3 Takeaways from Lions' 31-26 Victory Over the Giants

The Lions struggle to put away Giants, but hold on for 31-26 victory

A three-game losing streak can test the patience of even the most diehard fans.

Going into their Week 8 tilt with the Giants, the Lions were reeling.

The Chiefs, Packers and Vikings were all able to take advantage of the Lions' mistakes, poor rush defense, their inability to close out games and to cap it all off, poor officiating.

On Sunday vs. the Giants, many of the same storylines were prevalent.

But the Lions did manage to hold off the "G-Men," 31-26, evening their record at 3-3-1.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Trust in Matthew Stafford

The Lions used the deep ball effectively against a Giants defense that was susceptible to the big play.

Despite starting the game with an interception, Stafford delivered for the Lions on Sunday.

Although Stafford will likely say that he missed some throws and left some yards out there, the Lions were able to extend their lead and secure the victory by moving the football through the air.

He connected with Marvin Hall on a 49-yard touchdown at the 2:39 mark in the first quarter that extended the Lions' lead to 14-0.

Equally impressive was a flea flicker to Kenny Golladay at the beginning of the fourth quarter which gave the Lions a 31-19 advantage.

The Lions Have Serious Issues Running the Football

Without lead back Kerryon Johnson, the Lions still made a concerted effort to run the football.

To start the game, recent waiver wire pickup Tra Carson was the primary running back.

The rushing attack never got off the ground, and Stafford was called upon to carry the load.

Rookie Ty Johnson had some opportunities, but didn't perform at a high level.

For starters, he dropped a pass out of the backfield, and failed to elude tacklers in the fourth quarter on what may have been a large gain.

Rashaan Melvin Struggles

Depth may become a serious issue for the Lions' secondary moving forward.

Tracy Walker and Tavon Wilson were lost due to injuries, and Miles Killebrew, who hadn't played a defensive snap since 2017, was called upon in the fourth quarter.

To make matters worse, Melvin struggled mightily.

He was in on the coverage for two touchdown passes, and was called for a penalty that negated a sack by fellow cornerback Justin Coleman.

The Lions have now lost safety Tavon Wilson, after trading Quandre Diggs and then losing Tracy Walker. Miles Killebrew in. Hasn't played a snap of defense since 2017.

— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) October 27, 2019

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