[Bette]

Lions quarterback Jon Kitna said Sunday that at this time of year, it's not acceptable to get beaten at home by a team that is not better than you. He was referring to the Giants, who left Ford Field with a 16-10 win over Detroit in what was built as a wild-card showdown.
"I honestly in the first half thought that was one of the worst teams we played that was 6-3," shot back Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. "I don't understand why Jon would say that. But the bottom line is we're 7-3, and they are 6-4.
It is unlikely the two teams will play again this year, unless one winds up winning its division. But the Giants are now the top dog in the wild-card race over the Lions, who had won their previous four home games.
At times Sunday, however, it wasn't so much which team was better, but which was worse.
There were a lot of yards, but not many points. And there were mistakes. Kitna made the last two, throwing interceptions to James Butler and Sam Madison in the final two minutes to keep, at least in his mind, the better team from winning.
But Strahan with three sacks and the defensive backs with three interceptions held Kitna and his offense, which had been averaging 31 points at home, to one touchdown. And the Giants also got great play from their often berated special teams, whose members heard all week how they were inferior to the Lions' units.
With the victory, the Giants move into prime wild-card position with the only 7-3 record in the NFC. It gives them the third-best record in the conference.
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