by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Nov 17, 2022
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Where to watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Giants -3
FanDuel: Giants -3
BetMGM: Giants -3
Caesars: Giants -3
Season record
Lions: 3-6
Giants: 7-2
The NFL season is heating up with a lot of great games! Did you see this week's slate of games? They might not be like this forever, but man, it's going to be hard to replicate what we saw in Buffalo and Green Bay this weekend. But the playoff races are heating up at the right time and they are certainly relaying some excitement as the season progresses. You know you want to get involved in this action, as well, with our champion handicappers killing it through the NFL season with 8 more games to play for some teams, and even 7 if you're feeling lucky. Look no further than our own Al McMordie sitting at 16-9-1 in the NFL over the last 30 days, along with Sean Murphy at 16-11-0 in the last month. There's a lot of success stories as it pertains to who wants it more with the schedule entering the second half of the year. If you want the best handicapping results, make sure you're following our champion handicappers to a T and get in on this action at bigal.com!
Lions - Giants preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Lions: won 31-30 at Bears
Giants: won 24-16 vs. Texans
No, I still don’t trust the New York Giants at 7-2. I trust the Detroit Lions less to keep this two-game winning streak going and pull off the upset. Alas, we’ve reached an impasse for when the teams meet at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. But if there was a lopsided game you could look at and say without hesitation that you have no idea how it’ll go, it might be this.
No, I still don’t trust the New York Giants at 7-2. I trust the Detroit Lions less to keep this two-game winning streak going and pull off the upset. Alas, we’ve reached an impasse for when the teams meet at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. But if there was a lopsided game you could look at and say without hesitation that you have no idea how it’ll go, it might be this.
Hence why the Giants are sitting at just 3-point favorites at most books for this one, and the fact that the Giants’ wins have been primarily by one score. Last week’s 24-16 win over the Houston Texans was once again a component of a strong defense giving this team chances to win.
Because when Daniel Jones is completing 13 of 17 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, you know you’re failing because once again the entire aspect of this offense relies on Saquon Barkley. He won’t be carrying 35 times every game, but him getting 152 yards and a touchdown was a good way to utilize the workhorse.
"We wanted to get him going and get our line going and try to win the line of scrimmage," Giants coach Brian Daboll said of the star running back. "And Daniel had a, what, 153 (passer) rating? Is that right? So, he was efficient."
I guess that’s all you can ask for when you’ve exceeded expectations and find yourselves just a game back of the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East. Imagine this team doing just that.
But jokes aside, the Giants’ defense is exactly why thinking the Lions can win this game seems just out of reach. Winning against the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in back-to-back weeks gives Detroit something fun to look forward to the last couple of weeks, no matter how ugly the games were, but the Lions are going to need a great game from Jared Goff to get there.
Goff had 236 yards and a touchdown, with 119 of those going to Amon-Ra St. Brown on 10 receptions. The good news is the Lions shouldn’t have to contain Jones as much as they struggled trying to hold off Justin Fields and his 300 yards from scrimmage. But the Lions won. That’s all that matters.
"It's one thing to believe you can do it, and then it's another thing to do it and finish a game like that," Goff said.
Talk about a true believer in things.
The Lions, technically speaking, aren’t out of the playoff race yet. I don’t want to put it in Lions’ fans minds that a third straight win suddenly means playoffs, but it’s going to be an interesting approach down the stretch, especially if Goff can start to get it going.
Prediction
But as much as it pains me, going for the Giants is a safe bet here. Look out for how the run defense plays Barkley or if they over-commit to open up the play-action for Jones. Either way, looking like a comfortable win for the Giants. Giants by 14
Betting trends
Lions are 17-5 ATS after being outgained by 75 total yards or more in 3 straight games since 1992.
Giants are 43-64 ATS in Weeks 10-13 since 1992.
Giants are 72-48 ATS off a home win since 1992.
Giants are 129-98 ATS after a home game since 1992.
Lions are 16-32 ATS on the road after a win by 6 points or less since 1992.
Statistical leaders
Lions:
Passing: Jared Goff --2,277 yards, 15 TD, 7 INT
Rushing: Jamaal Williams -- 604 yards, 9 TD
Receiving: Amon-Ra St. Brown -- 518 yards, 3 TD
Defense: Aidan Hutchinson -- 5.5 sacks
Giants:
Passing: Daniel Jones -- 1,596 yards, 8 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Saquon Barkley -- 931 yards, 6 TD
Receiving: Darius Slayton -- 327 yards, 2 TD
Defense: Dexter Lawrence -- 5 sacks
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Detroit Lions - New York Giants prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NFL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
