Giants Week 11 Storylines: Lions Come Roaring into MetLife Stadium

If there ever was a trap game on the New York Giants' schedule, this upcoming one would probably be it.

The Giants, who host the Detroit Lions Sunday, have a quick turnaround after the game in which they head to Dallas for a re-match against a Cowboys team they barely lost to in Week 3. That game marks the first of five straight games against division opponents, which should tell us quite a bit about this Giants team and where they might end up in the postseason seeding.

Division games usually tend to have a little more juice to them, whereas sometimes, players look ahead to that game rather than staying in the moment. And it's staying in the moment that Giants head coach Brian Daboll constantly preaches as being one of the pillars of his program.

Agreeing to stay in the moment is one thing. Still, these players are human, which is why this weekend's game, followed by a quick turnaround, isn't necessarily a gimme against a Lions team the Giants should otherwise be able to handle.

Here are some more storylines for the week ahead.

Injury Status

Head coach Brian Daboll said Monday that the Giants came out of last week's game against the Houston Texans relatively clean save for the normal bumps and bruises.

"We’ll see on Wednesday, but I think it (the injury report) will probably be a little bit similar to what it was last week," he said.

Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari, who is on injured reserve, still has another week to go before he's eligible to return--he's almost certain to be back at some point. Meanwhile, the Giants have a couple of guys who have been sidelined due to injuries that are not on IR, such as tight end Daniel Bellinger (eye) and offensive tackle Evan Neal (knee), both of whom are making progress per Daboll.

"We have) some bumps and bruises here and there, but (we’re) fairly healthy," Daboll said.

Kenny Golladay's Future

Last week was a golden opportunity for receiver Kenny Golladay, coming back from a knee injury to show that he was fully bought into the program and ready to contribute to his first winning team in his career.

Instead, Golladay had two dropped balls in a lackluster and frustrating enough performance that earned him a benching in the second half of last week's game.

Does this mean that we have seen the last of Golladay, who is almost sure to be released after the season, on the field for the Giants, barring a rash of injuries at the position?

"You never know what can happen week to week," Diboll said after Sunday's game. "Go out there and try to have a good week of practice. And take it day by day."

Daboll's expectation for all players is simple. "All I expect these guys to do is come in on Wednesday, learn from the tape, go out to practice, have a good week at practice, and then by the end of the week, we’ll decide where everybody fits, and that’s how we approach it," he said regarding Golladay's future snaps with the offense.

Still, don't be surprised if newcomers Isaiah Hodgkins and Darius Slayton start getting more and more of the looks that might have otherwise gone to Golladay.

Running on Empty?

By now, it's pretty obvious that the identity of the Giants offense is its running game, as led by Saquon Barkley.

And until teams truly figure out how to stop that aspect of the Giants' offense, that will continue to be the approach taken by the team.

But what about the passing game? Might the Giants, who seem to have figured out that Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins can bring a little something to that part of the offense, start incorporating more passing attempts against the league's 27th-ranked passing defense (255.3 yards allowed per game)?

"I don’t know," Daboll said. "You practice that each week. You’re ready, and try to be as ready as you can in every situation. I think you just take each game as they come and coach and play the way you need to play for that week."

Among the many beliefs held by the late Vince Lombardi was that if something was working, stick with it until it no longer worked, even if the opponent knew what was coming. The Giants are likely to stick with Barkley as much as possible as he trends toward a new potential career high for carries in this, his contract year.

But at some point this year, the passing game will have to step up. And when that happens, the Giants' playoff hopes could very well hinge on that.

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