The New York Giants (7-2) and Detroit Lions (3-6) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 11 matchup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Giants opened the week as 3.5-point home favorites but that has dipped to -3 as of this writing.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Lions Wire managing editor Jeff Risdon.
How would you evaluate the job done by head coach Dan Campbell, an ex-Giant, thus far?
Jeff Risdon: Dan Campbell has done a fine job of cleaning up the wreckage of a truly awful coach in Matt Patricia. He inherited an undertalented, dispirited and distrustful locker room and won them over with a consistent message and respect for the players and their abilities. That’s the good part.
It hasn’t equated to as many wins as hoped, not yet. In-game coaching has been a challenge for Campbell. Poor play calling choices and poor situational football have pockmarked Campbell’s tenure. To his credit, those have improved since the bye week and the results reflect it. The players love him and he’s pretty savvy at playing to their strengths.
How would you compare Kenny Golladay the Lion to Kenny Golladay the Giant? Unlock the mystery for us.
Haha. Golladay has never been a guy who gets much separation, so he required having a quarterback willing to trust him with contested catches. Matthew Stafford has never seen a window too small to try to throw into, so that worked great for Golladay. Even in Detroit when Stafford was out with his back injuries, Golladay mostly struggled. That was a big reason why two different Detroit regimes chose to rebuff his contractual demands and let him go.
Having said that, the falloff for Golladay is stunning. He was never someone whose effort or dedication was in question in Detroit or at Northern Illinois. The drops were there at times but nothing like what he’s shown in New York.
What has been the catalyst for Detroit's surprisingly explosive offense?
Health matters so much. When the key players have been healthy, the offense has hummed pretty well. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, DJ Chark, D’Andre Swift, Frank Ragnow, Taylor Decker — that’s a pretty solid core offense and it showed early in the season.
Since then, every one of those players has picked up an injury or two. Chark and Reynolds being out has really washed away a lot of the offensive sizzle, as has trading T.J. Hockenson. The Lions don’t really miss Hockenson a ton, but the threat of him was important.
The only real consistent threat throughout the season has been Jamaal Williams, who has been very good at running between the tackles and maximizing yards. St. Brown is a dangerous weapon and rookie OC Ben Johnson has been creative in using the Sun God.
Things have been a bit ugly on the defensive side of the ball. To what do you attribute those struggles?
Lack of impact talent is the biggest issue, though that has been getting better with Aidan Hutchinson emerging as a very good player at DE, and a healthy Jeff Okudah is proving to be a legit No. 1 CB. The middle-of-field defense has been a problem. The DTs aren’t great and the LBs and safeties behind them have been erratic in run defense and coverage responsibilities.
The D has stepped up since the Lions fired DBs coach Aubrey Pleasant, a move that coincided with a healthy Jerry Jacobs returning from injury as a good No. 2 CB.
Who are some under-the-radar Lions that the Giants and their fans should be wary of?
Since I just mentioned him, Jerry Jacobs. The feisty second-year CB is a good one. He and Okudah are the best tackling CB tandem in the league.
Left guard Jonah Jackson made the Pro Bowl last year and has been even better this season. Detroit has a very good run-blocking OL and solid tackles in Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, but it’s Jackson who has consistently been the team’s best overall lineman.
Rookie LB Malcolm Rodriguez has quickly become a fan favorite for his hitting and instincts.
Who wins on Sunday?
The Lions can absolutely win this game. Earlier in the week I called it a 45 percent chance for Detroit to win. If Jared Goff plays well and the defense can force a takeaway or two, I think the Lions get their first 3-game win streak since 2017. The margin for error is pretty small, however. The Giants ground game and ability to control the line of scrimmage probably carries the day for New York, but it should be close and intense.
