The New York Giants looked as if they were playing their first preseason game a week ago.
The play was sloppy and uneven against the Cleveland Browns eight days ago. This is exactly what you’d expect from a team playing in their first game against live competition in eight months. Head coach Pat Shurmur said he wasn’t necessarily looking for the Giants to beat the Detroit Lions Friday. He said he wanted to see improvement.
Shurmur should be pleased with what he saw from his football team. The defense held the Lions in check and the offense moved with efficiency as the Giants defeated Detroit 30-17 for their first preseason victory at Ford Field.
Eli Manning sat out so starting quarterback duties went to Davis Webb. Webb had a night to forget against Cleveland but he more than made up for it in the Motor City.
He led the Giants on a 17-play, 69-yard drive culminating with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Wayne Gallman. Webb finished the evening with 14 completions in 20 attempts for 140 yards and the touchdown. His quarterback rating was 106.3 as opposed to the 49.4 he had against the Browns.
The Giants went into the half with a 10-3 lead after a 55-yard field goal from Aldrick Rosas.
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Detroit turned the ball over on their first possession of the second half. Matt Cassel threw a short pass intended for T.J. Jones that was tipped and intercepted by Ray-Ray Armstrong, who returned it 24 yards. Two plays later, rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta scores a touchdown on a 10-yard run. Gallman and Robert Martin also scored touchdowns on runs of 16 and 11 yards respectively.
The Giants defense was proficient at stopping the run for the second week in a row. Detroit only gained 67 yards on the ground in 22 attempts. LeGarrette Blount accounted for 32 yards on 11 attempts. The defense also had four sacks and five passes defended.
The Giants scored 30 points for the first time since Aug. 31, 2017. They defeated the New England Patriots 40-38 in last year’s preseason finale. The last time the Giants scored 30 or more in a regular season game was Jan. 3, 2016. They lost 35-30 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the regular season finale. They failed to score 30 or more points in a game in each of the last two seasons.
The Giants and Lions held joint practices leading up to Friday’s game. They will be at MetLife Stadium for their final two preseason games and the regular season opener. Their next game will be this year’s installment of the Snoopy Bowl against the New York Jets on Aug. 24. The Giants will be designated as the away team. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM EDT.
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL, the New York Giants, and the NBA. Please like and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.
