How about a little NFL Preseason action to make your Thursday night a little more enjoyable? Detroit heads to New York at 7 PM Eastern Time for an exhibition clash that'll capture the attention of fans and bettors.
We've got a full preview of Lions at Giants below, and a free best bet is included. Let's get back on track after our Under in the Hall of Fame Game went down in flames last week! Good luck and enjoy the action folks.
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The New York football Giants are currently a 3.5-point favorite at home over the Detroit Lions for Thursday night's matchup. The oddsmakers must be expecting Brian Daboll to care a little bit more about winning this game since his group severely underperformed in 2023.
The total is currently sitting between 34.5 and 35.5 points, so shop around for the best number regardless of how you are playing it.
Jared Goff is the obvious starter, but I highly doubt we see him in this first preseason game. The former LA Ram may get one series, but even that is highly doubtful. The last thing Dan Campbell wants is to get his main man hurt in a "meaningless" game.
Former Tennesse Vol Hendon Hooker should get the bulk of the snaps in at least two quarters. He was fun to watch at UT and should at least know the playbook pretty well after being in the Detroit system last year. Hooker has a cannon for an arm and it wouldn't surprise me if they let him take a couple of deep shots in this one.
Veteran journeyman Nate Sudfeld will also see plenty of action for Detroit in this ballgame. The former Indiana Hoosier has only thrown 37 regular season passes during his NFL career, but he's been in the league since 2016. Sudfeld is nothing special, but he should do just fine against 2nd and 3rd string defenses.
As with Detroit starter Jared Goff, I doubt that we see much of Daniel Jones in this initial preseason game for New York. That being said, the G-Men have a very experienced QB room and a bonafide backup battle going on between Drew Lock and Tommy Devito.
Lock, a former standout at the University of Missouri, has seen plenty of regular season snaps and he typically does well in August. The 27-year-old has thrown 27 touchdowns to go along with 23 interceptions during his 5-year NFL career. Lock is also more mobile than folks realize, so he could gain some yardage with his feet in this one.
Devito rose to fame last year after Jones went down with an injury. The former Illinois grad was one of the feel-good stories of 2023, especially after he upset the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football in mid-December. He threw for 1,110 yards and 8 touchdowns last season, so he could have some success late in this game as well.
When we look back at some recent history, we see that neither of these coaches give a flying fig newton about playing defense in the preseason. The G-Men have gone 6-0 to the Over during the last 2 exhibition seasons combined. The Lions have also gone over in 6 of their 9 preseason games under Dan Campbell.
New York's defense has given up 20 or more points in 5 of their last 6 games in August. Detroit's defense has given up at least 16 points in all of Campbell's preseason games as head coach. It doesn't look like there will be any defensive game-planning going on in this one.
Every QB that will be taking snaps in this game is at least serviceable. Detroit needs to see what Hooker can do, so I expect quite a few passing plays while he's at the helm. I also like the veteran QB combination of Lock and Devito on the other side. Let's jump on the Over!