NFL Picks 11/22 – Giants @ Lions – Are The Giants Done?

By Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The New York Giants (2-9) visit the Detroit Lions (6-4) on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field in Week 12. The teams are facing each other for the first time since Week 11 of the 2022 season when Detroit picked up a 31-18 win at New York. The Lions have won four of the last five against the Giants dating back to the 2014 season. 

Detroit is a 12-point favorite and the total is 50.5. The line has seen a 1.5 to 2.5 point shift in Detroit’s favor within the last few days after the Giants announced that starting quarterback Jaxson Dart will not play due to a concussion.

WHAT BOTH TEAMS DID IN THEIR PREVIOUS GAME

The New York Giants are coming off a 27-20 loss against the visiting Green Bay Packers in Week 11. The undermanned Giants went toe-to-toe with the 7.5-point favorite Packers as the lead switched hands four times. Green Bay took a 27-20 lead with 4:02 left in the game after Christian Watson hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love. New York had a chance to tie or win the game in the final moments, but Evan Williams picked off a Jameis Winston pass in the end zone with 36 seconds to go.

Giants quarterback Jameis Winston — who was filling in for injured, star rookie Jaxson Dart — finished 19 of 29 for 201 yards with a rushing touchdown and an interception. Winston was making his first NFL start since Dec. 15 of last season against the Kansas City Chiefs, when he was with the Cleveland Browns. Winston began the year as New York’s third-string quarterback behind starter Russell Wilson and rookie Jaxson Dart.

Running back Tyrone Tracey Jr. accumulated 88 rushing yards on 19 carries, along with four catches for 51 receiving yards in the loss. Fellow running back Devin Singletary totaled 16 carries for 44 yards and two rushing touchdowns for New York. The Giants have lost five in a row. This was New York’s first game since firing head coach Brian Daboll on Nov. 10. 

Detroit fell 16-9 at Philadelphia last week on Sunday Night Football in a hard-fought defensive battle. The Lions and Eagles combined for just two field goals in the second half of the game. Both starting quarterbacks — Jared Goff for Detroit and Jalen Hurts for Philadelphia — struggled with accuracy as Goff completed just 14 of 37 passes (37.8%), while Hurts completed 14 of 28 passes (50%). Goff’s completion percentage was the lowest of his NFL career. 

Superstar running back Jahmyr Gibbs was one of the few bright spots for the Lions offensively against Philadelphia, finishing with 12 carries for 39 yards and a team-high 107 receiving yards. Wideout Jameson Williams had 4 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. 

GAME STORYLINES: NEW YORK

After several years of uneven results, the New York Giants jettisoned what were thought to be cornerstone players in running back Saquon Barkley (2024) and quarterback Daniel Jones (2025) over the last two offseasons. Both players have gone onto achieve monumental success elsewhere as Barkley rushed for a whopping 2,005 yards and won the Super Bowl in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles last year, while Daniel Jones is currently producing a career-year for the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts.

New York has experienced a topsy-turvy season as they began the year 0-3 with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson and the offense struggling. The Giants also lost second-year, star wideout Malik Nabers for the year after he tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. The Giants decided to bench Wilson after a listless performance in a 22-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at home on Sunday Night Football dropped them to 0-3. 

The Giants turned to highly-regarded first-round (26th overall – Ole Miss) rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart beginning in Week 4 after benching Russell Wilson. The 22-year-old rookie provided a huge spark for the Giants as he led the team to a 21-18 upset of the Los Angeles Chargers at home in his first NFL start. 

After an uninspiring 26-14 loss at lowly New Orleans in his second start, Jaxson Dart quarterbacked the Giants to a dominant 34-17 upset victory against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at home on Thursday Night Football on Oct. 9. Dart improved to 2-1 as a starter and his magnificent play provided unbridled optimism for a Giants franchise that has experienced just one winning season (2022) over the last 8 years. 

Fellow rookie Cam Skattebo also emerged as a big-time contributor beginning in Week 4 alongside Jaxson Dart. Both rookies got their first starts of the year against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sep. 28. The 23-year-old, fourth-round pick (Arizona State) Skattebo was immediately electrifying with his ability to run over defenders and make plays as a receiver out of the backfield. It seemed as if the Giants had struck gold in the 2025 NFL draft nabbing Dart and Skattebo.

Unfortunately, injuries derailed what would have been phenomenal rookie seasons for Cam Skattebo and then Jaxson Dart. Skattebo suffered a gruesome season-ending injury (dislocated right ankle) in the first half of New York’s 38-20 loss at Philadelphia in Week 8 on Oct. 26. Skattebo compiled a tremendous rookie campaign finishing with 410 rushing yards, 207 receiving yards and 7 total touchdowns across 8 games. 

Jaxson Dart suffered a concussion during the third quarter of New York’s 24-20 loss at Chicago in Week 10 on Nov. 9. He missed last week’s game against Green Bay due to the concussion and will not suit up for Sunday’s game in Detroit.  On the season, Dart has been excellent passing for 1,417 yards with 10 touchdowns to 3 interceptions in 9 games. He’s also rushed for 317 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.

After years of futility and inept decision-making from the front office, New York could have a very bright future led by the young trio of 22-year-old quarterback Jaxson Dart, 22-year-old wideout Malik Nabers and 23-year-old running back Cam Skattebo.

GAME STORYLINES: DETROIT

For the overwhelming majority of their existence, the Detroit Lions were synonymous with losing. From 1971-2022 (52 seasons), Detroit only experienced 2 double-digit win seasons — 1991 and 2014. During this span, Detroit had arguably the greatest running back of all time in Barry Sanders (1989-1998) and one of the greatest wide receiver of all time in Calvin Johnson (2007-2015) but it never translated into long-term or consistent success. 

However, the past two seasons have brought an unparalleled level of success that the franchise never experienced in consecutive seasons. Detroit finished 12-5 in 2023 and advanced to the NFC Championship game for the first time since the 1991 season. Last season, Detroit finished with an NFL-best 15-2 record. The 15 wins set a franchise record. Detroit also won the NFC North division for a second straight year. 

A plethora of shrewd personnel moves transformed Detroit’s franchise from zeros to heroes in an expeditious manner. These shrewd moves included the hiring of Dan Campbell as head coach in January 2021, trading for Rams quarterback Jared Goff in March 2021, and nailing draft picks such as OT Penei Sewell (7th overall, 2021), WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (4th Rd, 2021), DE Aidan Hutchinson (2nd overall, 2022), WR Jameson Williams (12th overall, 2022), CB Kerby Joseph (3rd Rd, 2022) and RB Jahmyr Gibbs (12th overall, 2023). These personnel moves led to the dominance we’ve seen from Detroit over the last 2 seasons.

The 2025 season has been a bit disappointing for Detroit as they enter Sunday’s game with twice as many losses (4) as they had all of last season (2). Detroit currently occupies third place in the NFC North. The unexpected emergence of teams like NFC North-leading Chicago, Carolina and Seattle now has Detroit on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. The Lions are currently one game behind San Francisco for the 7th and final playoff spot. 

Inconsistent offensive efforts in three of their four losses is the culprit for the Lions 6-4 record. Detroit is averaging 38.1 ppg in their 6 wins and just 15.7 ppg in their 4 losses. Despite the disparity in production over their 10 games, Detroit ranks 5th in total offense and total defense, which likely indicates they are an elite and balanced team when clicking on all cylinders.

Despite the somewhat underwhelming results in terms of wins and losses, Detroit continues to be one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL. They are led by the trio of All-Pro running back Jahmyr Gibbs (732 rushing yards, 334 receiving yards, 10 total touchdowns in 10 gms), wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (735 receiving yards, 8 touchdowns in 10 gms) and quarterback Jared Goff (2,490 passing yards, 21 touchdowns to 4 interception, 69% completions in 10 gms). The 23-year-old Gibbs has already established himself as one of the best running backs in year three. 

All-Pro defensive end Aidan Hutchinson continues to anchor the Detroit’s outstanding defense. The fourth-year Michigan product has bounced back from a horrific leg injury (fractured tibia and fibula) that ended his season in Week 6 last year. Hutchinson has registered 21 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery through 10 games in 2025. Detroit signed the 25-year-old Hutchinson to a massive four-year, $180 million extension on Oct. 29.

THE PICK: LIONS (-12)

The Lions usually feast on weaker opponents, and a depleted and slumping Giants team coming to Detroit is just what the doctor ordered for an offensive explosion. I don’t think Detroit is going to get tested in this one, Lay the Points…Lions 41, Giants 20