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Fact or Fiction: Key matchups, stat predictions 

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The Giants.com crew is presented with four statements and must decide whether they are Fact or Fiction.

The Lions have the most dangerous offense that the Giants face this season.

John Schmeelk: Fact - I'm going to go with fact here, despite many of the overall offensive efficiency metrics have the Lions behind the Chiefs (yeah, I was surprised too), the 49ers, and even the Cowboys in some instances. The Chiefs can't, or won't, run the ball, and they don't have an elite receiving weapon. The 49ers have swapped quarterbacks due to injury and also have all sorts of injuries. The Cowboys might be the best argument, but their running back, while effective, is not explosive. They also have questions on their offensive line, which mostly have to do with the youth they are playing there every game. The Lions have an explosive back in Jahmyr Gibbs, a top ten receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown, a speedster wide receiver in Jameson Williams, two good offensive tackles in Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker, and a quarterback that can put the ball anywhere if he is protected in Jared Goff. They check every box that the other teams do not, and it's what makes them the most dangerous.

Matt Citak: Fact – The Lions' offense has been in the top five in both points and yards every season dating back to 2022. This year has been no different. Even with tight end Sam LaPorta on injured reserve, Detroit boasts a talented group of playmakers in Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, not to mention one of the league's top offensive lines. With the Lions coming off a season-low nine-point outing against the Eagles last week, the Giants will have their hands full trying to slow this unit down on Sunday.

Brian Burns vs. Penei Sewell is the matchup to watch on Sunday.

John Schmeelk: Fiction - This is really a toss up between the two offensive tackle – pass rusher matchups. Players on both sides are either All-Pro or Pro Bowl caliber playing near the top of their games, but I will lean Andrew Thomas vs. Aidan Hutchinson. There is an argument to be made for both players that they are the best at their respective positions this season. Hutchinson leads the NFL in the number of overall pressures (62) according to Pro Football Focus, and is third in both their pressure rate and win rate metrics. Meanwhile, Thomas has allowed only 10 pressures, including one sack, all season long.

Matt Citak: Fact – I agree with John, this one could go either way between Burns vs. Sewell and Thomas vs. Hutchinson. Since John went with the latter, I'll take the former. Burns has already set a new career high with his 13 sacks through the first 11 games of the season. Meanwhile, Sewell has allowed a pressure on just 5.2 percent of his pass sets this season, according to Next Gen Stats, which is the second-lowest among all right tackles and the lowest rate in his five-year career. Any way you look at it, the edge rusher vs. tackle battles on both sides of the ball Sunday should be entertaining.

See the top photos from practice as the Giants prepare for their Week 12 matchup against the Lions.

Jared Goff is the most underrated quarterback in the NFL.

John Schmeelk: Fact - I think there is an argument to be made for Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and maybe even Dak Prescott, but given Goff is routinely ranked behind at least two of those players in quarterback rankings, I believe this statement is correct. Goff is consistent every year, rarely gets hurt, and has led a team to a Super Bowl. When protected, Goff is extremely accurate and operates the Lions offense with precision. He is an accomplished pocket passer and more often than not gives the Lions an opportunity to win. It's still amazing to think the Lions were paid to take back Goff in the Matthew Stafford trade with the Rams.

Matt Citak: Fiction – I can fully understand why some would say Goff is the most underrated quarterback in the NFL, but for me, it's Baker Mayfield. The veteran quarterback has turned his career around since landing in Tampa Bay in 2023. And despite a bit of a cold streak recently that has seen him throw for more than one touchdown in just one of his last four games, Mayfield still enters Week 12 with a 17-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and he's done it without Chris Godwin all year and Mike Evans for most of the season. I think it's close between Mayfield and Goff, but considering the talent Goff has around him, including his protection up front, I'm giving the slight edge to Mayfield.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. will have 100 yards from scrimmage for the second game in a row.

John Schmeelk: Fiction - The Lions defense has not given up more than 300 yards in a game since their Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. They have not given up 100 scrimmage yards to a running back since their Week 4 contest against the Browns, when Quinshon Judkins ran for 82 yards and had 33 yards receiving. Former Giants linebacker Kelvin Sheppard (Once a Giant, Always a Giant) has done a spectacular job stepping in for Aaron Glenn as the Lions' defensive coordinator, and I expect it to be tough sledding for Giants running backs on Sunday.

Matt Citak: Fiction – Tracy is coming off his best performance of the season and his second-highest yardage total of his young career. But it will be tough for him to have a repeat outing this weekend in Detroit. Not only do the Lions have one of the league's top run defenses, but game script might also force the Giants to not run the ball quite as often as they did last week (38 rush attempts vs. Green Bay). I do expect Tracy to play a role in the passing game, so maybe he reaches the 100-yard mark with a good chunk coming through the air, but I think he's going to come just short of this number.

View photos from the all-time series between the New York Giants and Detroit Lions.

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