(...probably more than two):
1) Will the interior O-line do enough to contain DT's Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh to provide some semblance of a pocket for Eli Manning?
2) Will our defensive ends get enough pressure on Mathew Stafford to minimize down field bombs to Calvin Johnson?
Maybe one thing going for the Giants: The pressure on Detroit to win on MNF in front of their home crowd. As for the Giants: The expectations are pretty low to mediocre, so that may play to our advantage.
Our defense is superior.
This is a good game to put in the W column, as wins might be at a premium to start the season.
My fear is that the defense could get worn down if the offense does not move the ball and that could eventually lead to the Lions putting it out of reach. And after what we saw in preseason it's anybody's guess what we will see.
I don't think there is a much pressure on the Giants as there is on the Lions. As a matter of fact I don't think there is really any pressure on the Giants. No one expects them to win what with the offensive ineptitude the showed in preseason. However, If they lose and play a close competitive game then it could be something to build upon.
If they win, depending on the nature then expectations start build.
What do you think when the team goes 5-0, and the first team plays like crap on offense?
If the team went 0-5, but the offense looked like it was executing plays, would we be as nervous? It's 5 games, and the OL has been a plug and play merry go round......how can it possibly be ready for the first game? Detroit will test this line with stunts and blitzes, to try and confuse it....
Yes, the Detroit secondary supposedly sucks.....but can this less than stellar set of WR's & TE's take advantage of it? If they take away Cruz, can Randle step up? This is his shot, will he take advantage of it? If the TE's can't produce, even with this line, will the Giants go to 4 WR's?
We saw power running in preseason.....this line looked better run blocking, than pass blocking, but can it consistently convert 3rd and short?
And then we have Eli.....The one good drive he had in preseason, was tempered with a non interception......can Eli consistently throw a good short pass? Can he ELIminate the "faux pas's" he tends to make?.....he has to play within himself, and not force things.....his RB's have to protect him, and they will be important in the passing game, slipping out of the backfield....can these guys break a few runs to make this defense respect the run, as well as the pass?
Detroit screwed the pooch last year.....they were still in the playoffs when they faced the Giants....a tipped pass, returned by Hill for a TD, ended their season......in that game Calvin Johnson was not 100%......I look for him to line up on Prince, not just because of the groin, but because Prince has problems with tall receivers, never mind that this is Megatron....
On defense, can Beason just step on the field after just one week of practice, and be a force like last year? Will this line generate pressure on Stafford?
On the road, Monday night game, I think this OL has growing pains, and the Giants offense comes up short.....
I'm pretty confident our D can hold their own. The Lions were just average as an offensive team. Better passing below average running. Can we hold them to 20 points? If so, we can win.
He isn't their deep threat.
lions are going to stack the line and pull their dbs up too. wouldn't be surprised if giants first 2 series weren't 3 and outs with neither back being able to break 5+ yrd runs. then, hopefully, things will settle down. low scoring first half.
The Detroit Defense will simply do what every other Defense will do...play heavy against the run and force the Giants to actually complete passes to move the football. Until they start doing it, no one will believe they can get first downs consistently.
Running/TOP - can we control the ball and give our O more chances to score? I would love to see a new 3rd down D from our team. We have been very poor at this for a long time.
Meanwhile, the Giants closed their season at a robust 7-3.
And the Giants improved their secondary, O-Line and offensive backfield in the off-season.
Can the Giants pressure Stafford? If so, then he may just put the ball up for grabs against the very good (on paper) Giants DBs.
That'd be nice but it seem that they haven't thrown a screen pass successfully since barber retired
We have no proven big play guys save Cruz, a leaky OL, a struggling O, and our front 7 on D while a potentially decent group has much to prove between youth, injury, mediocrity and play making ability (or lack of even if JPP picks back up).
Save a huge turnaround on O, this almost looks like a game where Eli's best strategy IS to manage the game / move the chains. Keep their O off the field, run if / as much as possible, get the pass game moving. Lions have many issues but it's possible Eli ends up running for his life all game while we get little to no pressure on Stafford...which would basically decide it
That'd be nice but it seem that they haven't thrown a screen pass successfully since barber retired
Haven't really had a back with Barber's skillset.
Hillis (once caught 61 receptions) and Jennings are pass-catching RBs. Bradshaw and Jacobs kind of weren't.
Also the Lions RT situation is simiiar to our interior line situation....
The game is winnable but we need an early score to give Eli some confidence (something we dont do well .... start fast)
But speaking of fast the no-huddle could help us ... see if we use it early