The Detroit Lions are hosting a Monday Night football game to open up what Calvin Johnson deemed the organizations most important season in decades.
***
Keys To The Game-
1. Stafford vs Manning
Eli Manning and Matthew Stafford both have the ability to look like all pro’s and career backups at different points of a ballgame.
Longtime offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride retired and the team hired first-time offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo away from Green Bay to install his West Coast system. Manning struggled at times to pick up McAdoo’s timing based offense. Manning looked out of sync with top receivers Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle throughout the preseason, and not having Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t helped either.
Matthew Stafford posted his third straight season of more then 4,500 yards passing, throwing for 4,650 with 29 touchdowns, even though he also tossed 19 interceptions. The hiring of the offensive minded Jim Caldwell should help Stafford improve immensely.
2. Giants Secondary vs Megatron
Calvin Johnson caught 110 passes for 1,492 yards and 12 scores to pace the league’s third-ranked passing offense (280.1 ypg), all while missing two games. Johnson is not the Lions only offensive threat, but he’s someone the G-Men must corral early if they are to have any chance at success. Luckily for New York, the Giants seem loaded in the secondary.
Free agency allowed them to upgrade the secondary. Cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Walter Thurmond along with improving holdover Prince Amukamara and veteran safety Antrel Rolle could make it difficult to throw on New York.
3. Suh & Fairley
The Giants don’t have the strongest offensive line in the NFL, and they’ll be tested up the middle by Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. Both defensive tackles are in contract years, and could raise hell for Eli Manning and New York’s timing based passing game. Ziggy Ansah (eight sacks) could also bring pressure for the Lions as well.
Random Notes:
With the passing game still in a state of confusion, the Giants must rely upon a power running game and early in 2014. Rashad Jennings, as well as rookie Andre Williams and the bruising Peyton Hillis, will carry New York Early on.
Odell Beckham is still nursing a hamstring injury that has bothered him since the spring. Head coach Tom Coughlin thinks Beckham is still 2-3 weeks away, according toRalph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Jerrel Jernigan should get the majority of the snaps in his place.