Don’t look now, but the Detroit Lions are on a winning streak! Last week, the Lions traveled to Chicago and picked up their first road win in two years. Coming off a win over Green Bay, it was great to see the Lions keep up their strong play for two straight weeks and beat two divisional opponents. The Week 11 matchup will feature the Detroit Lions vs the New York Giants.
The Giants have been one of this season’s biggest surprises with a division-leading 7-2 record. Despite winning 7 games, the Giants have not been dominant with all seven of their wins being one-score games. All in all, it should be an exciting Sunday with a chance for some craziness. Here are some bold predictions on what wild things could happen this week.
Bold predicitions for the Detroit Lions vs the New York Giants Week 11 matchup
Jeff Okudah gets 10+ tackles
The Giants love to run the ball. On average, they run the ball 34.4 times a game, second in the league behind Chicago. Obviously, a big reason for this is they have Saquan Barkley, one of the best running backs in the league. The other reason being Daniel Jones and the rest of the passing attack does not strike much fear into defenses.
To counteract this attack, the Lions should reuse their defense from the Cowboys game. Facing another limited passing attack, the Lions utilized cornerback Jeff Okudah as a hybrid nickel/box safety. Okudah rose to the occasion using his speed and tackling ability to rack up 15 tackles and a tackle for loss. The Lions should have him in the box where he can help out in the run and cover Barkley out of the backfield. If they do, he should be able to have a big game slowing down Barkley
Jared Goff completes two 40-yard passes
With a limited offense, the Giants’ aggressive defense has been the catalyst for their impressive season. They only surrender 19 points a game, good for 9th in the league. However, if they do have a weakness, it is against the run. They give up 5.5 yards a carry which is one of the worst numbers in the league. To prevent Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift from having big games, they will pack the box as the Bears did a week ago.
Last week, Jared Goff was able to take advantage of the stacked boxes. He hit Amon-Ra St. Brown, early and often, and found Kalif Raymond and Tom Kennedy later for some big plays. This week, his receiving core should get a boost with the return of speedy, DJ Chark. This week look for Goff to take advantage of the stacked boxes to hit Chark for at least one big play. In addition, Raymond or St Brown should be able to add a second big play to elevate the offense.
D’Andre Swift accumulates 70+ receiving yards
After a huge start to the year, D’Andre Swift has been hampered by nagging ankle and shoulder injuries. It is extra frustrating as he was proving to be one of the best backs in the league before being slowed down. Against the Giants, Swift should have a bounce back and show his elite skills. However, expect a good chunk of this in the air attack.
The Giants have one of the most aggressive defenses in the league with one of the highest blitz rates in the league. Expect the Lions to try at least one screen to catch the Giants in a blitz. If timed right, Swift has plenty of speed and open-field ability to make the defense pay. Also, if the Giants are in man, Swift is a nightmare for linebackers on angle routes, option routes, and really any other route. If healthy, it should be a really productive game for Swift.
The Lions extend their winning streak with an upset
Looking at the records, this matchup looks very one-sided in favor of the Giants. However, that does not tell the full picture. The Giants have not put up great numbers either offensively or defensively. They do really take care of the ball which is a big advantage in close games.
However, this week, their luck will run out. The Lions will do a good job taking care of the ball and keeping the game close going into the final stretch. Then, they will do what they’ve done in the past two weeks and just make enough plays with the game on the line. The end results will be a third straight win and an exciting outlook for the future of the Lions.
All rankings and stats from teamrankings.com
