Must-Watch Battle to Follow during Lions-Giants Practices

Kayvon Thibodeaux will battle against the Lions' offensive line this week.

The Detroit Lions' offensive line is expected again to be among the best units in the NFL this season.  

With a talented NFC East squad coming to visit the Lions' Allen Park practice facility this week, it will be intriguing to observe how the offensive line performs against Giants outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux. 

The second-year linebacker has been matching up against left tackle Andrew Thomas during camp, which has garnered a significant amount of attention. 

According to Giants Country, "One of my favorite one-on-one battles at camp has been left tackle Andrew Thomas vs. outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux. I truly believe Thibodeaux is the only player on the defense that makes it challenging for Thomas. Thibodeaux seems to have improved his initial punch and initially caught Thomas off guard, but the tackle quickly recovered and shut him down."

Related: Lions Roundtable Previewing Giants-Lions Joint Practices

Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell matching up against Thibodeaux will be must-watch, as both sides try to gain the upper hand during one-one-one drills and team reps. 

Throughout training camp, the offensive line has been steadily improving. Detroit's defensive line is increasingly aggressive and willing to compete during individual and team reps. 

Despite the elevated expectations this year, Decker, who has seen lean years in Motown, understands the effort level needed to have a productive season. 

"I'm tentative to put expectations or long-term goals out there, because I was here when we were the butt of jokes," Decker recently told NFL Network. "I don't want to look too far ahead. I want to keep the professional mindset of, 'Let me go clean up the tape from this scrimmage today.' Ultimately, the expectations, while they are fun and it's a cool thing to get that attention, they mean nothing until we prove it."