New York Giants vs. Detroit Lions: 2013 Week 16 Recap

Game story

In Week 16 of the 2013 NFL season on 2013-12-22, the New York Giants took care of business against the Detroit Lions, pulling away with a 23–20 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q4 with 15 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

M. Stafford (Detroit Lions) paced the passing game, with -6.46 total EPA, and -6.3% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, J. Jernigan (New York Giants) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +6.81 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+43.5% win probability) landed in overtime when New York Giants changed the game: (9:24) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short left to 12-J.Jernigan to DET 27 for 15 yards (33-C.Greenwood).

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 J. Jernigan · New York Giants · Receiving · +6.81 total EPA · 12 snaps · +0.57 EPA/play
2. 2 E. Manning · New York Giants · Passing · +6.71 total EPA · 45 snaps · +0.15 EPA/play
3. 3 C. Johnson · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +3.27 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.82 EPA/play
4. 4 H. Nicks · New York Giants · Receiving · +2.04 total EPA · 7 snaps · +0.29 EPA/play
5. 5 K. Ogletree · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +2.02 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.50 EPA/play
6. 6 J. Bell · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +1.52 total EPA · 10 snaps · +0.15 EPA/play
7. 7 A. Brown · New York Giants · Receiving · +1.37 total EPA · 3 snaps · +0.46 EPA/play
8. 8 L. Murphy · New York Giants · Receiving · +1.18 total EPA · 2 snaps · +0.59 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• New York Giants — J. Jernigan (E. Manning pass) (Q2 32:25)
• Detroit Lions — J. Bell (Q3 24:10)
• Detroit Lions — T. Riddick (Q4 11:53)
• New York Giants — W. Hill (Q4 5:06)

Field goals

• New York Giants — J. Brown (Q1 48:54)
• Detroit Lions — D. Akers (Q2 42:41)
• New York Giants — J. Brown (Q2 30:14)
• New York Giants — J. Brown (OT 7:37)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: New York Giants won the period 3–0. New York Giants connected on a field goal from the DET 23 (Q1 48:54) — (3:54) 3-J.Brown 41 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford..

The second quarter: New York Giants won the period 10–3. Detroit Lions connected on a field goal from the NYG 19 (Q2 42:41) — (12:41) 2-D.Akers 37 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.; New York Giants found the end zone from the DET 20 (Q2 32:25) — (2:25) 10-E.Manning pass deep middle to 12-J.Jernigan for 20 yards, TOUCHDOWN. DET-28-D.Bentley was injured during the play. He is Out.; New York Giants added 1 points from the DET 2 (Q2 32:19) — 3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford.; New York Giants connected on a field goal from the DET 34 (Q2 30:14) — (:14) 3-J.Brown 52 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford..

The third quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 9–0. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the NYG 1 (Q3 24:10) — (9:10) 35-J.Bell up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the NYG 2 (Q3 24:06) — 2-D.Akers extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.; Detroit Lions registered a safety from the DET 91 (Q3 16:08).

The fourth quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 8–7. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the NYG 2 (Q4 11:53) — (11:53) (No Huddle) 41-T.Riddick left tackle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions registered a safety from the NYG 2 (Q4 11:50) — TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. 9-M.Stafford pass to 80-J.Fauria is complete. ATTEMPT SUCCEEDS.; New York Giants found the end zone from the NYG 78 (Q4 5:06); New York Giants added 1 points from the DET 2 (Q4 4:57) — 3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford..

Overtime: New York Giants won the period 3–0. New York Giants connected on a field goal from the DET 27 (OT 7:37) — (7:37) 3-J.Brown 45 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• New York Giants (OT 9:24) — (9:24) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short left to 12-J.Jernigan to DET 27 for 15 yards (33-C.Greenwood). [WPA +43.5% · EPA +4.07]
• New York Giants (OT 14:12) — (14:12) (Shotgun) 35-A.Brown right tackle to DET 29 for 7 yards (98-N.Fairley). FUMBLES (98-N.Fairley), RECOVERED by DET-79-W.Young at DET 28. 79-W.Young to DET 28 for no gain (72-J.Pugh). NYG-35-A.Br [WPA -41.0% · EPA -4.78]
• Detroit Lions (Q4 0:23) — (:23) (Shotgun) 41-T.Riddick up the middle to DET 31 for 6 yards (97-L.Joseph). [WPA -35.2% · EPA -0.26]
• Detroit Lions (Q4 5:06) — (5:06) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep right intended for 80-J.Fauria INTERCEPTED by 25-W.Hill at DET 38. 25-W.Hill for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -30.6% · EPA -6.73]
• New York Giants (OT 12:01) — (12:01) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass deep left to 82-R.Randle to DET 45 for 26 yards (54-D.Levy). [WPA +28.0% · EPA +2.86]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Detroit Lions (Q4 5:06) — (5:06) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep right intended for 80-J.Fauria INTERCEPTED by 25-W.Hill at DET 38. 25-W.Hill for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -30.6% · EPA -6.73]
• Detroit Lions (Q2 37:49) — (7:49) 21-R.Bush left tackle to NYG 43 for 2 yards (94-M.Kiwanuka). FUMBLES (94-M.Kiwanuka), RECOVERED by NYG-26-A.Rolle at NYG 41. 26-A.Rolle to DET 49 for 10 yards (11-K.Ogletree). [WPA -10.8% · EPA -5.19]
• New York Giants (OT 14:12) — (14:12) (Shotgun) 35-A.Brown right tackle to DET 29 for 7 yards (98-N.Fairley). FUMBLES (98-N.Fairley), RECOVERED by DET-79-W.Young at DET 28. 79-W.Young to DET 28 for no gain (72-J.Pugh). NYG-35-A.Br [WPA -41.0% · EPA -4.78]
• New York Giants (OT 9:24) — (9:24) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short left to 12-J.Jernigan to DET 27 for 15 yards (33-C.Greenwood). [WPA +43.5% · EPA +4.07]

Quarterback report card

M.Stafford led all passers in efficiency for Detroit Lions, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• M.Stafford (Detroit Lions) · 46 dropbacks · 54.3% completion · -6.3% CPOE · -0.14 EPA/play · -6.46 total EPA
• E.Manning (New York Giants) · 45 dropbacks · 51.1% completion · -7.9% CPOE · +0.15 EPA/play · +6.71 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (New York Giants -0.08, Detroit Lions -0.12) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• Detroit Lions: 15 drives, -12.69 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• New York Giants: 14 drives, -7.11 total EPA, 5 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New York Giants leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• J. Jernigan (New York Giants) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• M. Stafford (DET) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
• E. Manning (NYG) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. New York Giants FG (+3) — Q1 48:54 · DET 23 · Score 3-0
   (3:54) 3-J.Brown 41 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford.
2. Detroit Lions FG (+3) — Q2 42:41 · NYG 19 · Score 3-3
   (12:41) 2-D.Akers 37 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
3. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q2 32:25 · DET 20 · Score 9-3
   (2:25) 10-E.Manning pass deep middle to 12-J.Jernigan for 20 yards, TOUCHDOWN. DET-28-D.Bentley was injured during the play. He is Out.
4. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q2 32:19 · DET 2 · Score 10-3
   3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford.
5. New York Giants FG (+3) — Q2 30:14 · DET 34 · Score 13-3
   (:14) 3-J.Brown 52 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford.
6. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q3 24:10 · NYG 1 · Score 13-9
   (9:10) 35-J.Bell up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
7. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q3 24:06 · NYG 2 · Score 13-10
   2-D.Akers extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
8. Detroit Lions Safety (+2) — Q3 16:08 · DET 91 · Score 13-12
   (1:08) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning sacked in End Zone for -9 yards, SAFETY (98-N.Fairley). The Replay Assistant challenged the safety ruling, and the play was Upheld
9. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q4 11:53 · NYG 2 · Score 13-18
   (11:53) (No Huddle) 41-T.Riddick left tackle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
10. Detroit Lions Safety (+2) — Q4 11:50 · NYG 2 · Score 13-20
    TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. 9-M.Stafford pass to 80-J.Fauria is complete. ATTEMPT SUCCEEDS.
11. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q4 5:06 · NYG 78 · Score 19-20
    (5:06) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep right intended for 80-J.Fauria INTERCEPTED by 25-W.Hill at DET 38. 25-W.Hill for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
12. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q4 4:57 · DET 2 · Score 20-20
    3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford.
13. New York Giants FG (+3) — OT 7:37 · DET 27 · Score 23-20
    (7:37) 3-J.Brown 45 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-5-S.Weatherford.