The Detroit Lions have won two games in a row. The Lions defeated the Chicago Bears 31-30, and were trailing by 14 heading into the fourth quarter. While this feat may seem insignificant, it is the first time since the 2020 season that the Lions have won two straight games. This victory also gave head coach Dan Campbell his first road victory. Before the win, Campbell was 0-13 on the road. Now, the Lions are 3-6 and have moved ahead of the Bears to third place in the NFC North. In Week 11, the Lions will travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey to take on the New York Giants.
The New York Giants are one of the surprise teams of the NFL this season, and currently have a 7-2 record. The major key to victory this season has been their defense, which has suffocated offenses so far. This was consistent in Week 10, when the Giants only gave up 16 points to the Houston Texans. This team will need to maintain their defensive dominance if they hope to stay competitive in the NFC East, which is the strongest division in the NFL this season.
Let’s take a look at the keys to the matchup:
Can the Lions stop Saquon?
It’s safe to say that Saquon Barkley is back. After numerous injuries the past few seasons, Barkley has been fed the football. He currently leads the league in rushing yards, is second in attempts and is sixth in touchdowns. The Giants offense has depended on Barkley to be successful, and it has worked. If the Lions hope to get a win, they will need to stop the run. Against the Chicago Bears, the Lions struggled to stop Justin Fields and the Bears’ rushing attack, giving up 258 rushing yards.
Can Jared Goff be more consistent?
Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff has been inconsistent this season. This inconsistency has coincided with the strength of the rush attack. At the start of the season, the Lions were dominant with their running attack. However, this dominance has stuttered since the injury to running back D’Andre Swift. Without Swift’s explosive impact to the offense, much of the workload has been on Goff’s shoulders. Goff has thrown 15 touchdowns while throwing 7 interceptions this season, which is a lackluster ratio. Against the Bears, Goff didn’t hurt the Lions, but he also didn’t play great. The Lions need Goff to be more consistent if they hope to turn the season around, and get a win against the Giants.
Will Daniel Jones hurt the Giants?
There is no denying that the Giants have done a masterful job scheming around Daniel Jones’ weaknesses. The team has been run heavy all season. This also has been to hide their weakness at wide receiving core, which has been riddled with injuries. There will come a time when Jones need to do more than he currently is. While Jones has limited his turnovers this season, he also has had a limited amount of pass attempts. Against the Texans, Jones only threw the ball 17 times. If the Lions can force Jones to throw the ball, it will be in favor of the Lions.
