SEATTLE — Conventional thinking two weeks ago was that the Giants needed to start fast or else get buried under amid the hostile environs of Cowboys Stadium. They fell behind 10-0 barely six minutes into the game but then scored the next 31 points.
“We haven’t started fast in any of the games,” guard Chris Snee said. “We’re aware of that. We have to start fast at some point this season. It’s got to start this Sunday.”
Getting a quick lead today against the Seahawks at Qwest Field isn’t essential, but it sure would help quiet what’s considered to be the loudest crowd in the league.
“We have a tough team, mentally tough,” Snee said. “We can come though tough situations, like putting ourselves in a hole, which obviously we don’t want to. If that were to happen we’re not going to be rattled.”
This is a battle of first-place teams, though it might not feel like it. The Giants (5-2) come out of their bye riding a four-game winning streak. The Seahawks (4-3) are coming off a 33-3 loss in Oakland and must turn to backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, making his first NFL start, as Matt Hasselbeck wasn’t cleared to play because of a concussion.
A look inside the game:
BEST BATTLE
Seahawks safety Earl Thomas
vs. Giants QB Eli Manning. As the 14th overall pick in the NFL Draft, Thomas has made an immediate impact, and his four interceptions lead all rookies. No one has thrown more than Manning’s
11 interceptions, and he will have to be careful not to make it a dirty dozen.
FOE FACT
Pete Carroll has come in and cleaned house. Since he arrived in the Pacific Northwest, there has been a staggering 226 roster transactions. Of the 53 players on the active roster, just 24 were with the team last year. A full 68 percent of
the roster has been with the team one or two years. Just seven players remain from Super Bowl XL.
QUIET, GIANTS WORKING
The disruptive crowd noise at Qwest Field was a popular topic for discussion all week. Manning couldn’t wait to get off the subject as soon as it was broached. He and his offensive line are seasoned veterans who rarely have been flustered on the road.
“There’s not a whole point in discussing it,” Manning said. “We’ve played in loud places. The only way to quiet it is to get off to a good start and move the ball that always settles the crowd down. It was loud in Dallas. It was loud in Houston. New Orleans is loud, Indianapolis got loud. If you give ’em something to cheer about, anywhere is going to be loud.”,
DEBUT TIME
Going against a novice doesn’t ensure anything. Since 1990, the Giants are just 3-2 against quarterbacks making their first career start. Tom Coughlin should know, as Steve Matthews in 1997 beat the Giants when Coughlin coached the Jaguars. Ty Detmer also won his NFL debut against the Giants in 1996 for the Eagles. Whitehurst is no kid — he’s 28 — but with the Chargers and Seahawks, he never has thrown a pass in a regular-season game.
WET AND WONDERFUL
When informed during the week that the forecast for today called for showers, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said, “Oh is it? Oh, geez.” That’s a typical attitude from his side of the ball, especially because the Giants have had turnover problems and likely will now have to deal with a wet football.
This sentiment is not shared by the members of the Giants defense.
“I hope it is raining, I hope it’s cold, I hope we get a snowstorm,” Justin Tuck said. “It makes it kind of a sloppy game, but in sloppy games defenses normally play better.”
BEST OF TYNES
What got into Lawrence Tynes down in Arlington? He slammed three touchbacks — his career high in one game is four — and sent another eight yards deep into the end zone. He also nailed a 53-yard field goal. He said the open roof at Cowboys Stadium helped because of a favorable breeze, but still.
Getting the ball as deep as possible is advisable today, because former Jet Leon Washington leads the NFL in kickoff returns. He already has two touchdowns and is averaging an outrageous 44.5 yards on kickoffs at home.
“We’re going to kick accordingly,” Tynes said. “We’ll have everything ready. Deep kicks, short kicks, mortars, liners. Obviously he’s someone you really have to be careful with how many times you kick to him.”
PAUL’S PREDICTION
Sure, the Seahawks are unbeaten at home, but putting Whitehurst on the field has to turn the tide toward the Giants. Any quarterback, even a 28-year-old, making his first NFL start against this ravenous defense is in a tough spot. If running backs Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett can’t deny the Giants rugged run defense, it won’t be close.
GIANTS 27, SEAHAWKS 13
paul.schwartz@nypost.com