The New York Giants square off in a Monday night battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8. Here are three reasons for concern.
The New York Giants enter their Week 8 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers in hopes of returning to the win column with their season quickly getting away from them.
With the Giants on a two-game losing streak where they put up a total of 10 points, there isn’t much going right for Big Blue. Understandably, the Giants opened up as 5.5-point road underdogs earlier this week.
The Steelers are coming off back-to-back wins and have a 5-2 record heading into Monday Night Football.
Here are three causes for concern ahead of Monday night’s matchup.
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Primetime
Daniel Jones and the Giants’ struggles during primetime have been heavily highlighted and continue to be at the forefront of the conversation every time Big Blue plays a night game.
Although the Giants hope to turn it around, this matchup won’t come easy against a 5-2 Steelers team.
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Offensive inefficiency
Over the last two games, the Giants’ offense has been hard to watch. They scored just seven points in their last primetime game two weeks ago against the Cincinnati Bengals and three points last week against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The offensive line also took a massive step back with the loss of their best asset, left tackle Andrew Thomas, who will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
With points being hard to come by for Big Blue and the Steelers allowing the second-fewest points per game in the NFL this season entering Week 8, the offensive struggles could very well continue for the Giants.
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Slowing gown George Pickens
George Pickens may very well be one of the more underrated receivers in the league. Pickens is coming off his second 100-plus-yard game of the season. With the way Deonte Banks has lollygagged at times this year, it could be a long day against Pickens and the rest of the Steelers passing game.
The New York Giants are raiding the San Francisco 49ers practice squad for offensive line help after news came down that starting left tackle Andrew Thomas would miss the rest of the year with a foot injury.
While there appeared to be some chance Hubbard would compete for the starting right tackle job after holding down that spot for the Titans in 2023, the veteran OL never made a real push for that job.
He wound up getting cut and returning to the practice squad in mid-September as internal OL depth for the 49ers. His exit will leave San Francisco short on experience on their practice squad.
Without Hubbard, Isaac Alarcon and undrafted rookie Drake Nugent are the only two internal depth options for San Francisco on the offensive front. Neither player has played a snap in the NFL.
With an open practice squad spot the 49ers could opt to add another offensive lineman. Chances are they’ll wait until after Week 7 to see what their injury situation looks like to make another move. They may also wait until their Week 9 bye to do anything major when they can have time off to assess where their roster stands.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll says a veteran offensive tackle could “potentially” be signed to replace Andrew Thomas (foot).
With the loss of left tackle Andrew Thomas for the season, the New York Giants are looking for options to replace him. As of right now, Giants plan to start Joshua Ezeudu at left tackle over Evan Neal, who continues to practice at right tackle. Neal is an option to switch to the left, but that seems highly unlikely.
As Ezeudu and Neal aren’t fabulous options at left tackle, Giants head coach Brian Daboll revealed on Thursday that they could potentially sign a veteran tackle to replace Thomas.
Brian Daboll says Malik Nabers will do more at practice today then the plan is to get checked out and hopefully getting cleared. Will see #Giants
Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Adoree Jackson (neck) all are not practicing today
The adjustments made to the offensive line this offseason are now out the window. Quarterback Daniel Jones has been far better protected this season than any Giants’ quarterback in 2023 but losing Thomas for the season is crushing.
Daboll did not say if any players have been brought in to work out at the left tackle position, but if they plan on signing someone, that news is likely to follow sooner rather than later.
The New York Giants square off in a Sunday afternoon battle against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7. Here are three reasons for concern.
The New York Giants will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Giants are in desperate need of a win sitting at 2-4 on the season and having already dropped their first two games against divisional opponents on the year.
Despite the fact that the Eagles seem much more flawed than the teams the Giants have seen in recent years, Big Blue opened up as 4-point home underdogs earlier this week. With plenty of Eagles fans making the trip to MetLife stadium, it will be a much more mixed crowd.
The Giants are, of course, coming off of their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football. Meanwhile, the Eagles won a tight game against a spiraling Cleveland Browns team on Sunday that ended with head coach Nick Sirianni yelling at some displeased Eagles fans in the stands.
This is a game the Giants would love to win for a number of reasons.
Here are three causes for concern ahead of Sunday’s NFC East matchup.
It has been a true breath of fresh air watching the Giants’ offensive line this year, working as the cohesive unit that fans have been asking for for nearly a decade. However, New York’s offensive line took the biggest possible hit this week with star Left Tackle Andrew Thomas now out for the season following Lisfranc surgery.
The Thomas injury will be very tough to overcome as finding a replacement creates a real challenge and you can be sure the Eagles will look to expose the Giants’ O-line shuffle on Sunday.
The loss of Thomas is a massive concern but is one of a handful of injuries. Running Back Devin Singletary and rookie Malik Nabers have missed the last two games but the team seems optimistic that both will suit up Sunday.
There was some concern surrounding Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns, but both insist they will play after missing practice on Wednesday.
The Giants will also be without Kayvon Thibodeaux for the second consecutive game after being placed on injured reserve (wrist) last week.
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Recent history
We all know how poorly the Giants have played against both the Dallas Cowboys and Eagles over the better part of the last decade. The Giants will be hoping to overcome that history and start to turn the page on Sunday.
This is most certainly not the same powerhouse Philadelphia team the Giants have gotten used to seeing in recent years, however. The Giants will have their hands full, especially with the weapons on the Eagles’ offense, which now includes Barkley. However, this game is very winnable and the small spread certainly supports that.
New York Giants third-year offensive tackle Evan Neal says he’s open to playing left tackle in Andrew Thomas’ absence.
The New York Giants are in the unenviable position of replacing left tackle Andrew Thomas, who is now out for the remainder of the 2024 season with a foot injury.
If Ezeudu works out, the problem will be solved (for now). But if he doesn’t, well… a different plan will rolled out.
“Well, you can’t replace an Andrew Thomas,” Daboll told reporters. “We’ve had six weeks here in the regular season where Evan (Neal) has taken, I’d say, the majority of right tackle snaps in case something happened to Jermaine (Eluemunor).
“Ezeudu has taken left tackle snaps. But then, once this happens, you have discussions about how you want to approach it. We’ll do a few things here this week and then ultimately after Friday’s practice, we’ll make our decision on how we’re going to go with that.”
Daboll has said that both Ezeudu and Neal have improved from the players they’ve been in the past. Both have struggled too often than not for the fans’ liking.
Most Giants beat writers were not even mentioning Ezeudu as Plan B here. They figured the Giants would shift Eluemunor over the left side and insert Neal on the right.
That could still happen but Eluemunor has settled in on the right side and would prefer to stay put.
“If I have to, I’ll do it. But I believe in EZ (Ezeudu), and I like playing right tackle. But I think that we have the players here in order to help soften the burden. And Dabs is able to adjust some things to make it easier for certain guys in there and get him going,” he said.
Neal told reporters that he is ready to play either side. After two-plus seasons of inconsistency and injuries, the former 2022 No. 7 overall pick just wants to play.
“I feel like it would be an adjustment, but not a huge one,” Neal said of playing left tackle, his position in college at Alabama. “Since I’ve been in the league, I’ve been playing primarily on the right side. But, left tackle is something that I can do if need be.”
We shall find out come Friday afternoon which plan wins out. One thing is for certain: No outside help is likely to happen until next week at the soonest.
The New York Giants know they can’t replace injured LT Andrew Thomas but are going to try different alignments to see which is the best.
With All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas out for the season after undergoing surgery Wednesday morning to repair a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot, the New York Giants must now attempt to backfill the gaping holes left behind.
On Wednesday morning, head coach Brian Daboll gave reporters a glimpse of what the team’s collective thinking on the subject might be, and it wasn’t what many had expected.
Daboll said that former third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu would take the first team snaps at left tackle at practice with Jermaine Eluemunor staying on the right side and Evan Neal remaining on the sideline.
“Well, you can’t replace an Andrew Thomas. I feel terrible for him. I was able to text with him today. He had his surgery this morning, everything was successful. He’s a leader, he’s a captain, he’s great in the locker room, he’s a very good football player. So, that’s what the development of players is all about. We’ve had six weeks here in the regular season where Evan (Neal) has taken, I’d say, the majority of right tackle snaps in case something happened to Jermaine (Eluemunor). Ezeudu has taken left tackle snaps. But then, once this happens, you have discussions about how you want to approach it. We’ll do a few things here this week and then ultimately after Friday’s practice, we’ll make our decision on how we’re going to go with that.”
Daboll also said no decision would be made on the lineup until Friday but it looks as if Ezeudu — who has been shaky at times but is said to be much improved — will get first dibs at left tackle.
If Ezeudu doesn’t pass the test, the Giants will likely go with the plan most believed was the most logical — move Eluemunor to left tackle and fill in the right side with Neal.
New York Giants WR Malik Nabers returned to practice on Wednesday while NT Dexter Lawrence (hip) and LB Brian Burns (groin) sat out.
The New York Giants returned to the practice field on Wednesday afternoon in preparation for a Week 7 game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Unfortunately for the Giants, they were short on superstars as linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (wrist) currently rests on injured reserve (IR) and is soon to be joined by left tackle Andrew Thomas (foot), who is out for the season.
On the positive end of the spectrum, rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers (concussion) donned a red non-contact jersey and returned to practice.
“Good progress,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “He’s much better.”
The Giants are “optimistic” Nabers will be able to play on Sunday against the Eagles.
Meanwhile, Daboll said the team would not open any windows for injured reserve (IR) players, meaning kicker Graham Gano (hamstring) is out for at least one more week.
Additionally, Daboll seems uncertain about the Week 7 statuses of nose tackle Dexter Lawrence and linebacker Brian Burns, each of whom missed practice.
The Giants’ full Wednesday injury report can be found below:
Did not participate: OL Andrew Thomas (foot), NT Dexter Lawrence (hip), LB Brian Burns (groin), P Jamie Gillan (hamstring)
Limited participant: WR Malik Nabers (concussion), WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton (shoulder), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (ankle), WR Darius Slayton (groin), RB Devin Singletary (groin), LB Ty Summers (hamstring)
Giants’ Andrew Thomas to miss game vs. Eagles after Lisfranc surgery
The Giants will welcome Saquon Barkley back to Metlife Stadium for his first game against his former team, and they’ll be without their star left tackle, Andrew Thomas.
Ian Rapoport reports that Thomas will miss the remainder of this season after having surgery on a Lisfranc injury.
#Giants star LT Andrew Thomas, one of the NFL’s best, had successful surgery this morning to repair a Lisfranc injury in his foot, sources say.
Thomas met with noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson on Tuesday when the surgery was recommended.
Thomas is one of the NFL’s best left tackles. He now leaves a void along the Giants’ offensive line that will likely weaken in two areas. Early expectations are that Jermaine Eluemunor will shift to the left side, paving the way for the return of embattled right tackle Evan Neal.
If the Giants opt to pass on a Neal return, Joshua Ezeudu could take over as the start at left tackle.
New York Giants LT Andrew Thomas has undergone successful Lisfranc surgery and will now miss the remainder of the 2024 season.
The 2024 season for New York Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas came to an end on Wednesday after he underwent surgery for a Lisfranc fracture suffered in a Week 6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Thomas met with noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson on Tuesday at which point the surgery was recommended.
#Giants star LT Andrew Thomas, one of the NFL’s best, had successful surgery this morning to repair a Liafranc injury in his foot, sources say.
The loss of Thomas is a significant one for the Giants as he’s widely believed to be their most indispensable player.
Not only is Thomas one of the NFL’s best left tackles, he now leaves a void along the Giants’ offensive line that will likely cause a weakening in two areas. Early expectations are that Jermaine Eluemunor will shift to the left side, paving the way for the return of embattled right tackle Evan Neal.
If the Giants opt to pass on a Neal return, Joshua Ezeudu could take over as the start at left tackle.
Neither option is ideal.
Since signing a five-year, $117.5 million contract extension with $67 million guaranteed in 2023, Thomas has appeared in 16 of a possible 23 games. By the end of the season, it will be 16 of a possible 34 games. He had missed just five total games prior to that.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, #Giants OL Andrew Thomas’ status is “up in the air” after he suffered a LisFranc injury in Week 6.
According to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport on Tuesday, New York Giants offensive lineman Andrew Thomas’ status is “up in the air” after he suffered what is feared to be a LisFranc injury in Week 6.
In a post to Twitter, Rapoport explained that Thomas was meeting with “noted foot expert Dr. Robert Anderson” in Charlotte and that the veteran lineman would likely have to miss the rest of the regular season if he requires surgery to fix the injury.
Third-year tackle Joshua Ezeudu currently sits behind Thomas on New York’s depth chart and is likely to get his first start of the 2024 regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7.
