The Detroit Lions are back home, under the protection of the Ford Field dome, to take on the floundering New York Giants. The NFC East team is without their top running back for the rest of the season, and they're only just getting back their starting rookie quarterback, Jaxson Dart, for the game.
Detroit has to win this game, as the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers are clashing directly in Week 12 to help (or hurt) the Lions' standing in the NFC North. If they get a win, they can sit back and watch that game unfold. If they lose, they lose control of their destiny heading into Thanksgiving and their revenge game against the Packers.
There are a few key players who can break this contest against New York wide open for Detroit, with one key being a defender that hasn't suited up for the Lions since Week 4: D.J. Reed. If he has a get-right game, it's a big step towards becoming an even more lockdown unit.
4 Lions players to watch vs. Giants in Week 12
CB D.J. Reed
Reed is making his return this week, barring any setbacks in practice, as he's recovered from his scary hamstring injury suffered back in September. The huge free agent get for the Lions hasn't gotten a chance to flex his defensive muscle for long, but a game against the Giants is exactly what the doctor ordered for Reed.
New York is only hitting 208.5 net passing yards per game this season, while Detroit is allowing just 192.1 per game. The Giants are towards the bottom of the pack in air yards, while their run game has tended to inflate their offense in tight games. Reed is a great tackler in space, so even if he can't impact the game in the air, he should be able to provide a pop to the Lions' run-stopping defense.
LB Malcolm Rodriguez
Rodriguez might be less relied upon in this contest, considering the Lions' health at linebacker this season. While Reed might be asked to slot in at starting CB immediately due to the question mark that is Terrion Arnold's availability for this game, Rodriguez can be implemented a lot more incrementally thanks to Jack Campbell and Alex Anzalone.
Rodriguez will be another key to keeping New York's rush game at bay. Without Cam Skattebo (and presumably with Dart being a lot more cautious about taking flight due to the concussion risk at hand), New York stands to be a lot less threatening on the ground against Detroit. Still, having Rodriguez available as another stop-gap defender makes Detroit even more threatening.
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WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
It's wild to consider that we're at a point where we need to see marked improvement from St. Brown, of all players, but it's true: the oft-reliable receiver for the Lions has seen some drop off this season. His five drops on the year don't seem like much, but a few of those were tallied in just one game: in Week 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
To be fair, Jared Goff wasn't very accurate in that contest. Due to some porous pass protection from the Lions' offensive line, Goff was never truly comfortable passing out of the pocket, save for one drive that led to a Jameson Williams touchdown.
St. Brown suffered the consequences of that successful four-man pass rush that the Eagles got off numerous times in this game, so he seems majorly due for a bounce-back game against New York under some more controlled conditions. The Giants have some excellent defenders like Brian Burns, who can disrupt Goff in the pocket, but not to the degree that the Eagles managed.
DE Aidan Hutchinson
Hutchinson knows just how important this game is for postseason standings, as well as for silencing critics that have cropped up after the Lions' primetime loss to the Eagles. Still, he's got to put his money where his mouth is in this game, especially since the Giants' offensive line has been one of the better units in the NFL.
Getting to Dart can make or break this game, especially with how slithery he can be in the open field. New York is 13th in the league so far this season in pass block win rate, while Detroit is 28th in pass rush win rate. They've steadily improved in that department with recent contributions from Roy Lopez and Alim McNeill, and they could get even better with Marcus Davenport set to return soon.
But, Hutchinson can clearly taste a big game, and if he can be impactful on the Giants' offensive game planning, we can see a much-needed blowout get underway ahead of Detroit's Thanksgiving game.