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Jamyr Gibbs had a great game (Detroit Lions photo by Jeff Nguyen)
The New York Giants’ 2-9 record coming into Sunday’s game against Detroit didn’t fully reflect the team’s true abilities. It had previously beaten the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Chargers this season and had nearly beaten a number of other contenders.
Still, with the Lions coming off a disappointing loss to the Eagles last Sunday night, fans expected Detroit to give the Giants a beatdown at Ford Field in convincing fashion. The Lions didn’t.
They fortunately pulled a rabbit out of the hat, thanks to running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who finished with 219 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
The Lions trailed most of the game and tied it in the final seconds of the 4th quarter with a Jake Bates 59-yard field goal. Then they pulled ahead in overtime with Gibbs’ 69-yard touchdown to secure a 34-27 victory.
After the game, Coach Dan Campbell said: "I'm proud of the guys, I mean we we hung in there, we fought..It wasn't perfect, there are things to clean up, certainly, came down to the wire, had to win in overtime. But I'll take that win, it's a good win."
The Detroit Lions defense (Detroit Lions photo by Jeff Nguyen)
The Giants outplayed the Lions for much of the game and gave you the feeling that not only are they not the Lions of last year, but they’ve got issues that might keep them from the playoffs — and, if not, cost them in the playoffs.
Nobody expected the Lions to go 15-2 like last year because of a tougher schedule. But they didn't expect to see such a difference in the quality of play.
The offensive line, like last week, still wasn’t giving Lions quarterback Jared Goff enough time to pass. And the defensive line was giving Giants quarterback Jameis Winston far too much time to throw.
Yes, the team misses tight end Sam LaPorta, who is out for the season following back surgery. And yes, let’s face it, the team misses offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
At this point in the season, injuries and all, fans would hope to have an idea of how good the team is. They don’t.
The Lions play the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field at 1 p.m. The last time they played the Packers was the opening day game, and Green Bay humiliated the Lions, leaving fans wondering if the team was any good. They bounced back after that.
The Lions have a lot to prove Thursday. But fans have already tempered expectations for this year’s season. Not that they’ve given up. Most haven’t.
The team has to figure out how to get better use out of running back David Montgomery, wide receiver Isaac TesLaa and wide receiver Jameson Williams. They have to fix the offensive line and find ways to make the defense more consistent week to week.
Here's what sports writers had to say on Sunday:
Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press:
The Detroit Lions have Jahmyr Gibbs. The New York Giants do not.
What else is there to say? That the third-year running back just saved the Lions’ season in their 34-27 overtime win vs the Giants?
Yeah, he did, taking a handoff on the first play of overtime here at Ford Field and blasting up the middle, cutting outside, and outracing the Giants for a 69-yard touchdown to give the Lions their first lead of the game.
Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press:
Amon-Ra St. Brown is like most wide receivers, he wants the ball. But as the Detroit Lions gathered on the sideline before the start of overtime, St. Brown told anyone who’d listen to put the ball in Jahmyr Gibbs’ hands.
Wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery. Running backs coach Tashard Choice. And as he jogged out to the huddle for the first play of the extra period, right tackle Penei Sewell.
“I told Penei, ‘Penei, we’re going your way. We’re going your way and we’re about to score, Jahmyr’s about to score this touchdown,’” St. Brown told the Free Press. “This was before the play call comes out. We get in the huddle, they call a regular play that we run all the time. Boom, touchdown. It was crazy.”
Nolan Bianchi, Detroit News:
But indeed, (Jamyr Gibbs) did carry the team — one that was on the verge of a full-on panic with six games now remaining — in the first half, the second half, and overtime.
He pulled the Lions out of an offensive funk with a 49-yard rush that was immediately followed by a 3-yard rushing touchdown to pull the Lions within a score, 17-14, with 2:16 left in the first half.
Richard Silva, Detroit News:
Jared Goff's teammates did him few favors. His lone interception was caused by a tipped pass that should've been caught, and large chunks of production were left on the field, with his receivers dropping balls or not making plays on passes in their areas. He was sacked three times, and it probably should've been more, if not for his escapability. Goff also had a couple big-time throws, namely a rifled pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown that went for 20 yards on third-and-medium. His final line: 28-of-42 for 279 yards, two touchdowns and an INT. Grade: B
Eric Woodyard, ESPN:
After a nail-biting 34-27 overtime win over the New York Giants, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell had no problem admitting that running back Jahmyr Gibbs "bailed us out today in a big way."
With the score knotted at 27 on the opening play of overtime, Gibbs put Detroit ahead for good with a 69-yard touchdown, which was his third of the day.
Colton Pouncy, The Athletic:
That game was not for the faint of heart. The Lions were largely outplayed by the Giants. Detroit’s star wide receivers dropped passes. The offensive line struggled to protect Goff. The defense couldn’t generate a pass rush and allowed far too many explosive plays against a Giants team missing its best skill players and starting quarterback. That’s a conversation for later this week. But with less than a minute to go, Jake Bates squeaked in a 59-yarder, sending the game into overtime. Somehow, someway, Gibbs — who was excellent on Sunday — and the Lions were able to get it done.
John Niyo, Detroit News:
It was a difficult day for the Lions’ defense, to say the least, in this 34-27 Detroit victory. Coming off an impressive prime-time performance last week in Philadelphia, Kelvin Sheppard’s crew of “firefighters” looked more like arsonists, at times, on Sunday. The Giants, despite missing three key starters on offense, piled up a season-high 517 yards, generated 10 explosive plays of 20-plus yards – a franchise-best since at least 1991 – and scored not one but two touchdowns on trick plays.
Bob Wojnowski, Detroit News:
From the brink of despair, the Lions remain in the playoff hunt at 7-4, with a Thanksgiving visit from Green Bay a few days away. Sometimes you need a little luck. Most of the time, you need uncommon skill to pull out victories like this...
Very little separates most teams in the NFL, which is why anyone can beat anyone. With all the narrow margins, games generally are won in clutch moments by the best players. The Lions hadn’t won a game like this yet this season, and they managed to prevail.
Even on a day when the defense got picked apart by Winston and receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, it made plays when the game hung in the balance. Rock Ya-Sin provided tight coverage on Winston’s fourth-down throw into the end zone. Thomas Harper made a diving interception. Hutchinson had the sack that ended it.
Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press:
But no matter what the final score, Sunday was not a performance, in totality, for the Lions be proud of. The Giants didn’t just dent Detroit’s defense, they gashed it open and bled it out. They had 10 plays of over 20 yards. Ten plays? In regulation, the Lions surrendered 517 yards of offense, including that trick-play touchdown to Winston, who had never caught a pass in his 11-year career...
Meanwhile, Detroit’s offense, until the very end, still looked like a shadow of itself. Amon-Ra St. Brown, although hugely effective at later moments, still had some drops that are not like him. Goff was better than last Sunday, but still looks uncomfortable when pressured. And the offensive line was hit-and-miss, opening some great plays for Gibbs but allowing some awful sacks of Goff when they could least afford it.