A “get-right” game, a “bounce-back” performance, whatever you want to call it, the Detroit Lions needed it on Sunday afternoon. How the game was played, however, was far from that for the Lions.
From the start of the game, the Lions were struggling heavily. Trick plays fooled them throughout as the New York Giants’ offense did everything it could to win this game. Their defense also did everything it could to lose this game as the Lions came back, down by 10, in the fourth quarter. Kicker Jake Bates made a clutch 59-yard kick to force overtime where running back Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions defense came up big to pull off the win.
This was easily the most stressful win of the season, so let me dive into my six takeaways from the win against the Giants.
Jared Goff needs to wake up
Weeks ago, I argued that Lions quarterback Jared Goff should be in the MVP race with his play. He was making smart decisions, looked comfortable despite the offensive line woes, and looked strong. Now? He’s far from the same player.
The excuse people gave him last week was the poor offensive line play, which is true, but also the weather, which I don’t believe was a factor. Today, against the Giants, at home and indoors, Goff looked the same as last week. Sure, the offensive line didn’t play its best, but Goff made plenty of mistakes. He once again missed multiple open receivers, and not because of his arm. Goff has seemingly locked onto a certain target and isn’t checking his other reads that are open in front of him.
He’s also panicking more when he faces an ounce of pressure, something he excelled at last season. I remember the days of Goff, fearless of the blitz. Now, when the opponent sends three and he has to move a little bit in the pocket, he thinks he’ll be on his back soon. He had an impressive break from a sack against edge defender Brian Burns, but besides that, Goff ran into the Giants defense when there was pressure, and he gave up quickly. He helped lead the team to overtime on the final drive of the fourth quarter, so you can give him credit there.
Jahmyr Gibbs carries the load again
This offense runs through Gibbs. No matter if it’s with his hands or his legs, Gibbs moves this offense more than any other player. Against the Giants, most of the explosive plays came from Gibbs, and he finished with 15 carries for 219 yards for two touchdowns, 11 catches for 45 yards, and a receiving touchdown. The way he continues to give the offense a spark is like no other when the team needs it most.
I believed that Gibbs would start to take over as the top running back on the team, but in a 60/40 role with David Montgomery. That doesn’t seem to be the split this season as Gibbs is getting the majority of the snaps, whether it’s on passing or rushing downs. Earlier in his career, if Gibbs was on the field, it was a tell that Detroit would throw the ball most likely; now, you don’t know what he’s doing when he’s out there. He was the main reason why the Lions won this game, hands down.
Secondary gets more help, regresses
Detroit’s secondary has been missing starters for multiple weeks, as safety Kerby Joseph and cornerbacks Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, and Khalil Dorsey haven’t been on the field. This week, the cornerbacks got a big boost as Reed and Dorsey were activated from IR and returned. You’d think with that boost, the Lions secondary, who’ve allowed the sixth-lowest completion percentage (62), and facing a Giants team missing their top receiver, quarterback, and running back, would dominate.
Cornerback Amik Robertson had his worst game in a Lions uniform. Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was matched up with Robertson, and Robinson cooked him every which way. Whether it was on a trick play, on a crossing route, or on a comeback, Robertson couldn’t cover him. Robinson had a career day, getting nine catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. The Lions allowed Giants’ quarterback Jameis Winston to throw for 366 yards and two touchdowns. There were countless times where Jameis threw a deep pass and there was a receiver wide open for an easy gain.
Pass rush quiet until the final play
I thought this week would be a good chance for Aidan Hutchinson to have his best game of the season, and phew, was I wrong. Hutchinson and the rest of the pass rush couldn’t come close to Winston. Winston was only sacked once, on the final play of the game in overtime.
Having lots of time to throw the football for most of the game, Winston was comfortable. The defensive line is only without Marcus Davenport and Josh Paschal, and while those players do help, their absence shouldn’t be why the pass rush can’t come home.
The Giants offensive line was a top-10 unit per PFF, so I wasn’t getting my hopes too high on the defensive line to step up, but I wasn’t expecting the Lions to continue their struggles. The secondary and linebacker core have played well this season, but it’s time for the front four to pull their weight when it comes to getting to the quarterback. It doesn’t help that the secondary had an awful day, which put more pressure on the defensive line to step up.
Jack Fox and Jake Bates get their flowers
We don’t talk about him enough, and not because we don’t want to, but the less we talk about him playing, the better the team does. Punter Jack Fox had a great game, punting five times for 200 yards with four of them landing inside the 20. The Giants only had a chance to return one punt, and it went for no gain. I prefer to see Fox on the sidelines each week and rest his leg, but when the team needs his help, he’s arguably the most reliable player on the team.
Kicker Jake Bates hasn’t been asked to come up clutch much, if at all, this season. When the team needed him to make a kick, Bates made a 59-yard field goal, his career long, to force overtime. Both specialists played great today and were a bright spot for the team that has had struggles in that unit.
Despite the win, this team has some scary flaws
This team isn’t what they are on paper. Last year, the injuries were too much to overcome in the end. This year, while injuries are a concern, it’s not the biggest issue this team has. The offense is a shell of its former self, formerly with a dominant offensive line, and is now one that is allowing multiple sacks each week. One of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Amon-Ra St. Brown, is close to matching his career-high in drops (5) for a season—with six games still to go.
The defense is the side that is battling injuries the most, but they are getting players back from those injuries, unlike last year. Hutchinson had a strong start to the year, but he hasn’t been the superstar he’s been before. Safety Brian Branch continues to make boneheaded decisions; whether it’s punching players after games or tackling with his head, it’s becoming a problem.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell took over the play calling, and his past two weeks, there have been some questionable play calls. Whether it’s an ill-advised screen pass that is set up poorly, or badly timed run calls, it’s been tough to watch. He knows this offense the most, and he has to coach better and make better decisions.
The Lions are on the outside of the playoff picture right now, and with how tough their schedule is this season, they can’t slip up any further. They still have to play the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and the NFC North division-leading Chicago Bears. This game was arguably their last “easy” game of the season, and it took overtime for it to turn into a victory. Things gotta change for the Lions, or else they’ll fail at their chance to win the Super Bowl.
