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TIM AND MIKE: Week 8 observations

Perfect second half: Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford played well once again Sunday in Detroit's 31-26 win over the Giants. Stafford finished 25-of-32 passing for 342 yards and three touchdowns. He was a perfect 12-for-12 in the second half for 148 yards and two scores. – Tim Twentyman

Danny Amendola, Big 8: No, not the old name of a college conference. It represents how Amendola maximized his opportunities against the Giants. Stafford targeted him eight times, and Amendola had eight receptions for 95 yards. – Mike O'Hara

Beware of the blitz: According to Pro Football Focus statistics, the Giants blitzed Stafford on eight of his drop backs. They sacked him twice. The other six times Stafford was 6-of-6 passing for 123 yards (20.5 average) with a touchdown and a passer rating of 158.3. – Tim Twentyman

On the run: The Lions stuck with the run, even though it didn't product much. They had 25 official carries – which includes two kneel downs by Stafford that lost three yards – for 59 yards. And that was after a decent first quarter, when they gained 25 yards on six carries. Their last 19 carries gained only 35 yards. – Mike O'Hara

Tough day at CB: Cornerbacks Justin Coleman and Rashaan Melvin have been pretty good all year long for the Lions, but Sunday definitely wasn't their day. Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones was a perfect 4-for-4 targeting Melvin for 70 yards and three touchdowns. That's good for a passer rating of 158.3. Jones completed 10 of his 11 throws with Coleman in coverage for 122 yards and a 112.9 rating. The Lions certainly missed Pro Bowler Darius Slay, who was inactive with a hamstring injury. – Tim Twentyman

Two for Trey: It came later than he probably would have liked, but defensive end Trey Flowers had his first game with multiple sacks as a Lion. He had two sacks, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss. – Mike O'Hara

Pass heavy: The 10 longest plays for the Lions Sunday were all pass plays. In fact, the longest run on the day was 14 yards from rookie Ty Johnson, which means the Lions still don't have a run of 15-plus yards on the season. – Tim Twentyman

Good efficiency: Miles Killebrew hadn't played a defensive snap since 2017, but was forced into duty Sunday because of injury at the safety position. Killebrew ended up playing nine snaps on defense. He made two tackles in those nine snaps and also added two special teams tackles on the afternoon. – Tim Twentyman

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