Giants Fall to Lions in Preseason Opener, 21-16
After jumping out to a 13-3 halftime lead against the Detroit Lions, the New York Giants couldn't finish the job, falling to the Lions 21-16 at Ford Field in both teams' 2023 preseason opener.
New York scored 10 points off two interceptions, but the offense was shut down in the second half. The Lions turned the tide in their favor on a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown by receiver Maurice Alexander, which sliced the Giants lead to two following Detroit's successful two-point conversion.
The Giants and Lions would exchange field goals in the second half, a 28-yarder by Parker Romo and a 47-yarder by Graham Gano, who hit his third field goal of 40+ yards of the night to maintain the Giants' slim 2-point lead.
The Lions, however, scored the winning touchdown with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by quarterback Adrian Martinez.
Tyrod Taylor began the game at quarterback for the Giants but would later be replaced by rookie Tommy DeVito. The undrafted free agent completed 15 of 24 passes for 155 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He was also sacked five times, with four coming in the second half behind the Giants' third-string offensive line.
The Giants offense was ultimately outgained 328-243 in total yardage.
Thanks to their defense, New York put three points on the board right away. On the first play from scrimmage, safety Jason Pinnock intercepted a pass from Nate Sudfeld and returned it 17 yards to the Lions’ 32-yard line. Although the offense only picked up two yards, Gano drilled the first of his three field goals, a 48-yarder, for an early 3-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for the Giants to get the ball back, as the defense forced a turnover on downs at the Detroit 32-yard line when Pinnock broke up a pass intended for tight end Sam LaPorta. The Giants offense again sputtered after a holding penalty negated what would have been a 19-yard run by Taylor, but Gano increased the lead to 6-0 after booting a 42-yarder.
The Lions could finally generate some offense on their third drive, moving the ball to the New York 21. But Giants cornerback Deonte Banks covered Chase Cora well enough for a third-down incompletion. Detroit ultimately settled for Riley Patterson’s 39-yard field goal to cut New York’s lead in half.
The Giants switched quarterbacks on their next drive, putting New Jersey native DeVito under center. The offense responded by driving 69 yards on 13 plays, which included key penalties by Detroit’s defense and 34 yards on three receptions to receiver Cole Beasley. But the Giants couldn't finish the drive, turning the ball over on downs at the Detroit 18 when James Robinson was dropped for a 1-yard loss on 4th-and-1.
After both teams punted, Detroit advanced to their own 36 before Sudfeld threw a deep pass over the middle intercepted by safety Dane Belton, who returned the ball 42 yards to the Lions' 14. New York’s offense struck with precision as DeVito immediately threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Sweeney to give the Giants a 13-3 lead.
Detroit responded by mounting a drive deep into Giants territory, moving 71 yards in 10 plays. However, New York’s defense held firm when cornerback Cor’Dale Flott broke up Sudfeld’s pass to the end zone on 4th-and-4, the score remaining 13-3 in favor of the Giants at halftime.
The second half proved to be a disaster for New York. The Giants started the second half with the ball but were forced to punt after DeVito was sacked on third down. Jamie Gillian unleashed a powerful 67-yard punt, but Alexander returned it for a 95-yard touchdown. Sudfeld then completed a two-point conversion pass to Jameson Williams, the Giants’ lead was cut to just two.
After the Giants went three-and-out again, the Lions moved 46 yards on 14 plays, going as far as the Giants' 5-yard line. They ultimately settled for a 28-yard field goal by Romo, but Detroit now had their first lead, 14-13. Meanwhile, the Giants’ offense, which ran only 11 plays in the third quarter, continued to struggle, as DeVito was sacked again on 3rd-and-2, resulting in another punt.
The first three drives of the fourth quarter ended in punts, but the Giants would retake the lead by moving 39 yards in six plays. DeVito’s 22-yard pass to David Sills V eventually set up Gano’s third field goal, this one from 47 yards to make it 16-14.
However, Detroit responded with an 11-play, 69-yard drive from the game-winning score. A 15-yard roughing the passer call on Habakkuk Baldonado moved the ball inside the red zone, and Martinez (who replaced Sudfeld) converted two third downs with his legs, including a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Lions ahead for good, 21-16.
The Lions then sealed the game by intercepting DeVito on 4th-and-15 with less than a minute remaining in regulation.
The Giants had two injuries of note in this game. Receiver Collin Johnson, who is trying to return from a torn Achilles suffered last summer,r injured his knee in the first half and was ruled out. Then Flott suffered an abdominal injury on his pass breakup and was ruled out.
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