downs. Sunday, he got Taylor’s pass-rush downs, too.

Taylor had been questionable to play with a groin injury. He spent much of the afternoon in full uniform minus his helmet and wearing a parka while staying on the sideline. In the third quarter, the Seahawks said Taylor was out for a game he was never in, with a hip injury.

Extra points

*Ryan Neal made two more stops on third down with immediate tackles after catches. Then he injured his leg with 4 minutes left making an open-field tackle from behind. Josh Jones, the starting strong safety in September before Neal replaced him, replaced Neal Sunday.

Neal returned to cover a punt late. He hurt the leg again on that play, and couldn’t put any weight on it as he hopped and limped to the bench.

Carroll said the couldn’t believe Neal basically weaseled his way back onto the field.

The coach said Neal had cramps in both hamstrings. That suggests the strong safety should be fine to play at the Cardinals next weekend.

*The Seahawks held the Giants to three plays and a punt in each of their first three drives. It’s the first time that had happened to start a game since 2017.

That was a New York game at Oakland that Smith started, for benched Eli Manning. It was Smith’s only NFL start for years.