Seattle @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 9, 2011 ) Seattle 36, N.Y. Giants 25

The Seattle Seahawks take a second stab at wrapping up the NFC West crown when they visit the New York Giants on Sunday. Seattle had a seven-game winning streak snapped by division rival San Francisco last weekend and can also move closer to clinching home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a win over the Giants. New York is a disappointing 5-8 and was eliminated from playoff contention when it was routed by San Diego last Sunday.

Giants defensive end Justin Tuck has seven sacks over the past three games and is insisting he and his teammates won’t be wallowing in despair with nothing to play for against the Seahawks. “The last thing you want to be is embarrassed,” Tuck said after Wednesday’s practice. “And this is a team that, if you’re not ready to play, they will embarrass you … and then laugh at you about it.” Seattle will be missing a couple key defensive pieces as linebacker K.J. Wright broke his right foot in the loss to the 49ers and cornerback Brandon Browner (groin) will sit out for the fourth consecutive game.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Seahawks -7. O/U: 41.5.

ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS (11-2): Seattle was hoping receiver Percy Harvin (hip) might play for the second time this season but it is looking unlikely. “He just hasn’t quite gotten over the hump,” coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday. “He has a lot of new movement in that hip that he hasn’t had before and he’s trying to become accustomed to that.” Quarterback Russell Wilson (23 touchdowns, seven interceptions) is excelling and standout running back Marshawn Lynch ranks fifth in the NFL with 1,042 yards. Star cornerback Richard Sherman (four interceptions) hasn’t picked off a pass since Oct. 28 against St. Louis.

ABOUT THE GIANTS (5-8): Quarterback Eli Manning (3,254 yards, 16 touchdowns) shares the NFL interception lead of 20 with rookie Geno Smith of the Jets and has gone eight consecutive games without reaching 300 yards. He’s also painfully aware that his struggles are a big part of the reason why New York will miss out on the postseason for the second straight campaign. “I thought we were prepared to have a big year and do some good things,” Manning said. “It was just tough. We had some opportunities to win some games that we didn’t – that were very close and definitely within reach in the fourth quarter and we didn’t take advantage of those opportunities.”

EXTRA POINTS

1. Seattle is tied for second with 28 takeaways, while New York has committed an NFL-high 34 turnovers.

2. Giants WR Victor Cruz had eight receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown when the teams met in 2011 – a game the Seahawks won 36-25.

3. The Seahawks rank first in total defense (287.1) and second in scoring defense (15.8).

PREDICTION: Giants 20, Seahawks 17