The vibes around the New York Giants were high after a massive victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5, but they got stunning news surrounding one of their top defensive players.
Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux has a wrist injury
Head coach Brian Daboll announced that edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux underwent surgery on his wrist on Wednesday morning and is now week-to-week, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. His status for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals is now in doubt.
Thibodeaux started the season off slow but started to pick it up in recent weeks. In Week 5 against the Seahawks, Thibodeaux recorded five pressures, four hurries, two stops, and 0.5 sacks.
The Giants will miss his presence heavily if he is unable to suit up for Sunday’s game. The Bengals have been struggling at 1-4 on the season but have good pass protection, posting a decent 68.0 PFF grade in pass blocking.
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The Giants will desperately try to replace his production during his absence
Thibodeaux would have been huge to have on the defensive line alongside Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence to put pressure on Cincinnati’s offensive line. Lawrence recorded three sacks in the win over Seattle and Burns added one.
Without Thibodeaux, the Giants will rely more on Azeez Ojulari and Rakeem Nunez-Roches to try to fill in the void left in Thibodeaux’s absence. The Giants have a rigorous schedule ahead, with the Eagles, Steelers, and red-hot Commanders following Week 6 against the Bengals.
It is still unclear how long they could be without their star pass-rusher, but New York could be suffering a tremendous loss when they are looking to turn their season around.
