While fans, Vegas expect easy Lions win, coach Dan Campbell feeding his team reasons not to sleep on struggling Giants
Allen Park — In eight days, the Detroit Lions host the Green Bay Packers for a Thanksgiving tilt that could go a long way toward deciding the NFC North.
Of course, between now and then, the Lions have to plow through the lowly New York Giants, losers of five in a row and still winless on the road.
It should be a cakewalk, right? A demolition on par with earlier romps over other struggling franchises, including Cleveland, Cincinnati and Washington? In the chat this week, someone asked if the Lions should rest injured players for this one, while another is ready to see backup quarterback Kyle Allen get some work.
Even Vegas is on that train of thought, favoring the Lions by double-digits.
However, whatever cavalier attitude may exist on the outside about this week’s matchup doesn’t exist within the building. Coach Dan Campbell won’t allow it. And while team meetings are closed to the public, he opened his Wednesday media session with a taste of his messaging this week, showing his motivational approach when some teams might lose their edge.
Immediately, Campbell highlighted how the Giants’ 2-9 record is not reflective of how tough they’ve played several opponents on their schedule, a point reiterated by quarterback Jared Goff a couple of hours later.
“I think we know very well how close all their games have been,” Goff said. “I think that’s where it makes it easy. You just watch the tape. Unfortunately for them, they’ve lost in the last few minutes a handful of times this year, and against good teams and teams with winning records right now.”
It’s a valid point. The Giants are coming off a loss to the Packers, where they led midway through the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute, only for backup quarterback Jameis Winston to throw an interception in the end zone.
A week earlier, against the Chicago Bears, they coughed up a 10-point lead to the Bears in the final four minutes. That loss cost coach Brian Daboll his job.
How could it not? Three weeks earlier, the Giants had one of the more epic collapses in recent memory, allowing the Denver Broncos to score 33 points in the fourth quarter to steal a 33-22 win.
The team’s Week 2 defeat in Dallas feels forgettable, comparatively, but New York lost the lead three times in the fourth quarter, including a three-point edge in the final 25 seconds when Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey knocked down a 64-yarder to send the contest into overtime, where the Giants lost after demoted former starting quarterback Russell Wilson threw a pick leading to a game-winning kick in overtime.
These Giants should have at least three more wins to pair with a 17-point victory over the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants hung 34 on their NFC East rival, the same opponent the Lions couldn’t score 10 against last week.
Campbell also highlighted some of the personnel that could give Detroit trouble this week, led by edge rusher Brian Burnes and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II.
“Got a lot of respect for him, the way he plays,” Campbell said. “Big man. Can cover ground, get edges, push the pocket, shut down the run, good player. Burns, heat off the edge. I think a lot of it starts with those two players.”
Offensively, Campbell made a case that running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. is underrated, calling the second-year man out of Purdue crafty and stronger than he looks, playing behind an offensive line Detroit’s coach called gritty and able to generate push with their downhill, gap-based scheme.
Campbell also recognizes what rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart provides the Giants if he’s cleared to return from concussion protocol this week.
“He does give them a spark,” Campbell said. “He’s kind of an electric player. He’s got some energy about him. He’s tough, plays tough. He’s got the ability to run, and he can kind of break some tackles and keep his eyes downfield. He can make some pretty big throws.”
And while Campbell acknowledged it’s a tough deal to see Daboll, his former colleague and industry friend, get fired this season, Campbell knows how that kind of mid-year move can ignite a team. That’s because Campbell once was that spark, taking over as interim coach in Miami in the middle of the 2015 season.
Detroit defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, who was playing linebacker for the Dolphins at the time, recently described the jolt provided by Campbell that year.
“In the Miami Dolphins facility, all the lights were off,” Sheppard started his analogy. “We didn’t pay the electric bill all year. And then, when Dan took over, he paid the whole six months that were unpaid. Because guys had a fire. You went to practice with a purpose. I’ll say it, I was one of those guys. Shame on us as players to let the environment or the situation dictate what we put forth to our profession. But it just shows you the (impact) of a head coach.”
In his coaching debut, Giants interim coach Mike Kafka’s group pushed the Packers to the brink before falling short without Dart.
“I think there was some fresh energy last week when you watched them against Green Bay,” Campbell acknowledged. “I think sometimes it’s just that newness.”
The message is clear in Allen Park this week: Don’t sleep on the Giants. Of course, it wouldn’t matter who the next opponent is; Campbell’s team has rarely shown that complacency, just like they haven’t let one loss spiral into two for quite some time.
On the outside of the playoff picture with seven games to go, now, more than ever, they can’t afford to look past anyone, no matter what, or who, is on the horizon.
Lions by 80