Detroit Lions at New York Giants: 5 Things to Watch For

Will either team be able to run the ball?

Having a franchise quarterback has made the thoughts of a running game second-class for both these teams. While they continue to insist their goal is to run the ball, it’s clear enough neither has really made a siginficant investment of time or money to follow through on that. The Giants offensive line troubles haunt their ground attack as well. Paul Perkins is more of a passing game threat anyway. The same goes for Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick with the Lions.

So this game likely won’t be about who can establish the run. It will be more about who can get the most out of what they have. Who sticks with it? History shows teams who at least commit to balancing the offense tend to come out on top. New York ran the ball 12 times in Dallas and loss. Detroit ran it 27 times and won. That’s not an accident. In fact eight of the teams ranked in the top 10 with the most rush attempts of week one came out with a victory.