Lions vs. Giants: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

Neither the Detroit Lions nor the New York Giants looked remotely like postseason contenders on offense. But Eli Manning did just enough and the Giants defense held on as they entrenched themselves in playoff contention with a 17-6 win Sunday.

Manning threw for 201 yards and the team compiled 114 on the ground in a game that was dominated by the two defenses. 

The Giants have won eight of their last nine games after a 2-3 start. Six of those wins have come by one score, and New York has all but clinched a wild-card berth even though it's yet to hit the 30-point mark. Manning and Co. are 2-1 in their last three games despite combining for 41 points.

Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz described the dichotomy between the two sides of the ball:

While the pass rush sacked Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford only once, the Giants consistently put pressure on the Detroit passing game. Stafford was consistently forced into checkdown routes, usually a staple of the Lions offense that went nowhere Sunday. Aside from a 67-yard pitch-and-catch to Golden Tate, Stafford found almost no room for big plays.

The NFL provided video of Stafford's throw to Tate:

The Giants were also the recipient of some fortuitous bounces. A Zach Zenner fumble into the end zone wiped away a sure score a play after Tate's big reception, and the Giants recovered a Shane Vereen fumble in the Detroit end zone later in the period. A penalty overturned the potential touchdown, but New York capped the drive off with a field goal to take a 10-3 lead into the half.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News noted it was some bad luck for Victor Cruz:

Playing without Theo Riddick, the Lions found no success on the ground. Rookie Dwayne Washington accounted for just 31 yards on 14 carries, with a series of stops at the line of scrimmage obscuring a sole 12-yard gain. Justin Rogers of the Detroit News pointed to one particular running back miscue in the second half where the Lions could have used Riddick:

The Giants continued to split their running back workload, with Paul Perkins looking more and more like the better option. Perkins outgained Rashad Jennings, 56-38, despite receiving seven fewer carries (18 to 11), and he's clearly the more explosive of the Giants' two options.

Cameron DaSilva of Fox Sports was particularly confused by one Jennings run on third down:

Despite the lack of chunk yardage, Odell Beckham Jr. came through with a team-high six receptions for 64 yards. His four-yard touchdown from Manning with 5:47 remaining all but sealed the win for the Giants. Sterling Shepard, who hauled in four passes for 56 yards, added their other score on the game's opening drive.

Tate led all players with eight receptions and 122 yards. He has at least five receptions in eight of his last nine games—a far cry from an early-season swoon that seemingly had him on the way out of the Lions passing attack.

The Giants' win makes them a near-mortal lock for the postseason. They can clinch a playoff spot with one more win or a Green Bay Packers loss in the final two weeks. 

The Lions' loss loosens their stranglehold on the NFC North, but they still look like a clear favorite. A season-ending matchup with the Packers may wind up helping decide the fate of all three teams jostling for those final couple of playoff spots.    

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Postgame Reaction

The Giants provided a series of quotes from players after the game:

The Lions provided video of Stafford's postgame press conference: