Dexter Lawrence dislocates elbow in Thanksgiving loss to Cowboys, could miss significant time
Nov 28, 2024
ARLINGTON — Dexter Lawrence, the Giants’ best player, dislocated his left elbow in Thursday’s loss.
He had his arm in a sling when the locker room opened. And he couldn’t say for sure that this injury won’t sideline him for the rest of the season.
His recovery timeline is unknown.
“I’d be hurt, because going out there and fighting with my guys each and every week, that’s what brings me joy,” Lawrence said of the possibility of being out the rest of the year. “And I’d hate to not be able to go out there.”
The Giants are 2-10 with seven straight losses as it is. If they have lost Lawrence for their final five games or a large chunk of them, they could be staring down the barrel of a 2-15 season.
A rash of injuries collapsed the Giants’ interior defensive line on Thanksgiving with their top three tackles leaving the game in the second half.
First D.J. Davidson left with a shoulder injury. Then Lawrence was ruled out with an elbow injury. Then Rakeem Nunez-Roches struggled off with a stinger. Lawrence ended up in street clothes on the sideline shortly after getting his arm imaged.
The Giants’ defense played better on Thursday than they had in last Sunday’s embarrassing 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers, but they were still lacking in key areas.
Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle had 22 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown, including a 22-yard gain against the Giants’ top defensive line in the first half on 2nd and 21.
Once Lawrence and Nunez-Roches went out, the Cowboys continued attacking the interior of the Giants’ defense to help run the clock down and out.
The Giants’ defense had no sacks, giving them only one total sack in their past four games. And they missed several once again.
SOMETHING’S UP WITH THEO
Giants rookie tight end Theo Johnson limped back into the locker room late after the game and fired two shoes hard into the back wall in frustration. Then he slumped down in a locker and eventually put his head in his hands.
It wasn’t clear what had angered Johnson. But that’s yet another situation worth monitoring.
Linebacker Bobby Okereke also appeared to get some unknown ailment checked out after the game.
NABERS GETS HIS WISH
Brian Daboll heard Malik Nabers’ complaints about a lack of early targets and responded.
The rookie wide receiver got three targets and a carry on the Giants’ opening drive Thursday, and he finished with eight receptions for 69 yards on a game-high 13 targets.
But Nabers also dropped a pair of passes in the 27-20 loss to the Cowboys, continuing a problem that’s plagued him at times this season.
“I don’t care about drops,” Nabers said afterward. “It’s just a part of football. I don’t care if I drop the ball six times, keep throwing me the ball.”
Nabers said he was happy with Thursday’s usage, four days after he bemoaned his lack of early involvement after not receiving a target in the first half of Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Asked after that game why the Giants didn’t look his way early, Nabers said, “Talk to Dabs about that.”
Nabers’ fifth catch in Thursday’s game came late in the second quarter, giving him 72 on the season. And that set a new NFL record for the most catches by a wide receiver through his first 10 games in the league.
Nabers snapped former Giants star Odell Beckham Jr.’s record of 71 catches through 10 games set in his rookie season of 2014.
Both wideouts played their college ball at LSU, and both were first-round picks of the Giants.
Naber finished Thursday with 75 receptions for 740 yards and three touchdowns this season.