With The First Pick
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Lions at Giants – Monday Night Football: Game Pick

By Maurice Barksdale

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 18: Odell Beckham
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 18: Odell Beckham /
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The Detroit Lions go on the road to take on the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.  Here is the pick for who wins Lions at Giants.

The New York Giants are coming off a convincing loss to their NFC East division rivals the Dallas Cowboys.  It goes without saying they are in need of a win in Lions at Giants.  Going 0-2 is unwanted territory for any NFL team and difficult to come back from.

The Detroit Lions are the exact opposite.  They got a huge win at home over the Arizona Cardinals and a win over the Giants puts them off to a tremendous start to the season.  However, the winner of this game could be determined by the health of Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

He hasn’t been ruled out to play.  With OBJ in the lineup, the New York Giants offense is one of the most explosive in the league.  Without him the Giants were only able to put up 233 yards of offense and Eli Manning manage just 5.8 yards per pass attempt.

On the other side, Matthew Stafford threw for 4 TD’s and nearly 300 yards passing.  So the Giants will need to put points on the board to beat the Lions.  But even if Beckham plays in Lions at Giants, the question is will be how close to 100% is he?

A high ankle sprain is tough for any player to deal with, but for an explosive player like Beckham, it’s even more so.  However, Beckham’s presence even at less than 100% could help the other Giants receivers and their running game as well.

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The Giants rushed for a paltry 35 yards against the Dallas Cowboys in week one.  Their defense has a lot talent, but with no running game time of possession is a factor.  So the Giants have to establish a running game against the Lions defense.

Playing at home will give the Giants a boost and if Odell Beckham Jr. plays, that will be huge.  But ultimately Matthew Stafford is playing at a higher level than Eli Manning starting the season and I think that will be the difference in the game.

If the Lions are close in the fourth quarter, I think Stafford will find a way to pull out a close win on the road.

Winner:   Lions

Score prediction:       24-23  Lions 

Points spread:      Giants  -3.0

Over/under:  42.5 – Over

8:30 pm – ESPN

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