Detroit Lions film review: Investigating why Giants' passing game was able to be so explosive
Allen Park — One of the more jarring aspects of the Detroit Lions’ 34-27 win over the New York Giants on Sunday was the visitors’ ability to amass so many explosive plays in the passing game.
The Giants had 10 gains of 20 or more yards, and additionally benefited from a 24-yard pass interference penalty. Earlier in the week, Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard harped on explosive plays being an issue.
“I look back at our touchdown drives throughout the course of the season — I don’t know how much you guys track that — but if you really go look at them, it’s come by way of explosive plays,” Sheppard said. “All but three, I believe, if I’m not mistaken. And that’s something that we know has become a real emphasis, because if guys don’t get explosive plays, they can’t score.”
The emphasis clearly didn’t pay dividends against the Giants. So what went wrong? We close the book on the contest with a comprehensive analysis of the film before offering some concluding thoughts.
● First quarter, 1st-and-10, 23 yards, Winston to Slayton
The Giants didn’t wait long to get their chunk-gain machine going, connecting on a 23-yard pass on the game’s first offensive play.
This was a well-executed, man-beating route that saw receiver Darius Slayton (bottom of the screen) release inside before hammering the brakes and angling back toward the sideline on an out pattern.
The abruptness of the receiver’s change of direction caught cornerback Amik Robertson off guard, causing him to slip. That allowed Slayton to take in the 9-yard throw with separation, turn upfield and more than double the gain after the catch.
● First quarter, 3rd-and-2, 39 yards, Winston to Robinson
Three snaps later, after an offside infraction gave New York a more favorable third-and-2, they dialed up a trick play that took advantage of Detroit’s aggressiveness defending the run.