The Detroit Lions (6-4) and New York Giants (2-9) will square off in Week 12 at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. The Lions are coming off a disappointing loss to the defending Super Bowl champs, while the Giants were unable to pull off the upset in Green Bay.
On paper, the Lions have a plethora of advantages, and the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook believe they’re warranted, as they’ve set the Week 12 initial betting line at Lions -10.5 points.
The Giants have had a roller coaster of a season. After starting the season 0-3, coach Brian Daboll benched starting quarterback Russell Wilson and turned to first-round pick, rookie Jaxson Dart. Along with fellow rookie, bruising running back Cam Skattebo, Dart immediately led the Giants to their first win of the season. They lost to the Saints the next week, but then shocked the NFL world in Week 6 by beating the Eagles by 17 points. Things began to unravel from there, and the Giants would lose their next five games.
Two weeks later, in a rematch against the Eagles, Skattebo suffered a broken leg and was lost for the season. Two weeks after that, Dart was concussed (the fourth time he was examined for a concussion this season) and replaced by Wilson. Unfortunately, the veteran QB’s ineffective play hindered the Giants, and they blew a two-touchdown lead to the Bears in the fourth quarter. Daboll was fired the next day.
This past week, Mike Kafka was promoted to interim head coach, and with Dart still in concussion protocol, the decision was made to turn to QB3 Jameis Winston against the Packers. While the Giants played inspired ball behind Winston in Green Bay, he threw an interception in the end zone in the final minute of the game, leading to their ninth loss of the season.
While Dart could return this week, the Giants are a bit of a mess right now. And while the Lions certainly need to clean up their offensive mistakes from a disappointing offensive performance, their defense is playing so well right now that things will be challenging for the Giants’ offense, no matter who is under center.
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