Want to know what the Detroit Lions' receiving unit and Drake's diss track, Family Matters, have in common?
Drop, drop, drop, drop, drop.
But, a win's a win. The Lions left Ford Field perhaps a bit demoralized, but within reach of the NFC North still after a thrilling overtime victory over the New York Giants by a final score of 34-27. When the Lions were clearly trying to give the game away to a Giants squad hellbent on playing spoiler, it was the play of Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions' special teams unit that secured a victory regardless.
3 winners (and 3 losers) from Lions' win over Giants in overtime
Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs
Gibbs was shot out of a cannon not once, not twice, but three times throughout this game. While only two of those huge gains resulted in scores, Gibbs finished up the day with 219 rushing yards on 15 carries. He was unstoppable with even a sliver of open field, and he completely blew up New York's defense by the time overtime rolled around.
With the Lions' pass protection remaining a huge weakness, it was Gibbs who turned Detroit's offense back on over and over again, with Jared Goff struggling to get much of anything going in the air. Gibbs is genuinely the best running back in the NFL, and the Lions are lucky to have him healthy for them as they make a huge postseason push.
Loser: Lions offensive line
We can continue to place blame on Goff all we'd like - and, we certainly have - but at the end of the day, it's obvious the Lions have an interior pass protection issue. Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker can only do so much to keep Goff clean in the pocket when Graham Glasgow, Kayode Awosika, and Tate Ratledge are getting run over so consistently.
Goff managed to still throw for 279 yards and two touchdowns, but he was relentlessly pressured by the Giants who got off seven quarterback hits and three sacks. If they can't figure it out, this season rests on the shoulders of Gibbs and David Montgomery - and that's simply not sustainable.
Winner: Jack Fox
Talk about a huge game from the Lions' punting unit. Fox had five punts for 200 total yards, with four of those five punts landing within 20 yard territory. He was constantly pinning the Giants near the endzone, although, Jameis Winston was pulling off too much magic in the air for it to have mattered as much as it should've this afternoon.
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Fox still made his impact felt numerous times in the game, adding to what was an excellent special teams game overall for Detroit. They were, at least, not horrendous in all three phases of the contest.
Loser: Amon-Ra St. Brown
There have been jokes made about St. Brown being a few drops away from fans getting livid about him focusing too much on podcasting with his brother and less on making a playoff run. It's a ridiculous argument that has no bearing on his ability to play football, but it is concerning that St. Brown has become one of the less-consistent pieces of the Lions' offense this season.
St. Brown finished up with 149 receiving yards on nine receptions, but had a few big drops that killed Detroit on drives that could've put them up on New York before overtime. On one drop, he tipped the ball directly into the hands of a Giants defender. You have to wonder if there's an underlying injury impacting his hands.
Winner: Jake Bates
Bates was another key cog to the Lions' special teams, keeping the Lions in this game. He hit a career-high 59-yard field goal that tied things up for Detroit before the end of regulation, and was 4-4 on extra point attempts on the afternoon. It helps that the Lions have such consistency with their kicking unit when they're likely to need their help on offense to finish out this season.
Loser: Lions' pass rush
While the Lions' secondary was beyond shaky, allowing 366 passing yards from Winston and 122 rushing yards, it was their pass rush that looked flat once again. Aidan Hutchinson was clutch with a sack on Winston that ended the game in overtime, but that was the team's first sack the entire contest. Coming in, the Lions knew they had a challenge against a fairly solid Giants offensive line.
But, to barely shake Winston throughout the game because they couldn't break through the line is a problem. Having more fire power next to Hutchinson remains a sore spot.