The New York Giants already stood little chance of defeating the New England Patriots on Thursday night, but the amount of injuries they are dealing with should make an upset pretty close to impossible.
On Wednesday, the Giants announced that they will be without almost every key offensive playmaker they have when they take on the Pats. Saquon Barkley has been ruled out as he continues to recover from an ankle injury, and primary backup running back Wayne Gallman will not play because of a concussion. Top wide receiver Sterling Shepard and breakout tight end Evan Engram will also be unable to suit up, as Shepard also has a concussion and Engram is battling a knee injury.
Yikes.
Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones has provided the Giants with a spark since he took over for Eli Manning, but the odds were already stacked against him even if he had all of his weapons healthy. Bill Belichick is 17-5 all time coaching against rookie quarterbacks and has never lost a home game to one.
Big test for #Giants #DanielJones? #Patriots mastermind Bill #Belichick owns a 17-5 head coaching mark (11-0 at home) vs. rookie QBs. Big Ben (2004), M.Sanchez (2009), C.McCoy (2010), R.Wilson (2012) and G.Smith (2013) beat him, and Bill is 5-0 since Geno got him in '13. pic.twitter.com/f6bUWxgNMK
— GiantsWFAN (@giantswfan) October 7, 2019
It looked like Barkley had a chance to return for Thursday’s game, but there is no reason for the Giants to rush him back no matter how good he has looked in practice. They would need a miracle to beat the Patriots in Foxboro, and they almost certainly understand that.
