New York Giants 2016 schedule preview: Detroit Lions, Week 15

When the New York Giants host the Detroit Lions in Week 15 of the 2016 NFL season it will mark the final non-NFC East game of the season for Big Blue. The meeting with the Lions is sandwiched in between a Week 14 game at MetLife Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys, and season-ending games on the road vs. the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins.

What should we know about the Lions heading into the season? Well. let’s check in with our friends at SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit to find out.

Detroit Lions

Notable free agent additions:

WR Marvin Jones, OT Geoff Schwartz, DB Tavon Wilson, DE Wallace Gilberry, RB Stevan Ridley, SS Rafael Bush

Notable free agent departures:

WR Calvin Johnson (retirement), SS Isa Abdul-Quddus, RB Joique Bell, DE Jason Jones

Trades: Received LB Jon Bostic for a conditional 2017 seventh-round pick

Draft picks expected to contribute as rookies:

1st round - OT - Taylor Decker (expected to start at left tackle) 2nd round - DT - A’Shawn Robinson (rotational player) 3rd round - C - Graham Glasgow - not currently slated as the starting center, but could take over sometime during the 2016 season. 4th round - SS - Miles Killebrew - Also not slated to be the starter, but Lions are weak at the position, so Killebrew could take over, or at least get some snaps during the season.

Biggest offseason addition:

WR - Marvin Jones. With Calvin Johnson’s retirement, the Lions’ No. 1 priority was to find a compliment to Golden Tate. The Lions wasted no time in grabbing Jones, signing him within a day of Johnson’s retirement announcement. Taylor Decker is an honorable mention here, as the Lions’ offensive line was atrocious in 2015.

Biggest storyline heading into training camp:

Will the emphasis on improving the offensive line pay off in 2016? The Lions offense hasn’t been good in a while, but the Lions spent three of their first five draft picks on offensive linemen in 2016. It appears the Lions will be moving former left tackle Riley Reiff to the right side, while plugging in first-round draft pick Taylor Decker on the left. The Lions desperately need to get a running game going, and the shuffling of the offensive line could potentially help.

Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp:

Is DeAndre Levy fully healthy, and if so, will his return improve the defense to its 2014 level of play? Levy had a mysterious hip injury in 2015, and while it appears he was fully healthy during OTAs and minicamp, still very little is known about the injury and his current health.

Notable injuries heading into training camp:

RB Ameer Abdullah - Had shoulder surgery in January, is expected to be ready for training camp.

TE Brandon Pettigrew - Tore his ACL in December. Did not participate in OTAs. Probably headed for PUP.

RB Stevan Ridley - Limited participation in OTAs; injury undisclosed, severity unknown

WR Corey Fuller - Underwent foot surgery in early June. Could cause him to miss the cut.

Giants 2016 regular season schedule

Week 1: at Dallas Cowboys, Sept. 11, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX) — Cowboys overview

Week 2: vs. New Orleans Saints, Sept. 18, 1 p.m. (FOX) — Saints overview

Week 3: vs. Washington Redskins, Sept. 25, 1 p.m. (FOX) — Redskins overview

Week 4: at Minnesota Vikings, Oct. 3, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN) — Vikings overview

Week 5: at Green Bay Packers, Oct. 9, 8:30 p.m. (NBC) — Packers overview

Week 6: vs. Baltimore Ravens, Oct. 16, 1 p.m. (CBS) — Ravens overview

Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams (London), Oct. 23, 9:30 a.m. (NFL Network) — Rams overview

Week 8: BYE WEEK

Week 9: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Nov. 6, 1 p.m. (FOX) — Eagles overview

Week 10: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Nov. 14, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN) — Bengals overview

Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears, Nov. 20, 1 p.m. (FOX) — Bears overview

Week 12: at Cleveland Browns, Nov. 27, 1 p.m. (FOX) — Browns overview

Week 13: at Pittsburgh Steelers, Dec. 4, 4:25 p.m. (FOX) — Steelers overview

Week 14: vs. Dallas Cowboys, Dec. 11, 8:30 p.m. (NBC)

Week 15: vs. Detroit Lions, Dec. 18, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Week 16: at Philadelphia Eagles, Dec. 22, 8:25 (NBC/NFL Network)

Week 17: at Washington Redskins, Jan. 1, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Preseason schedule

Week 1: vs. Miami Dolphins, Fri., Aug. 12, 7 p.m.

Week 2: at Buffalo Bills, Sat., Aug. 20 (TBA)

Week 3: at New York Jets, Sat., Aug 27, 7:30 p.m.

Week 4: vs. New England Patriots, Thurs., Sept. 1, 7 p.m.