Early look at the Detroit Lions 2017 opponents: New York Giants

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Sep 25, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) fumbles the ball as New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (90) defends during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Line

The Giants Defensive Tackle group lost one of its better run stuffers in Johnathan Hankins but added second round pick Dalvin Tomlinson in the hopes of filling that hole. Damon Harrison remains. His 86 tackles last season were a career high but not an anomaly. He has been a productive run stuffer for years. The defensive tackle group is not likely to be pushed around out of hand by the Lions offense, but it’s not going to generate a lot of pass rush.

The Giants defensive ends are led by Jason Pierre-Paul, who rebounded in 2016 after blowing his hand to bits in 2015. He is coming off two abdominal surgeries, and two more groin surgeries this offseason, but is set to be ready for the season. The Giants also signed Olivier Vernon before the 2016 season, who provided a great deal of pressure across from Pierre-Paul.

The two combined for only 15.5 sacks in 2016 but were making quarterbacks uncomfortable all season. The Giants other defensive ends have not really proven they have any pass rush ability at the NFL level, rookie Avery Moss may develop into a situational rusher as the season goes on, but coming out of Youngstown State, he is unlikely to be a factor early in the year. The Offensive Tackles will have a difficult matchup in the Lions week two match up.

Dec 18, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) carries the ball as New York Giants linebacker Keenan Robinson (57) defends during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

Linebackers

Keenan Robinson returns in the middle but has been a better athlete than linebacker during his NFL career. Johnathan Casillas is a tackling machine when the Giants defensive line can keep him clean, but has had some issues staying healthy and is more useful in coverage than when a team runs right at him. Devon Kennard appears to be the starter at strong-side linebacker again.

That does not bode well for the Giants. Look for the Lions to utilize their bigger and stronger tight end group in 2017 to keep Kennard on the field. In all the Giants linebacker group looks like the weak point of the defense. Eric Ebron, Ameer Abdullah, and Theo Riddick should have no trouble getting open underneath. This is likely the key to a Lions victory in fact, as a weak offensive performance doomed Detroit in 2016.

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