The New York Giants' offense has been lackluster to say the least, and injuries haven’t made it any easier for them.
Season-ending injuries, and last week, sideline receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo. Interim head coach Mike Kafka, in his first week in his new role, had to get by without quarterback Jaxson Dart.
The good news is that Dart is on track to return this week from the concussion he’s been recovering from. Nabers and Skattebo, unfortunately, aren’t on the same path and won’t be.
There is hope that the Giants' running game, which has been functioning much better over the last three weeks, has topped the century mark each week, thanks to a greater commitment to the run.
As for the passing game, Isaiah Hodgins came back (finally) and picked up where he left off before he was mysteriously reduced to a spot role player.
Even before that, the Giants have seen an uptick in their average gain per pass attempt since the Denver loss, with all but one week (49ers) seeing them average at least 6.1 yards per attempt.
This week, the Giants' offense faces a Lions defense that has been one of the best in the NFL despite injuries, and could have players return. Detroit’s defense is ranked fifth overall (291.8 yards/game), eighth against the run (99.7 yards/game), and eighth against the pass (192.1 yards/game).
How do the Giants stack up? Let’s dive into what the Lions are doing.
Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson
Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) speaks in the huddle during warmup ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday, November 16, 2025. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
This is a Lions defense that doesn’t rotate as much as other teams do in the NFL.
Part of that is because the Lions' offense gives them time to rest and recover between drives, and part of that is just because they don’t rotate very often philosophically.
On the edge, Aidan Hutchinson is the star of the defense and has62 pressures so far this season, leading the NFL. Opposite Hutchinson will usually be Derrick Barnes and Al-Quadin Muhammad.
Barnes will play more of a stand-up role that also asks him to play off-ball, whereas Muhammad is almost exclusively a hand-in-the-dirt rusher.
Muhammad is currently second on the team inpressures with 33, and Barnes is third with 14.
The interior of this defensive line is a rotation, in order of snaps played, of DJ Reader, Roy Lopez, Tyleik Williams, and Alim McNeill, who clearly isn’t moving like his old self just yet after coming back from ACL surgery.
Reader, despite his size and reputation, has been a better pass-rusher in Detroit than a run stopper, like he’s known to be.
The reason for that, in my opinion, is the schematic change from when he was with the Bengals to now, the Lions asking him to do different things, not that he’s gotten any worse.
Lopez has been strong as a nose tackle this year, not doing anything gaudy, but defending the run at a high level.
Williams, the first-round rookie out of Ohio State, has struggled to make a consistent impact so far, and with the return of McNeil, could see his snaps decrease.
Tied with Barnes for third on the team in pressures is off-ball linebacker Alex Anzalone, next to Jack Campbell.
Outside of Hutchinson, Campbell has been the Lions’ most consistent and best defender, being an absolute one-man wrecking crew with41 stops, second in the NFL.
Neither Anzalone nor Campbell is exceptional in coverage, but they both do a good job of limiting yards after the catch and protecting the middle of the field.
Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin are the starting outside corners right now, as Terrion Arnold is in concussion protocol. If Arnold gets cleared, he will most likely start in place of Ya-Sin.
Cornerback DJ Reed injured his hamstring in week four and hasn’t played since, but is back to practice and is reportedly ready to play.
Cornerback isn’t the only position the Lions have injury woes at; safety has been missing Kirby Joseph from the room since week six.
Joseph is expected to miss this week's game as well, leaving Thomas Harper to start in his place again.
Harper’s been playing well in Joseph’s absence alongside Brian Branch, who has played more in the nickel in recent weeks.
If Arnold or Reed returns to play this week, Robertson will likely return to the nickel, where he played before injuries forced him to play on the outside more.
The Lions might be the most schematically similar defense the Giants will see this season.
Like the Giants, the Lions operate mostly out of single-high safety looks both pre-snap and post-snap.
The Lions’ coverage matrix relies heavily on cover one in man defense and cover three in zone. However, with threatening passing attacks, they often shift to two-high safeties and play more cover four and cover two.
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator (and one-time Giants linebacker) Kelvin Sheppard
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator (and one-time Giants linebacker) Kelvin Sheppard watches warmup ahead of the Minnesota Vikings game at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, November 2, 2025. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Needless to say, the Lions will not be playing much out of a two-high safety look this Sunday against the Giants.
This Lions defense is very aggressive, as is common in single-high defenses. Single-high defenses have an extra defender near the box, so they’re allowed to get more exotic with their blitzes.
The Lions blitz on29.5% of their passing plays, ranking them 10th in the NFL.
When the Lions blitz, it will mostly be from Campbell, Anzalone, or Branch if he’s lined up as the nickel.
They don’t register as blitzes statistically, but against run-heavy offenses, especially, the Lions will use their nickel to run blitz on the edge.
The Lions have the best yards after contact defense in the NFL,allowing just 2.42 yards after contact per carry, which doesn’t bode well for a Giants offense that averages less than that.
When offenses use 12 personnel sets, the Lions have no issue matching personnel with extra linebackers and players in the defensive front.
Sometimes that will be Branch coming down into the box, but more often it will be Barnes moving to an off-ball role and bringing in a bigger defensive lineman to replace him on the edge.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart
Nov 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) rushes the ball against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field. / Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
This is a Lions defense that has been aggressive without often putting themselves in harm’s way, not allowing more than 30 points in a game this season.
The Lions have yet to allow a 300-yard passer or a 100-yard rusher so far this season. Offensively, this game is likely going to be a nightmare for a Giants team that doesn’t have the dynamic playmakers at running back or wide receiver to make this defense pay.
The quarterback run game should be a focal point to keep this defense honest and ideally in zone coverage, where the Giants can attack soft spots.
I expect the Lions to be aggressive up front, especially if they get some defenders back in the secondary, which would allow them not to worry about leaving cornerbacks on an island too long.
The Giants will likely start in 12-personnel this week, but it might be a worthwhile strategy to spread things out and attack with the quick underneath game in areas of the field vacated by blitzing defenders.
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