Detroit Lions defeat New York Giants in preseason, 21-16: Game thread replay
Detroit Lions (9-8 in 2022) vs. New York Giants (9-7-1 in 2022), exhibition
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
Where: Ford Field in Detroit.
TV: Fox (Channel 2 in Detroit).
Radio: WJR-AM (760), WXYT-FM (97.1).
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Game notes: The start of the most-anticipated Lions season since … well, forever? … officially starts tonight with their preseason opener against the Giants. Well, not officially, since it’s still just an exhibition, and the Lions won’t be playing most of their starters.
But there are still position battles to watch, as the Freep’s Dave Birkett breaks down here, and, heck, it’s football!
Second-year wide receiver Jameson Williams is expected to get a decent chunk of playing time as he tries to sharpen his fundamentals and become a more consistent NFL player. The Lions drafted Williams out of Alabama with the No. 12 pick in 2022; he has seen limited game action while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the CFP title game in January 2022. However, this offseason Williams was handed a six-game suspension by the NFL for violating the league's gambling policy. That means Williams and the Lions will want to maximize his opportunities in the preseason, when he's allowed to play, and perhaps build up some confidence against some backups.
Another play to keep an eye on is undrafted rookie wide receiver Dylan Drummond, who played college ball just down the road at Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti. Drummond has impressed so far this training camp, and a solid performance in the preseason could go a long way in earning him a roster spot.
As satisfying as the Lions’ offseason was, with hype-inducing additions including running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs and defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson — and remember, they won’t play much, if at all, tonight — the Giants was almost equally painful, as Big Blue seemingly burnt the momentum of last season’s surprise playoff berth with a protracted contract stall with star running back Saquon Barkley. He’s signed on a one-year, $10.1 million guaranteed deal, at least, but he definitely won’t be playing tonight. The Giants also handed out big bucks to quarterback Daniel Jones, just a year after passing on picking up his much-cheaper option; Jones is now on a four-year, $160 million deal that includes $82 million guaranteed and could be worth as much as $190 million — for a QB that has 36 touchdown passes over the past three seasons, combined.
Still, the Giants have a young defense, led by second-year edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who’s motivated to produce after the Lions passed on him with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft. The Oregon product had four sacks and 49 tackles over 14 games last season; actual Lions pick Aidan Hutchinson, meanwhile, had 9½ sacks, 52 tackles and three interceptions in 17 games.
After tonight’s exhibition, the Lions have the Jacksonville Jaguars in town next week, first for combined practices during the day, and then for another exhibition game on Aug. 19 at Ford Field. They’ll then wrap up the preseason on the road against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 25. The Giants, meanwhile, host the Panthers next Friday, then wrap it up against their roommates at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Aug. 26.
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Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @theford.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions defeat N.Y. Giants in preseason, 21-16: Game thread replay
