MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
Kickoff: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Line: New York -4.0, Total: 40.5

The Lions will be going for their sixth straight win when they face a confident Giants team on Sunday.

Detroit is playing some excellent football right now, as the team has won five straight games. The Lions have covered in four of those games, and they are currently sitting atop the NFC North standings. The wins might not always be pretty for Detroit, but this group finds a way to get things done late in games and that is what makes it great. The Giants, meanwhile, are coming off of a 10-7 victory as 3.5-point home underdogs against the Cowboys. It was New York’s second time beating Dallas this season, and that is quite an impressive feat. The Cowboys haven’t lost to anybody else this season, so it really says a lot about how good this Giants team is. It’s worth pointing out that the Lions have gotten the best of the Giants in New York lately. Detroit is 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS when facing New York on the road since 1992. The Lions are, however, 0-7 ATS in road games after allowing 99 or fewer rushing yards in four straight games since 1992. For those interested in the total, Detroit is 8-0 Under in road games off a home win over the past three seasons and New York is 10-3 Under in all games this season. DE Ezekiel Ansah (Shoulder) is questionable for the Lions in this game and RB Shane Vereen (Concussion) is questionable after suffering a concussion last week.

The Lions have shocked a lot of people by opening the season at 9-4, and QB Matt Stafford (3,447 yards, 22 TD, 7 INT) is a gigantic reason for that. Stafford has played like a legitimate MVP this season, and he came up big for Detroit last week. Stafford rushed for the game-winning touchdown against the Bears, and he took some big hits in doing so. He’ll need to have a good game against the Giants on Sunday, as the secondary is the weakest part of this daunting New York defense. WR Golden Tate (71 rec, 820 yards, 3 TD) is the guy that Stafford will be looking for often in this one. Tate had only 17 catches through the first five weeks of the season, which means that he has caught 54 balls over the past eight games. He is really playing well right now and will need to make some big plays in this one. Defensively, the Lions need to get pressure on Eli Manning. He has looked miserable over the past few weeks, and is extremely turnover prone right now. Detroit must take advantage of that.

The Giants have been very good this season, but QB Eli Manning (3,290 yards, 23 TD, 13 INT) needs to get his act together. Manning’s performance against Dallas was as embarrassing as could be, as he threw an interception and lost two fumbles. He also could have easily thrown two more picks, but the Cowboys were unable to reel them in. Manning needs to be more careful moving forward, and that begins on Sunday. One thing that helps Manning look a little better is the presence of WR Odell Beckham Jr. (79 rec, 1,909 yards, 9 TD). Beckham Jr. had four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown against Dallas, and the touchdown was only possible because of his speed. He took a short slant 61 yards on that play and New York will need some of that explosiveness on Sunday. Fortunately for him, the Lions have a very beatable secondary and he should find some holes this weekend. Defensively, the Giants really need to be ready to defend the pass. Detroit does not like to run the football, so New York can focus solely on Stafford and his weapons outside. One guy that must step it up is CB Janoris Jenkins (3 INT). Jenkins had a pick last week and the Giants can use another in this game.