The New York GIants finished last season with a record of 9-7-1 which led to a 3^rd place finish in the NFC East and a spot in the NFC Playoffs, however, the Giants were eliminated in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 7-38.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions finished last season with a record of 9-8 which led to a 2^nd place finish in the NFC North, however, the Lions missed the playoffs for the 6^th consecutive season although they finished with a winning record for the first time since the 2017 NFL season.

BookMaker has the New York Giants listed as 2.5-point favorites on the road against the Detroit Lions and has set the total for the over/under plays at 36.5 points. Which team will get a win in week 1 of the NFL preseason? Let’s take a closer look at how these teams performed last season.

New York Giants Team Preview

The New York Giants finished in 3^rd place in the NFC East and made the playoffs with a record of 9-7-1. New York defeated the Minnesota Vikings on the road in the Wild Card round, however, were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Division round. The Giants finished 14-5 ATS overall, 7-2 ATS on the road, and 3-2 ATS as a favorite last season.

Offensively, the New York Giants ranked 18^th in points scored with an average of 21.21 points per game. New York ranked 6^th in rushing yards with an average of 146.26 rushing yards per game. The Giants ranked 26^th in passing yards with an average of 187.11 passing yards per game.

Defensively, the Giants ranked 22^nd in points allowed with an average of 22.79 points allowed per game. New York ranked 28^th in rushing yards allowed with an average of 146.32 rushing yards allowed per game. The New York Giants ranked 13^th in passing yards allowed per game with an average of 213.53 passing yards.

Detroit Lions Team Preview

The Detroit Lions finished in 2^nd place in the NFC North and finished with a winning record for the first time since the 2017 NFL season with a record of 9-8, however, Detroit failed to make the playoffs for the 6^th consecutive year. The Lions finished 12-5 ATS overall, 7-2 ATS at home, and 8-3 ATS as an underdog last season.

Offensively, the Detroit Lions ranked 5^th in the NFL in points scored with an average of 26.65 points per game. Detroit ranked 11^th in rushing yards with an average of 128.18 rushing yards per game. The Lions ranked 8^th in passing yards with an average of 251.82 passing yards per game.

Defensively, the Lions ranked 29^th in points allowed with an average of 25.12 points allowed per game. Detroit ranked 29^th in rushing yards allowed with an average of 146.53 rushing yards allowed per game. The Detroit Lions ranked 30^th in passing yards allowed per game with an average of 245.82 passing yards.

Series Trends and Game Pick

Detroit has won six of the last ten games in the series and has won by an average score of 23.6 to 18.6 while going 6-4 ATS in those matchups. The Lions have won the last three games in the series and have won by an average score of 28.67 to 18 while going 2-1 ATS in those contests.

The over has hit in six of the last ten games in the series with the teams combining for an average of 42.2 points per game in those contests. The over has hit in two of the last three games in the series with the teams combining for an average of 46.67 points per game in those matchups.

Detroit should be the better team this season and has been the better team in the series, winning six of the last ten including the previous three matchups in a row. The Lions are 6-4 ATS in the last ten and 2-1 ATS in the last three games in the series. As a result, I am buying the .5 point and taking the Detroit Lions +3 on BookMaker for this matchup on Friday.