The Detroit Lions were a let-down on offense in their latest defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles, putting the back-to-back NFC North champions on the outside looking in to the playoff field.
There’s still plenty of games left for the 6-4 Lions to get back into the postseason and only sit one game behind the Chicago Bears in the division.
But stringing together losses won’t do Detroit any good, making its upcoming return home against the New York Giants on Sunday even more important.
The Giants (2-9) have had a chaotic season after starting 0-3 with veteran Russell Wilson at quarterback, before earning unexpected victories over the Los Angeles Chargers and Eagles after making a quarterback change.
But a four-game losing streak saw coach Brian Daboll fired and the Giants proceeded to drop a fifth straight game last week to the Green Bay Packers under interim coach Mike Kafka.
Here’s a preview of the Lions’ Week 12 opponent, the New York Giants:
Three players to know
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* Injuries have mired the career of former No. 4 overall pick **Andrew Thomas**. But the Giants’ left tackle is having one of his best seasons to date. Despite missing the first two games of the season, Thomas has allowed one sack through nine games played and has an 84.6 pass-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks fifth among NFL tackles. As a run-blocker he ranks 13th among tackles in the NFL with a 79.9 grade. The Lions like to create havoc for opposing offenses and Thomas will be in charge of trying to quell that.
* The Giants’ pass-rush is, truthfully, something of a one-man wrecking crew behind **edge rusher Brian Burns**. The long-time Carolina Panther had a strong first season in New York with 8.5 sacks in 2024, but he’s reached another level. Through 11 games, Burns has 13 sacks while also forcing two fumbles and breaking up seven passes. Burns is credited with 32 stops by PFF and is a dark-horse contender for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, only trailing favorite Myles Garrett in sacks.
* In his rookie season, **tight end Theo Johnson** really started finding his groove before a foot surgery cut the year short with five games left. He’s found it again as a key playmaker for a Giants offense in desperate need for them. He’s not always a bulk receiver, but he’s been clutch in getting into the end zone with a team-high five receiving touchdowns. Reliable hands and a 6-foot-6, 264-pound frame are good things to have in your offense and Johnson has played an important role in the offense thus far with 350 receiving yards on 36 receptions in his sophomore season.
Quarterback corner
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One of the catalysts for the Giants’ limited success this year was the change to rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
The 22-year-old took over in Week 4 and, alongside rookie running back Cam Skattebo before a season-ending injury, seemed to get the Giants back on track.
In nine games, Dart has thrown for 1,417 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions on 62.7% completion. A dual-threat option, he’s added 317 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
However, his knack for extending plays with his legs and taking off down the field have led to dangerous moments. Dart missed last week’s game while in the NFL’s concussion protocol after taking a serious hit against the Bears the prior week on a quarterback run.
Veteran Jameis Winston drew the start for the Giants, throwing for 201 yards and an interception.
Dart can be reckless at times as a rookie, but is undeniably a game changer for the Giants and a Rookie of the Year contender. He’s expected to be ready to go on Sunday and while Dart’s working with a depleted offense, he’s got the talent to make things difficult for the Lions.
Keys to success
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* **Finish strong:** No one in the NFL is playing worse fourth-quarter football than the Giants. New York has led or had a lead going into the fourth quarter in four games this season that it lost. The Giants are giving up an NFL-worst 11.2 points in the fourth quarter to opposing teams and scoring 6.8 points in the final quarter, on average. While not every game is smooth sailing up until that point, it’s been clear no lead is safe as evidenced by their Week 7 loss to the Denver Broncos where they coughed up an 18 point lead in the final 5:13 of the game. Being competitive isn’t a significant issue for the Giants, but finishing out games with strong play is and that could be the difference against the Lions.
* **Get off the field on third down:** It’s no surprise that the best games the Giants defense has played were the two they walked away with victories. They own the 29th-ranked scoring and total defense this season and held opponents under 20 points just twice, in their two wins. The Eagles and Chargers each moved the ball fairly well in those games, but the key was getting off the field on key downs. Philadelphia finished 1-for-9 on third down — though it did convert a few tush pushes — and the Chargers went 4-of-12 on third down. It’s hard to see the Giants being dominant on defense, but a bend-don’t-break defense can get wins, especially if the Lions put up another performance like they did last week.
One big question
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Will something click after the firing of Brian Daboll?
At 2-9, the season itself is pretty much over. The Giants are the bottom team in the NFC and second-worst in the NFL. You’d imagine New York would like to get another nice draft pick this season, but there’s also a lot of players and coaches on the sideline who will be fighting for their jobs or next jobs.
The Giants have lost their last two games by just one score, opposing offenses have been held below 240 passing yards in four straight games and New York is getting back a hungry and energetic quarterback that will want to make sure no picks are used on a quarterback in the next draft.
The Lions won’t want to end up on the wrong side of a team that’s played competitive football for much of the season. Whether Daboll was the issue or not, if things click for the Giants on Sunday, they’ve clearly got enough talent to beat a team with a winning record.
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