Giants vs. Lions: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

The first of two Monday Night Football affairs to close out the opening Week of the 2014 NFL season pits the New York Giants against the Detroit Lions, two teams in the midst of serious overhauls in key areas.

After a third-place finish in the NFC East a year ago and an abysmal showing from quarterback Eli Manning, the Giants worked diligently this past offseason to upgrade the roster, yet the end results could not be any more unpredictable.

One of the NFL's most pass-happy attacks this side of New Orleans saw Detroit finish with an identical record (7-9) and placement in the NFC North, also prompting upgrades on both sides of the football.

The result is what is sure to be an entertaining affair as it is nearly impossible to discern how this one will play out, hence the close spread. Let's take a look at everything fans need to know about the matchup.

When: Monday, Sept. 8, 7:10 p.m. ET

Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream WatchESPN

Betting Info: (via Odds Shark)

Over/Under: 47

Spread: Detroit (-6)

Team Injury Reports

Name	Position	Status
Jon Beason	LB	Questionable
Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	Doubtful
Geoff Schwartz	OG	Out
Stevie Brown	S	Probable

Name	Position	Status
James Ihedigbo	S	Questionable
Kyle Van Noy	LB	Out

Injury info via ESPN.

State of Affairs in New York

"Not good" is probably the best way to put it.

In an effort to curtail Manning's turnover issues as he continues to age—he threw the most interceptions of any quarterback last season—the Giants used the No. 12 overall pick on LSU wideout Odell Beckham—who will miss the contest due to injury, per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.

No big deal, right? David Wilson retired, but the backfield still has the underrated Rashad Jennings and the receiver corps still has Victor Cruz, although the former has injury issues that have plagued his career and the latter is coming off his worst year as a pro.

Worst of all, though, is the offensive line. Rookie Weston Richburg will start at guard. J. D. Walton mans center, but has not played in about two years thanks to injury. The other starting guard, Brandon Mosley, has one career start to his name. Tackle Will Beatty broke his leg last season.

Rotoworld's Adam Levitan put it best:

The new-look line struggled all preseason against vanilla schemes and blitzes, so how much time Manning has against a great rush with his line operating on a silent count in a loud environment will likely decide the game.

It's not all bad news coming out of New York, though.

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The Giants front office did make a serious push to upgrade a leaky secondary with the addition of corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who ranked as the No. 6 overall player at his position last season at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Joining him is Walter Thurmond, who came in at No. 33.

The latter is getting his wish with a date against Calvin Johnson.

"You always want to go against the best competition out there," Thurmond said, per ESPN.com's Kieran Darcy.  "It really shows where we are as a defensive back group. We’re really confident in our room, in our ability and what we’re capable of doing."

Obviously, it would be unwise to count out such a talented group. 

Weakness Turned to Strength?

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

The above certainly applies to the New York secondary, but it does in a number of areas for the Lions, too.

Detroit is often criticized as having a weak secondary in recent years, and it's quite a fair bit of analysis. Thanks to 34-year-old corner Rashean Mathis, who revived his career last season and ranked as the No. 26 overall corner in the NFL in the process at PFF, the reputation out of the Motor City is beginning to change.

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

That being said, the man across from him, Darius Slay, did come in at No. 92. But upgrades at safety with Glover Quin and James Ihedigbo figure to mask any deficiencies in the secondary—the former ranked as the No. 10 overall safety in the NFL last year at PFF, while the latter came in at No. 15.

Another weakness for years in Detroit? Someone who could actually step up and catch passes at a consistent clip across from Megatron.

Hence the addition of Golden Tate this past offseason. Tate gets overlooked a lot because he was mired in Seattle's run-first attack for four seasons, but ponder this—per PFF, 506 of his 898 yards came after the catch, he ranked No. 2 overall in yards per catch after the reception and he dropped just three passes on 93 targets.

Just like the Giants, though, the upgrades sound good on paper. Whether they pan out against a team of similar skill come Monday night is a different conversation entirely.

Prediction 

Again, this has all the makings of quite an entertaining contest. Just peep a stat unearthed by the broadcast's Twitter account:

"

The past two seasons the Lions have coughed the ball up an NFL-most 67 times while the Giants have 65 turnovers, tying for third-most.

— ESPN Monday Night (@ESPNMondayNight) September 2, 2014"

When it comes down to it, those on the search for a prediction can feel safe with the home team. Football is won in the trenches first and foremost, and Manning's production behind a shaky line last season does not bode well for his chances against a Detroit rush that includes Ndamukong Suh.

As improved as the New York secondary might be this year, there is not a defensive back in the NFL who can shut down Johnson. This is especially the case now that a sure-handed threat lines up across from him and stretches a secondary thin.

It won't be pretty, but gritty wins are memorable, too.

Prediction: Lions 27, Giants 26

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).