Why the Seahawks are favored by a touchdown vs Giants despite mounting injuries for NFL Week 5 game

There's no looking past tonight's huge Monday Night Football game against the Detroit Lions. That said, we do already have odds for next week's opponent on the Seattle Seahawks' 2024 regular season schedule. That would be the lowly New York Giants, who will be visiting Lumen Field next Sunday afternoon.

As you might expect, the Seahawks are heavy favorites for this one, even though they're missing five of their most-important defensive front-seven starters. After all, these two teams met up last season for another Monday night game at MetLife Stadium, and Seattle blasted them by a score of 24-3. Overall, the Seahawks have won six of their last seven matchups with the Giants going back to 2011.

Seahawks-Giants Week 5 odds

According to the latest figures at DraftKings Sportsbook, the Seahawks are favored by six points over the Giants for next week's game.

Those odds are fair, because while they might be missing Byron Murphy II, Leonard Williams, Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu, Seattle's defensive brilliance has less to do with the players on the field and more to do with the guy on the sidelines calling the plays.

Over the last few years rookie Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has established himself as the finest defensive playcaller in the NFL, if not the entire sport. Macdonald should have no problem confusing and disrupting Daniel Jones anyway, even if he's missing half of his starters on that side of the ball.

Giants' new weapon could change dynamic

However, nothing is certain competing at this level of the game and every week there are upsets around the league. The Giants might surprise the Seahawks, especially because they have a potent new weapon that they did not last time. That would be rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who has been impressing observers ever since training camp.

Heading into Week 5, Nabers ranks second in the NFL in receiving yards (386) behind emerging Houston superstar Nico Collins (489). A gifted athlete of the same caliber as Odell Beckham Jr. in his prime, Nabers has already totaled seven explosive plays and 156 yards total after the catch.

That said, he's only one receiver, and if Macdonald's defense can hold Tyreek Hill to just 40 yards on five catches, they can probably also contain Nabers.