The Giants’ biggest weakness presents the chance for a big bounce-back game for the Lions’ offensive line
The Lions have to take advantage of this
There’s no secret that the Detroit Lions’ offensive line was probably the biggest culprit in the Lions’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11. More specifically, the interior of the line got beaten up quite a bit against arguably the best interior defensive line in the NFL. The Vikings recently had a very similar outing against the Lions, where they attacked up the middle instead of going against Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker. So the big question is, how does the Lions’ interior offensive line matchup with the New York Giants?
The Giants’ interior defensive line is one of their biggest weaknesses
“The Giants’ interior defensive line is one of their weaker position groups. Even star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has struggled. Oftentimes, this season, opposing rushing attacks have easily produced against the Giants.” Our Giants beat writer Joe DeLeone said. “This season, they’re the worst team in the NFL in rush yards per play allowed. Considering the Lions’ identity, they’ll have a productive day this Sunday. Additionally, a lot of their issues against the run have been attributed to injuries at linebacker and to the overall poor play of that unit.”
If you’re Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, you love to hear this for sure. The Giants have not only allowed the most rushing yards per play, but they’ve also allowed the most rushing yards in general this season. They’ve also allowed the second-most rushing touchdowns. This is the area where the Lions’ offensive line really needs a get-right game, and the Giants are presenting themselves for it.
As far as interior pressure from the Giants goes, they have one sack from the interior this season, and only 29% of their pressures come from that area. Where the Lions do have to worry is at the edges.
“The Giants’ pass rush has been the saving grace this year and will likely present a serious challenge to Jared Goff. While they aren’t a heavy sack-producing unit, they’re eighth in the NFL in quarterback pressures because of the three-headed monster they have with Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter, and Brian Burns. Thibodeaux did not play in the last game, but when all three are available, they’ve consistently overwhelmed opposing offensive lines. Goff will likely have limited time to throw, especially on third down.”
The good news for the Lions is that they’re not having a lot of trouble on the outside with pass rushers. Penei Sewell has allowed just 11 pressures this year and no sacks. Taylor Decker has allowed 15 pressures and one sack. Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Lions loaded up some jumbo package looks in this game with Dan Skipper helping out Decker on the left side. Look, I’m not telling you these guys are never getting home or making a stop, but you should feel a little more comfortable on the outside.
The Lions have to take advantage of what they can take advantage of to get their bounce-back and their win.
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