4 reasons the Detroit Lions will beat the New York Giants on Monday Night Football

Lions, Giants face off on Sept. 18, 2017

Detroit Lions against Arizona

NEW YORK – The Detroit Lions will look for their second victory of the season against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

The Lions beat the Arizona Cardinals in NFL Week 1, while the Giants lost in a miserable performance against the Dallas Cowboys.

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The Giants defense is considered to be one of the best in the league, although through one week, the Giants have the 29th ranked defense.

The Lions lead the all-time series with the Giants, 22-21-1. 

The Lions are not historically very good on the road, especially at night on national television. 

Here are four reasons the Lions will beat the Giants tonight:

The Lions defense is sneaky good

Teryl Austin has his Lions defense looking good in their season opener against Arizona, allowing only a touchdown to a high powered Arizona offense.

The Lions held the Cardinals to 45 yards rushing and held Carson Palmer to a 53.1 passer rating, which was second lowest in the league.

Miles Killebrew, Glover Quin, Tavon Austin and Darius Slay will look to make more big plays against an injured Giants offense.

The Giants aren't very good without OBJ

While there's a small chance Odell Beckham Jr. actually plays tonight, the chances of him making a huge impact are slim. 

The Giants showed just how inept their offense is without him last week, only managing three points against the Cowboys. 

The Giants have no sign of a running game and the talent gap between their other receivers in OBJ is large.

Lions are 2-0 all time against New York on MNF

I know, this isn't entirely relevant, but it's still fun to note. The Lions have beaten the Giants in their only two previous Monday Night Football matchups.

In 2014, the Lions beat New York at Ford Field, 35-14, thanks to a pair of touchdowns from Stafford to Calvin Johnson.

In 1983, Billy Sims lead the Lions to a win at the Silverdome, with two field goals from Eddie Murray in a defensive battle, 15-9.

Giants offensive line is not good

Pro Football Focus ranked the Giants offensive line 28th in the NFL coming into the 2017 season, which doesn't bode well for Eli Manning.

The Lions defense, even while dealing with injuries, put heavy pressure on Carson Palmer, forcing three interceptions and several scrambles out of the pocket.

Anthony Zettel and Ziggy Ansah will be chomping at the bit to get to Eli Manning on Monday.

Kickoff time: 8:30 p.m. (MetLife Stadium)
TV info: ESPN


About the Author:

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.