OFFENSE: B
Jameis Winston was 18-for-36 for 366 yards and two touchdowns, and he also caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from receiver Gunner Olszewski. Wan’Dale Robinson caught nine passes for a career-high 156 yards. The Giants scored two touchdowns on gimmick plays. They totaled 517 yards. All in all, a bravura performance. Except when it wasn’t. Winston threw an interception in the fourth quarter, and the Giants scored only seven points after halftime as they missed several chances to put the game away, notably on a fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line with three minutes left while leading, 27-24. Winston threw incomplete to Theo Johnson.
DEFENSE: D
It was a gutsy effort against a faster, multi-faceted Lions attack, but it was not nearly enough. As safety Jevon Holland said after the game, “speed kills,” and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs killed the Giants with his. He had 15 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns, including a 69-yarder on the first play from scrimmage in overtime. He also had 11 receptions for 45 yards and a TD. Jared Goff was 28-for-42 for 279 yards, two TDs and an interception.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C
Younghoe Koo made field goals of 21 and 44 yards and three extra points. Jamie Gillan’s punting was uneven, averaging 40 yards on three attempts. The Lions got a 44-yard kickoff return from Kalif Raymond that led to a Detroit field goal as time expired in the first half.
COACHING: C
Interim coach Mike Kafka said he still has faith in defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, but that is becoming increasingly difficult to justify, given the unit’s season-long series of late-game collapses. Kafka himself was aggressive and creative on the offensive end, calling a flea flicker that scored a touchdown and later the pass from Olszewski to Winston that produced another score and a 27-17 lead. Kafka’s decision not to kick a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line with a three-point lead was bold but correct.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.