Five Giants Players To Watch In Week 11

These five players/position units figure to play a major role in the Giants' attempt to beat the Detroit Lions Sunday.

The New York Giants are fresh off a 24-16 win at home against the Houston Texans and are looking to continue their winning ways against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Sitting at 7-2, the Giants have reached one step closer to tying the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East after the Washington Commanders snapped their undefeated record on Monday.

With one more game at home before they visit the Cowboys over Thanksgiving, the Giants might find themselves in a tough showdown against the Lions, who are riding the momentum wave of a two-game winning streak.

After being down as much as 14 points in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears last week, the Lions still managed to complete the comeback and win the game 31-30.

Close games have shaped the narrative of this Giants season so far, and the Lions could make things challenging with their underrated play and talent. As the Giants aim to notch their eighth win under their belt, here’s a look at the five players/position groups that stand to make the biggest impact on Sunday.

Daniel Jones / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

QB Daniel Jones

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is having the best season of his career, and last week he reinforced that with a career-high passer rating (153.3). On 17 pass attempts against the Texans, Jones completed 76.5 percent of his throws for 197 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran with the ball five times for an additional 24 yards.

This matchup is so enticing for Jones because the Lions have one of the worst pass defenses in the league. Conceding a league-worst 7.82 passing yards per play, the Lions are also last in the NFL in third down conversion rate (51.38 percent) and are 27th in passing yards allowed per game (255.3). 

Seeing how the Lions continue to struggle to pressure opposing quarterbacks--Detroit is 28th in sacks per pass attempt (5.10 percent)--Jones could have another big performance on Sunday.

To add to it, the Lions struggled last week with containing Bears quarterback Justin Fields on the ground. Jones, remember, can run with the best of them--he is fourth in the league in rushing yards amongst all quarterbacks (387). With his speed and vision, Jones's rushing skills could come into play this Sunday.

Andrew Thomas :: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

LT Andrew Thomas

Andrew Thomas has been elite all season from the left tackle position and has emerged as one of the best pass blockers in the NFL. In 322 pass-blocking snaps, he has yet to yield a sack and only has one quarterback hit to his name, which came in Week 3. Against the Texans last week, Thomas didn’t concede a single pressure, marking the third time he’s posted a 100% pass-blocking efficiency score this season.

That said, this matchup on Sunday is unique because Thomas will line up across from Lions rookie edge rusher Aiden Hutchinson. The Lions by no means boast a strong pass rush. But Hutchinson has managed to separate himself from the pack with a team-leading 5.5 sacks and could give Thomas a run for his money. Hutchinson also leads the Lions defense in pressures (28) and has mustered two or more pressures in each of his last four games.

Thomas won’t make things easy on Sunday. On top of all his strengths, Thomas is also very disciplined, rarely ever jeopardizing his team with costly penalties. After committing five penalties last season, Thomas has only two in 2022. Though Hutchinson could force Thomas to produce his best work, Thomas hasn’t failed yet when asked to deliver just that.

Darnay Holmes / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

CB Darnay Holmes

Slot cornerback Darnay Holmes has done well this season and has started to grow into his potential. Holmes has only allowed 61.8 percent of the 34 targets he’s faced to be completed and has yet to concede a single touchdown.

This week the Giants will face dangerous Lions playmaking wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown has been a problem for opposing defenses to contain, particularly with his shifty quickness and strong hands. The Lions love to involve St. Brown any way they can through their offensive system and have found a lot of success not only utilizing him in the slot but also out in the flat and out of the backfield on reverse plays.

St. Brown leads all Lions receivers in targets (70), yards (518), yards per game (64.8), and first downs (28). He’s also tied for first in receiving touchdowns and has 70 rushing yards on three attempts.

Ideally, the Giants might look to have Adoree' Jackson follow St. Brown where ever he goes rather than Holmes. If not, and Holmes gets called up to handle it, it will make for an intersting matchup.

Darius Slayton / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

WR Darius Slayton

The Giants have one of the worst passing offenses in the league. They rank 29th in passing yards per game (161.0) and 27th in passing yards per play (6.04). It hasn’t helped the Giants that wide receiver Sterling Shepard is out for the season with an ACL tear, and rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger is sidelined with a fractured eye socket.

But as is the way with football, when one man goes down, another steps up. And for the Giants pass offense, that has been wide receiver Darius Slayton. Over the four straight games that Slayton has started this season, he’s continued to improve and produce better numbers, and last week he hit a season-high. 

Against the Texans, Slayton reeled in three receptions on four targets for 95 yards and a touchdown. In Week 8, Slayton had five receptions for 66 yards, and in Week 7, had three receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown.

There’s no guarantee that Slayton will surpass his production from last week’s game against the Texans. But seeing how he’s been playing, along with the fact that he’s facing a young Lions secondary that’s struggled mightily at slowing down opposing pass attacks, this could very well be the week Slayton goes for over 100 receiving yards.

Despite the Lions’ pass coverage reputation, they have a pair of strong playmakers in their defensive secondary (cornerback Jeff Okudah and free safety Kerby Joseph) that Slayton will need to be aware of if he aims to build from the success he had a week ago.

Kayvon Thibodeaux / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Giants Pass Rush

The Giants pass rush has been a work in progress, one that has fared a lot slower than some might have anticipated. Aside from the consistent dominance Dexter Lawrence II has provided from the interior of the defensive line, the Giants edge rushers haven’t been able to garner the same kind of success, finding it difficult to penetrate and apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

This week, the Giants pass rush could be in store for a long day if they don’t bring their best and execute with ferocity, and here’s why. The Lions have one strong pass-blocking offensive line, led by center Frank Ragnow (assuming he plays) and right tackle Penei Sewell. They also have one of the NFL's lowest sacks per pass attempt percentiles, sitting in sixth (4.97). Though quarterback Jared Goff has dealt with his share of pressure this season, he’s only endured 15 sacks compared to Jones’ 28.

Along with a balanced run game, the Lions pass the ball well and score points quickly through the air, largely because of how unscathed Goff remains in the pocket. If the Giants defense plans on slowing down Goff, the pass rush will need to do its part. 

Although Leonard Williams and rookie first-rounder Kayvon Thibodeaux have generated good pressure throughout the season, they have had a tough time finishing off their attempts with sacks, as each has just 1.5 sacks ten games in. 

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