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Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson throws down the football after scoring on a 16-yard reception during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Detroit, Monday, Sept. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson throws down the football after scoring on a 16-yard reception during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Detroit, Monday, Sept. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

New York Giants vs. Detroit Lions: Twitter Reaction and Full Postgame Quotes

Patricia TrainaSep 8, 2014

New York Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo tried to convince people this week that the preseason struggles of his unit were in the rear-view mirror after his group had two good days of practice.

“I feel that we made progress. We are starting to click in practice,” he told reporters on Friday. “We are getting some chemistry going.”

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Well, you could have fooled us, coach.

The Giants offense got absolutely nothing going against the Detroit Lions, who dominated New York not just in that facet, but also on defense and special teams on the way to an embarrassing 35-14 thumping on Monday night.

Sticking with the offense for a moment, the Giants have a lot of work to do if they wish to become competitive.

Some stats of note that remind one of last year’s struggles under former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride include a 23 percent conversion rate on third down.

The Giants also netted 197 yards of offense on 57 plays (3.5 yards per play, in case you were wondering).

They had two turnoversboth interceptions by quarterback Eli Manning, who hadn’t thrown a pick in the preseason, though he did come close a couple of times only to have those wiped out by penalties.

They also rushed for a whopping 2.4 yards per carry as the offensive line, which had been a focus for the front office in the offseason, was no match for against the Lions’ very stout defensive front.

The problems weren’t only on offense. The Giants defense gave up 341 yards in the air, 164 of those going to receiver Calvin Johnson, who had 131 yards on five catches by halftime.

To put Megatron’s numbers into perspective, his 164 total receiving yards were one more than the eight Giants who were targeted in the passing game combined.

In trying to explain what happened with the defense, safety Antrel Rolle told Steve Serby of the New York Post that “everyone needs to be in the right place at the right time" instead of trying to cover for others' mistakes. This is very similar to what happened at times last year.

How bad was it for the Big Blue defense? There was this play:

And this play: 

The result?

Things wouldn’t be complete without injuries. 

The Giants announced that defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul underwent X-rays on his neck in the first half.

The good news is that Pierre-Paul returned to the game, telling Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News that his injury was just a stinger and he plans to practice this week.

Punter Steve Weatherford, who deserves a medal for gutting out the game despite having his ankle bent under him in the first half, was spotted in a protective walking boot by Art Stapleton of The Record.

Stapleton reported that the Giants’ king of the “Swole Patrol” will have an MRI on his swollen left ankle on Tuesday.

It was announced in the press box that rookie linebacker Devon Kennard suffered a hamstring injury, one from which he didn’t return. Safety Quintin Demps suffered a bruised knee.

The good news? In his first action since breaking his foot on June 12, linebacker Jon Beason told Samuel that he was a little sore but otherwise no worse for the wear.

So where do the Giants go from here? Back to the drawing board, of course, though it won’t be easy.

They’ll have a short work week—the players are off on Tuesday—and then they’ll get right back into trying to regroup in time for their 2014 home opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Patricia Traina is the senior editor for Inside Football. All quotes and information obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.

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