The New York Giants (2-5) and Detroit Lions (2-3-1) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 8 matchup featuring two struggling to find some ground.
The Giants opened the week as seven-point road underdogs, and little has changed entering the weekend as they are now listed at +6.5.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Lions Wire managing editor Jeff Risdon.
Giants Wire: The Giants will see a lot of familiar faces in Detroit this Sunday, but none of those names are more prominent than Damon Harrison. How has he panned out with the Lions thus far, and what, if anything, can you attribute to the team’s struggles against the run this season?
Jeff Risdon: Harrison was phenomenal after coming over last season. The Lions run defense ranked 30th when he arrived. In the games he played they ranked third. He also bagged a career-high 4.5 sacks in those games.
That “Snacks” has been missing this season. He missed almost the entire summer, first with a quick holdout and then he wasn’t 100% physically. Harrison still doesn’t look like he’s in optimal football shape. He got pancaked last week in the Vikings game. I don’t think I’d ever seen that happen to him before.
To be fair to Snacks, he had more help around him last year when Da’Shawn Hand was healthy. He’s missed Hand and Mike Daniels, both of whom have been out.
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Other familiar names include Romeo Okwara, Devon Kennard and Paul Perkins, who is a relatively new addition. What have you seen from those players, how have they helped the Lions and how are they received by fans in Detroit?
Kennard is the team’s best pass rusher, which is good for him but bad for the Lions as a whole. He’s been pretty good, though he has not played well in the last two to three weeks. Okwara remains completely hit-and-miss as a player, which is how I remember him as a Giant. He can physically dominate a blocker on one play and then go into hiding for a quarter.
We haven’t seen Perkins yet other than in practice. He’s bounced between the active roster and practice squad. Everyone presumes he’s now the No. 3 RB after the injuries, but we haven’t seen that yet either.
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With Kerryon Johnson going on IR, what can the Giants expected from Detroit’s running game? Will it be a back-by-committee scenario, or are there expectations that one person will carry the load?
Ty Johnson will be the lead back. He’s a fast rookie from Maryland who is good in the passing game. Based on his early results, Johnson has some legit potential. He’ll definitely share the load though.
J.D. McKissic has been a gadget guy (jet sweeps, tunnel screens, direct snap) thus far. Everything he does is at full speed. He’s a converted WR and figures to play a lot more on third downs. Between Perkins and Tra Carson, there are five to eight touches per game for those guys too.
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The Giants’ offensive line consistently allows pressure, and the Lions can’t seem to generate any. Who has the advantage on Sunday and why?
If the Giants can thwart four rushers and not one of them with any discernible twitch to them, they’ll be fine. Like I said earlier, Devon Kennard is the most talented pass rusher on the Lions. Trey Flowers can create and he’s commanding double teams but he has one sack. Detroit as a team has one sack in the last 144 opposing drop-backs and had just three logged QB pressures on Kirk Cousins last week. They almost never blitz; (they have the) lowest rate of bringing five or more of any team.
If the Giants OL can’t handle them, New York deserves to lose.
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The Quandre Diggs trade was surprising … What led to it, and how do the Lions go about replacing that sort of talent?
It’s a very complex situation. Diggs’ play had fallen off, but he was also playing hurt. The team really likes third-round rookie Will Harris, who is bigger and faster than Diggs. Tracy Walker and Tavon Wilson as the other safeties are both playing well and they wanted to get Harris more involved. Moving Diggs now saves them over $5 million in each of the next two seasons.
It’s been a devastating move to the Lions locker room. Diggs was a beloved leader and the captain of the defense. Players, notably Pro Bowl CB Darius Slay, have come out angrily chastising the move. As far as on-field product, the move does make some sense and is justifiable. But the fallout might prove more costly than the management regime anticipates. We’ll see …
Check out Jeff Risdon for all of your Lions needs over at Lions Wire.
