When New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones went down in week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals, the expectation was that they would lose against Seattle Seahawks in week 13.
However, reserve quarterback Colt McCoy did just enough to help his team to victory, with the defense stepping up in a big way, limiting a potent Seattle offense to just 12 points.
This week, Jones has been working his way back to full health but is not 100% healthy. He was seen jogging lightly down the field following a running back screen in practice, but it was clear there was still a limp in his step, indicating that he might need one more week to return as the starter.
“There was some progress made,” Judge said, per Giants beat writer Art Stapleton. “We had a long talk with [Jones] after practice, a long talk with him [Friday] morning again. We’re going to put him through it again and see how he responds to it. I’m fairly optimistic but at the same time there’s a ways to go and we gotta be fair to him.”
While the offense could gain back their quarterback, the defense could lose theirs against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend.
Against Seattle, linebacker Blake Martinez suffered a back injury in the 4th quarter that held him out for the remainder of the contest. With the game on the line, the Giants’ defense had to survive without him, and they got the job done despite their best run-stopping LB sitting on the sidelines.
Despite the injury, Martinez had a fantastic game against the Seahawks and altogether has been a stud for the Giants this season, racking up 111 tackles, six tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, and 2.0 sacks.
Losing Martinez would be a significant blow to the defense against Arizona, who has one of the best running games in the NFL. As a top run-defender in the league, Martinez has 47 stops this year and has done a great job mitigating big plays at the second level.
In his absence, the Giants would have to utilize backup David Mayo, who physically is a similar player to Martinez but lacks his speed and vision.
Last season, Mayo started in 13 games, earning 82 combined tackles and five tackles for a loss. He was actually quite solid for Big Blue, and while losing Martinez is a massive blow, this is why the Giants signed Mayo to an extension as a depth option.