Giants at Lions: Week 16 preview, odds and injuries

Week 16 · Mon, Dec 28 · Ford Field8:15 PM ET

at8:15 PMET · ESPN

At a glanceUpdated Nov 11, 2026, 2:46 AM ET

The New York Giants (5-2-1) visit the Detroit Lions (6-2) on Mon, Dec 28, 8:15 PM ET at Ford Field in Detroit, MI (Week 16, 2026 season), on ESPN.

When and where is Giants vs Lions?

Mon, Dec 28, 8:15 PM ET at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. TV: ESPN.

Who is injured for Giants vs Lions?

Giants: Cam Skattebo (RB, out), Abdul Carter (LB, questionable, knee), Colton Hood (CB, questionable, finger), J.J. McCarthy (QB, questionable) and Malik Harrison (LB, questionable, groin). Lions: Kerby Joseph (S, out, knee), Cade Mays (C, questionable, ankle), D.J. Reed (CB, questionable, hip), DJ Wonnum (LB, questionable, concussion) and Jacob Saylors (RB, questionable, neck).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Giants at Lions: Week 16 preview”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2026-12-28-nyg-at-det (updated 2026-11-11).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

Regular season through week 15 · rank out of 32

Where this game will be decided

1Lions pass rush vs Giants pass protection
The Lions' pass rush ranks 7th in sack rate (7.6% of dropbacks, 355 dropbacks faced) and faces a Giants pass protection ranked 27th (8.9% sacked, 304 dropbacks).
27thNYG offense20 spots apart7thDET defense
2Lions red-zone offense vs Giants red-zone defense
The Lions' red-zone offense ranks 13th in red-zone touchdown rate (62%, 34 trips) against a Giants red-zone defense ranked 29th (75% allowed, 20 trips faced).
13thDET offense16 spots apart29thNYG defense
3Giants third-down offense vs Lions third-down defense
The Giants' third-down offense ranks 13th in third-down conversion rate (41.8%, 110 third downs) against a Lions third-down defense ranked 26th (44.9% allowed, 107 third downs faced).
13thNYG offense13 spots apart26thDET defense

When the Giants have the ballEdge NYG · +11 ranks

NYG dropback offenseEPA per dropbackDET pass defense

16th+0.08304 dropbacks

NYG +11

+0.16 allowed355 dropbacks faced27th

NYG run gameEPA per rushDET run defense

19th-0.11215 rushes

-0.11 allowed164 rushes faced12th

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Lions have the ballEdge DET · +8 ranks

DET dropback offenseEPA per dropbackNYG pass defense

5th+0.21299 dropbacks

DET +8

+0.01 allowed290 dropbacks faced13th

DET run gameEPA per rushNYG run defense

13th-0.05218 rushes

-0.09 allowed186 rushes faced14th

Third downEdge NYG · +13 ranks

NYG third-down offensethird-down conversion rateDET third-down defense

13th41.8%110 third downs

NYG +13

44.9% allowed107 third downs faced26th

DET third-down offensethird-down conversion rateNYG third-down defense

22nd37.2%94 third downs

NYG +10

38.0% allowed100 third downs faced12th

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneEdge DET · +16 ranks

NYG red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateDET red-zone defense

11th63%24 trips

NYG +12

66% allowed29 trips faced23rd

DET red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateNYG red-zone defense

13th62%34 trips

DET +16

75% allowed20 trips faced29th

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge NYG · +8 ranks

NYG big-play offenseexplosive-play rateDET defense against big plays

20th8.7%519 plays

NYG +8

11.0% allowed519 plays faced28th

DET big-play offenseexplosive-play rateNYG defense against big plays

5th10.8%517 plays

9.0% allowed476 plays faced12th

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge DET · +20 ranks

NYG pass protectionsack rateDET pass rush

27th8.9% sacked304 dropbacks

DET +20

7.6% of dropbacks355 dropbacks faced7th

DET pass protectionsack rateNYG pass rush

19th6.4% sacked299 dropbacks

5.5% of dropbacks290 dropbacks faced19th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge DET · +15 ranks

NYG ball securityturnovers per gameDET takeaway defense

19th1.3 giveaways a game8 games

1.0 takeaways a game8 games22nd

DET ball securityturnovers per gameNYG takeaway defense

2nd0.6 giveaways a game8 games

DET +15

1.1 takeaways a game8 games17th

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

AbsencesNYG 0 · DET 0 regulars out or doubtful

Giants5 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QAbdul CarterLB87% defense · 8 wk
QColton HoodCB68% defense · 6 wk
OUTCam SkatteboRB55% offense · 7 wk
QJ.J. McCarthyQB54% offense · 4 wk
QMalik HarrisonLB4% defense · 6 wk

Lions5 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QD.J. ReedCB94% defense · 7 wk
QCade MaysC66% offense · 2 wk
QDJ WonnumLB54% defense · 7 wk
QJacob SaylorsRB3% offense · 7 wk
OUTKerby JosephSno snaps

Snap share is the average of the weeks each player was on the field this season. Full injury report ↓

Rest & travelSame rest · NYG travels 475 mi

AwayGiants

8days since last game

475miles to get here

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 15 vs CLE · 8,311 mi flown this season

Normal week

Rest edgeEvensame restTravel gap 475 mi

HomeLions

8days since last game

0miles · home

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 15 at MIN · Minneapolis · 7,124 mi flown this season

Normal week

League splits for these situations ↓

Sample: NYG 8 games, 519 offensive and 476 defensive plays · DET 8 games, 517 offensive and 519 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Season to date · rank out of 32