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Seahawks stunned by Giants in one of their worst losses of Pete Carroll era

SEATTLE -- This was supposed to be the middle of the softest stretch of their schedule, with four games against under-.500 teams presenting a golden opportunity for the Seattle Seahawks (8-4) to pad their lead in the NFC West before their rematch against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16.

Instead, this happened:

  • Quarterback Russell Wilson delivered one of his most out-of-sync performances in recent memory.

  • Seattle allowed 190 rushing yards, including 135 to backup Wayne Gallman Jr.

  • The Seahawks dropped four passes, including one that led to an interception as they were trying to mount a fourth-quarter comeback.

It all added up to a 17-12 loss at Lumen Field to the New York Giants, who were 4-7 entering Sunday and playing with a backup quarterback in Colt McCoy.

It will go down as one of the most disappointing defeats of the coach Pete Carroll era -- and it's doubly painful because the Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, McCoy hadn't won a game as a starter since the 2014 season, and the loss matches the largest upset of the season based on point spreads. The Seahawks closed as 10.5-point favorites per Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill.

QB breakdown: You can't fault Wilson for his interception, and who knows who was to blame on the fumble he was credited for on a botched exchange with center Ethan Pocic. But even without those two mistakes, Wilson was simply off all afternoon while completing 27 of 43 attempts for 263 yards and a touchdown. He held onto the ball too long on several occasions, which was part of the reason he was sacked five times. He was also flagged for intentional grounding.

Pivotal play: There were no shortage of bad plays that proved costly for Seattle, but here was an especially bad one. Running back Chris Carson let a short Wilson pass go through his hands and right to a Giants defender for an interception in the fourth quarter. New York kicked a field goal on its ensuing possession. Seattle's four drops Sunday tied a season high.

Biggest hole in the game plan: The Seahawks dropped back on a season-high 77% of their offensive plays, a curious and significant departure from their offensive approach in recent weeks. Seattle led the league in dropback rate over the first 10 weeks at 69.2%. That number was 62.3% (15th) and 57.4% (20th) in their past two games as they started to get back to a more balanced attack with running backs Carlos Hyde and then Carson back from injuries. Both were available Sunday but combined for just 15 carries.

Troubling trend: The Seahawks were down to their fourth-string right tackle in the fourth quarter once Chad Wheeler took over for Jamarco Jones, who left with a groin injury. Jones started the game with Brandon Shell (ankle) and backup Cedric Ogbuehi (calf) inactive. Carroll said this week that Shell appeared to have turned a corner in his recovery from a high ankle sprain, which gives some hope he could return this week.

Promising trend: Strong safety Jamal Adams co-led Seattle with 11 tackles Sunday and got another sack to give him 7.5 in only eight games. He's closing on the record for most sacks in a season by a defensive back. Adrian Wilson holds that record with 8.0 in 2005, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Adams will have a chance to break it next week against his old team, the New York Jets.