Looking ahead to Lions' first opponent: New York Giants

First up for the Detroit Lions this season is a home game against the New York Giants. Here's an early look at the Giants:

New York Giants (0-0)

Preseason schedule

HOF - vs. Bills (Canton, OH) - won, 17-13
Week 1 - vs. Steelers - won, 20-16
Week 2 - at Colts - won, 27-26
Week 3 - at Jets - won, 35-24
Week 4 - vs. Patriots - won, 16-13

Reason for optimism

I'll let Jeremy Reisman take this one:

Although Giants were 5-0 in preseason, they only held the lead once at halftime. Outscored 40-56 in the first half.

— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) September 2, 2014

Eli Manning's preseason: 20-41, 188 yds, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 5 sacks. 4.6 yards per attempt.

— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) September 2, 2014

As the numbers suggest, the Giants' first-team offense was quite awful in the preseason. Between that and all of the question marks surrounding the Giants' offensive line, the Lions defense has an excellent opportunity to start the season on a positive note.

Reason for pessimism

Even if the Giants struggle to move the ball, there's no guarantee the Lions will actually win, as evidenced by last year's game between these two teams. The Lions shut down the Giants in the second half, but their offense was unable to put the game away, and a Matthew Stafford pick-six late in the fourth quarter actually tied the game. Then, in overtime, the Giants won on a 45-yard field goal. I know the Lions have a new coaching staff in place and several new players on their team, but if the turnover bug strikes again, it could put a damper on Detroit's first game of the season.

Storyline to watch

Monday Night Football. First game of the season. First regular-season game of the Jim Caldwell era. Need I say more?

Additional info

For more on the Giants, check out Big Blue View.