EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants today listed two important contributors – one on offense and one on defense – as doubtful for their home game Sunday against the New England Patriots.
If they don't play, wide receiver Darius Slayton and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence will each miss his first game of the season.
"I'd say we're going to take both those guys right up to game time and see where we're at with them," coach Brian Daboll said. Asked if that means final decisions might be made after the players go through a pre-game workout, Daboll said, "we'll let them go through today, get treatment, tomorrow, get treatment, and then we'll talk about it Sunday morning."
The Giants did receive good news when cornerback Adoree' Jackson cleared the NFL concussion protocol. He missed the previous two games after being injured on Nov. 5 in Las Vegas.
Slayton (neck) and Lawrence (hamstring) were each injured in the Giants' victory last week in Washington. Neither player practiced today. Lawrence has not been on the field all week, while Slayton worked on a limited basis the past two days.
"I always want to be available," Lawrence said today. "I always want to be the one to help my team get a chance to win. So, that's what I'm fighting to do. Just see how I feel leading up to the game.
"Honestly, I've been getting better. Even just after the day it happened, at first, it was real tight, and throughout the week I've been rehabbing, recovering and loosening up, so I've been feeling good."
Does that mean he's giving himself a chance to play?
"Of course," Lawrence said. "Always."
Slayton leads the Giants with 419 receiving yards and is third with 30 receptions. He scored his first touchdown of the season against the Commanders on a 40-yard catch-and-run on a pass from Tommy DeVito. Slayton left the game soon afterward and did not play in the second half.
Lawrence, a 2022 Pro Bowler, is fifth on the team with 41 tackles (25 solo), second with 4.0 sacks, and first with 17 quarterback hits.
The other linemen on the roster include Rakeem Nunez-Roches, A'Shawn Robinson, D.J. Davidson and rookie Jordon Riley, who has played in only two games this season. The Giants also have Ryder Anderson on their practice squad.
"That's why we have the guys we have here that we signed, whether it's A'Shawn, Nacho (Nunes-Rochez), but give it a few more days here," Daboll said. "That's just the National Football League. When (tackle) Andrew (Thomas) is out, we have to have another guy ready to go, or the quarterback, or (running back) Saquon (Barkley) is out, or Dexter's out … that's why you have guys that are backing him up. They're very good players.
"Dexter's an elite player in this league, and the guys we've got behind him, that's why we've got them back there. They're true pros. They've done a good job for us. But we'll see where we're at here with Dexter. He's got a couple of days."
Lawrence would be sidelined for just the third time in his five-year career, and the first time in a home game. He did not play on Jan. 2, 2022, in Chicago, because he was on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Lawrence had played in 47 consecutive games to start his career. He was one of numerous starters who were not in uniform for the 2022 season finale in Philadelphia.
Slayton also missed the game in Chicago two years ago because he was on the COVID-19 list. He also sat out three games that season and two in his 2019 rookie year with a hamstring injury. The only other game Slayton missed was the 2022 season opener, when he was a healthy scratch.
On Wednesday, he seemed optimistic he would play.
"There's a nerve in your neck and, basically, I injured that nerve in my neck, and it prefers all the way down your arm, makes your arm numb," Slayton said. "I was just holding my arm, so it wasn't just flopping there. My arm went numb for a little bit there, but I'm alright."
The Giants have five other wide receivers on the roster, including Wan'Dale Robinson, Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Sterling Shepard and rookie Jalin Hyatt. Dennis Houston is on the practice squad.
View photos from the Quest Diagnostics Training Center as the Giants gear up for the Patriots.
*Tackle Evan Neal will miss his third consecutive game, and fifth of the season, with an ankle injury.
*Adoree' Jackson, who practiced this week, can play Sunday after he was cleared by an independent neurological consultant this afternoon. He has 28 tackles (24 solo) and four passes defensed this season.
*Rookie running back Eric Gray (ankle) has practiced this week and could be activated off injured reserve.
"That's something we'll talk about here once we get done with practice and make that decision," Daboll said.
Gray has been sidelined since the Washington game on Oct. 22. Gray is listed as questionable for the game.
*Due to anticipated heavy traffic at the conclusion of the holiday weekend, MetLife Stadium and N.J. Transit are encouraging fans to arrive early and to use mass transit to travel to Sunday's game. Sunday is one of the busiest driving days of the year. Fans are encouraged to "take the train to the game" and visit https://www.njtransit.com/service-advisory/1683858 for schedule details.
In addition, a traffic alert has been added to the MetLife Stadium website home page in the "Yellow Banner" with details regarding NJ Transit service:
Rare photos from the storied history between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.
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