On Monday Night Football, the Lions will take on the Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. This Monday Night Football matchup will kick off at 8:30 PM/ET.
In 2016, the Giants swept the Cowboys; however, this season has already started on a different foot. The Giants lost in week one to Dallas, while only managing to score three points. In week one, Odell Beckham Jr.’s absence at wide-receiver hurt the Giants offense. Despite Manning connecting with eight different targets, Eli was unable to find the end zone.
Not only did the Giants’ struggle to pass the ball down field, but their rushing attack never materialized. The Giants rushed for only 35 yards on 12 carries. The Giants’ ground attack only mustered 2.9 yards per carry on the day, and will now face a Lions run defense that only surrendered 45 yards on 18 carries in their week one matchup with Arizona.
The Good & Not So Good: The Lions’ Edition
The Lions are coming off a strong performance against the Cardinals. In that game, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer got picked off three times. All told, the Lions forced four turnovers on the day.
The Good: The Lions quarterback, Mathew Stafford, completed 29 of 41 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns. His one interception was his only blemish in an otherwise stellar performance. Stafford targeted Golden Tate a team high of 12 times. Tate, for his part, had 10 receptions on 107 yards.
The not so good: Despite vastly out playing the Cardinals, the Lions were trailing Arizona entering the fourth quarter. Justin Bethel’s 82-yard interception return in the first quarter was a rough way to start the 2016 season, but Stafford bounced back to throw four touchdowns. The greatest concern facing the Lions is their rushing attack. Despite gaining 82 yards on the ground, Detroit averaged a pedestrian three yard per carry.
Ameer Abdullah will start the 2016 season as the Lions’ lead back. Against the Cardinals, Abdullah led the Lions with 30 yards rushing on 15 carries. He also had three receptions for 11 yards, giving him 41 total yards of offense for the day. If the Lion’s are going to make waves and upset the balance of power in the NFC North, they’ll need to find consistency in rushing attack, and that starts with Abdullah.
The Good & Bad: The Giants Fall Flat
New York is struggling with the run on both sides of the ball. The Giants’ run defense was slowly pounded into submission, while on offense, their own ground game never got going.
The Giants are currently operating without a primary running back. While running backs by committee can prosper, the jury is still out on whether the Giants even have enough talent at the position. Arguably their best player at the position is primarily used in the passing game. If the ground game doesn’t materialize soon, the Giants may have to look to players not currently on their roster.
The Good: The Giants didn’t do much right in their lopsided loss to Dallas, but one bright spot was the play of Shane Vereen. The running back didn’t receive a single carry, but his contribution to the passing game is noteworthy. With their number one receiver sidelined, Eli Manning opted to dump the ball of to Vereen several times throughout the game. Vereen led all Giant receivers with 10 targets. Vereen finished the game with nine receptions for 51 yards. Expect Vereen’s role in the offense to continue to evolve throughout the season.
The Bad: Run defense. The Giants struggled to slow down Ezekiel Elliott all game. The Cowboys running back had 104 yards on the day, as well as 36 receiving yards on five receptions. The Cowboys running back shredded the Giants defense to the tune of 140 all-purpose yards. If New York wants to beat the Lions, they cannot allow their rushing attack to beat them up like Dallas. The Lions’ rushing attack isn’t nearly as dangerous as Dallas, but the Lions’ showed in week one that they’re willing to commit to running the ball, even if they’re not successful.
Giants Vs Lions Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Giants favored to win the game by 3 points. The over/under on total points scored is 41.5. You can read our full BetOnline review here.
My Pick
The Giants are the home favorite in this game, and there’s a good chance Odell Beckham Jr. will be back in the lineup; however, whether or not Beckham plays, he certainly won’t be a hundred percent. The Giants looked downright out of sorts in their week one matchup, and the Lions are looking confident after their fourth quarter drubbing of Arizona. Expect the Lions’ and their passing attack to overwhelm the Giants late for the victory.
Play: Lions +3 @ BetOnline.ag
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