Tyler Lockett goes from goat to hero vs. Giants, and Seahawks just keep winning

Tyler Lockett put his head down after his second mistake of the day cost Seattle points.

When the game was done, he'd flipped his script from goat to hero as the Seahawks scored a 27-13 win over the New York Giants in the only Sunday matchup featuring two winning teams.

With the game tied at 13-13 in the fourth quarter, Lockett broke free of coverage from Adoree' Jackson on a go route down the right sideline. He raised his hand, and Geno Smith found him for a 33-yard touchdown pass to secure a lead that the Seahawks wouldn't relinquish.

The Seahawks added an insurance score as they improved to 5-3 to maintain their first-place grip on the NFC West. And Lockett can breathe easier after a pair of uncharacteristic miscues kept the Giants in the game.

Lockett set the Giants up for their first and only touchdown late in the second quarter while Seattle led, 7-0. The Seahawks faced first-and-10 from the 2-yard line after a Giants punt backed them deep in their own territory. Smith looked to Lockett on a quick pass to the right flat. Lockett secured the catch, but gave up the ball when Jackson stripped it for a takeaway. The fumble set the Giants up with first-and-goal, and Saquon Barkley tied the game with a touchdown run two plays later.

Later, with the game tied at 10-10 in the third quarter, Lockett faced a golden opportunity to put the Seahawks up by a touchdown. He broke free from Jackson on a third-down pass play from the Giants' 33-yard line. Smith lofted a perfect pass that hit Lockett in the hands for a would-be sure touchdown. But Lockett dropped it.

Instead of a touchdown, the Seahawks settled for a field goal on fourth down. And Lockett's mistakes added up to an 11-point swing in New York's favor.

Lockett is a three-time Pro Bowler and the veteran leader of Seattle's offense following the offseason departure of Russell Wilson. When he put his head down on the bench, head coach Pete Caroll was there to console him.

And given a chance to redeem himself, he took full advantage by beating the same Giants defender who stripped him in the second quarter for the go-ahead score. He finished the day as Seattle's leading receiver with five catches for 63 yards and a touchdown, while Smith kept up his 2022 revival in a 23-of-34 effort for 212 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers.

The Giants, meanwhile, came crashing down from their 6-1 start with an offensive dud that saw their only touchdown against the league's 29th-ranked defense come off the Lockett turnover. Quarterback Daniel Jones struggled to move the ball while tallying 17 first-half passing yards and finished the game completing 17 of 31 passes for 176 yards without a touchdown.

The Seahawks locked up Jones' normally potent rushing attack as well, limiting him to 20 yards on six carries. With Jones ineffective, Barkley found little room to run while tallying 53 yards on 20 carries. The Giants dropped into a second-place tie with the 6-2 Dallas Cowboys in the surprisingly competitive NFC East.