(Sports Network) - OK, folks...forget the NFC East.

Because compared to the gauntlet thrown down for the New York Giants by the NFL this past Sunday night, neither the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys nor Philadelphia Eagles figure to provide any more than a speed bump's discomfort between here and Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa.

In announcing that rapidly graying rock icon Bruce Springsteen will be taking center stage at halftime during the league's big show at Raymond James Stadium, the powers-that-be provided more hometown impetus for Big Blue to defend their title than the three out-of-state rivals could ever contest.

Talk about your, errr..."Thunder Road."

Already under a must-repeat mandate from the ferry-packed shores of Cape May to the blight-specked streets of Newark, the chance to make it a Garden State jamboree in the presence of "The Boss" has fans at every Turnpike exit positively silly with anticipation of more, ahem... "Glory Days."

Now if only someone can get the Jets on board, too.

Of course, that could be considered, uhhh..."Countin' on a Miracle."

At any rate, the Giants got their title encore started in headliner fashion through the season's initial three weeks, smothering the Redskins and hammering the Rams before escaping with an overtime win against Cincinnati en route to a one-week intermission.

They return Sunday at 1 p.m. against the visiting Seattle Seahawks - who split a pair of home games and took a 24-point drubbing on the road in stops 1, 2 and 3 of a 2008-09 tour that they too hope will end in a second Super Bowl appearance since Bruce reached AARP status.

"We've always kind of had that ability, had that about us. It's good we haven't lost yet," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. "It's something you really can't coach, can't teach. For some reason, when it's clutch time and we need to make some plays, we tend to find a way to make plays."

New York leads the East thanks to mathematics, with its unbeaten slate through three games bettering the matching 3-1 marks of nearest pursuers Washington and Dallas. The Eagles bring up the rear at 2-2 after a loss in Chicago, conveniently on the night of the league's Springsteen disclosure.

The Giants face Cleveland, San Francisco and Pittsburgh to finish out October, then host the Cowboys on Nov. 2 before a primetime Sunday date at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field seven days later.

It'll be their first, wait for it..."Meeting Across the River"...since a key 16-13 win exactly 11 months earlier.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks are 1-2 and a half-game behind dual NFC West pace- setters San Francisco and Arizona, both of whom are 2-2.

St. Louis, which lost to the Giants and Seattle by a combined 78-26 count in Weeks 2 and 3, is 0-4.

"I think we are starting to play better," said Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck. "And it looks like some of the injured players might begin to practice, so there (are) positives all around."

SERIES HISTORY

The Giants have a 7-5 edge in their all-time series with the Seahawks, but were losers when they visited Seattle in 2005 and 2006. The G-Men suffered a 42-30 loss in the latter meeting. The Hawks are 0-4 against the Giants at the Meadowlands since last defeating them there in 1983. New York was a 9-6 winner when the clubs last met there, in 2002.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is 1-5 against Seattle in his career, including 1-3 while at the helm of the Jaguars (1995-2002). The Seahawks' Mike Holmgren is 4-3 all-time against the Giants, including 2-3 while with the Packers (1992-98), and is 5-0 head-to-head against Coughlin in his career.

WHEN THE SEAHAWKS HAVE THE BALL

The bye week should hasten the return of at least a few names typically associated with the Seattle offense. Deion Branch (knee) and Bobby Engram (shoulder) have a chance to play for the first time this season and fellow wideout Koren Robinson could also make his season debut, as he was unable to go after signing with the club prior to Week 3 due to a knee ailment. Engram had a touchdown catch in his last meeting with the Giants, and, when Branch has at least one scoring reception, his teams are 19-4 overall. Hasselbeck has completed 45-of-70 passes for seven touchdowns and a 93.5 passer rating in his last two starts against New York. Last time, in fact, he threw for five TDs. On the ground, Julius Jones seeks his third straight 100-yard game, and fellow running back T.J. Duckett can continue a stretch that's yielded three rushing scores in two games.

On the other side, the Giants defense aims for its third game in a row with six-plus sacks. The last team to have six-plus sacks in three consecutive games was the 1999 Rams. End Justin Tuck has five sacks in his past four games, including Super Bowl XLII. When Tuck has one or more sack, the Giants are 8-3. Tackle Fred Robbins aims for a third consecutive game with career- best two or more sacks. Additionally, the Giants have won 10 of their past 11 when end Mathias Kiwanuka plays. Kiwanuka had a sack in last game.

WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL

As much attention will be paid to who's not on the field as who is. Wide receiver Plaxico Burress was suspended for two weeks after failing to attend a meeting and not informing the team of his absence. The incident was reportedly the latest in a long line for Burress, who led New York with 70 catches for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns and was on the receiving end of quarterback Eli Manning's game-winning pass in Super Bowl XLII. A few days after the Giants announced the suspension, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported Burress had been fined at least 40 times for violations of team rules and had been previously warned of possible further action. Domenik Hixon will likely take Burress' place in the starting lineup, with Steve Smith remaining as slot receiver. Smith had a career-high seven catches and 60 yards in the win over the Bengals. Manning has passed for 619 yards and 5 TDs against the Seahawks and is 17-4 in his past 21 starts overall. Elsewhere, when running back Brandon Jacobs has 100-plus yards, the Giants are 5-1, and when he has 10-plus carries they are 15-3.

For Seattle's defense, end Patrick Kerney aims for a fourth straight game against the Giants with at least one half-sack. He has 2 sacks against New York in his last three meetings with Big Blue. In four games against the Giants, including playoffs, Seattle linebacker Julian Peterson has two interceptions, a sack a forced fumble. He has 23 1/2 sacks in 39 games with Seattle. Also, in the teams' last meeting, Seahawks defensive end Darryl Tapp had a sack. Free safety Deon Grant has Seattle's lone interception through three games. The Seahawks are a minus-3 in turnover ratio and have allowed 314.3 total yards per game.

FANTASY FOCUS

The Giants probably have the higher-end offensive weaponry, but without Burress the stress might switch to Jacobs and a less sexy ball-control ground game. Meanwhile, Hasselbeck and his returning receivers could provide some numbers, especially if forced to throw the ball late to make up a deficit. Defensively, New York gets numbers for sacks and forced turnovers. Seattle is usually among the leaders in those categories as well, but hasn't shown it through three games.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

An easy pick based on the Giants' early season roll and the Seahawks' fate the last time they traveled east, but one that's made more complicated by the fact both teams are coming off bye weeks, Seattle has gotten healthier and New York may be in the midst of some locker room distraction.

Had it been played last Sunday, the home field advantage and cleaner bill of health would have tipped things toward East Rutherford. But seven days and a few more headaches later, go with the Seahawks in the upset of the week.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Seahawks 17, Giants 13