The New York Giants find themselves in a must-win situation on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Call it an overreaction. Call it dumb. Call it whatever you want, but with the Chiefs and Chargers following in Weeks 3 and 4, this might be the only chance to get a win in the first four games of the season.
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If Week 1's result is any indication, the G-Men are going to have a hard time beating Dak Prescott and Co. — not like it hasn't been darn-near impossible the past nine-plus seasons with him under center. The Cowboys are 13-2 against Big Blue when Prescott starts, and are currently riding an eight-game winning streak. So, to say the rivalry has been one-sided might be an understatement.
Still, this is a very important game for New York. They need to bounce back after a terrible Russell Wilson debut in their season opener. The offensive line struggled from snap 1 through the final whistle, essentially cratering the run game and subsequently the passing game as well. Put simply, they can’t afford to go 0-2 with the Chiefs and Chargers up next. And with that, here's who won't be suiting up in the quest to end the losing streak.
Giants could be without Wan'Dale Robinson in Week 2
The G-Men will need all hands on deck if they're going to beat, let alone compete against, the Cowboys. That now looks a lot easier said than done with the Giants' final Week 2 injury report released Friday:
Out:
- LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (Calf)
Doubtful:
- DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr. (Foot)
- OT Andrew Thomas (Foot)
Questionable:
- WR Wan’Dale Robinson (Ankle)
Andrew Thomas' injury has been something fans have been monitoring for coming up on a year now. His inclusion is no shocker as he's been ramping up his practices, trying to get back onto the field. And boy does this team need him on the field. Veteran swing tackle James Hudson just ain't it. Although he's listed as doubtful, expect Thomas to miss another game.
Rakeem Nuñez-Roches could be a relatively impactful loss if he's not ready to go. The run defense didn't get off to the best start in Week 1, so losing players whose sole responsibility is to stop the run isn't exactly encouraging.
While those two injuries are definitely ones to monitor, the biggest name on this list is the slot man himself, Wan'Dale Robinson. Not much is known of Robinson's ankle injury — just that he missed Wednesday's practice but then returned in a limited capacity on Thursday.
When the Giants signed WR/KR Xavier Gipson after placing Micah McFadden on IR, it raised eyebrows. Now, with Wan’Dale Robinson popping up as questionable, the move makes more sense — and not in a good way. If the Gipson signing is foreshadowing something bad for Robinson, this season is all but over.
Wilson went from "let Russ cook" to "Russ is cooked" in a matter of 60 minutes. The offensive line did him no favors, but it's not like he has an excess of playmakers just lying around, waiting to catch passes from the future Hall of Famer. If the 24-year-old slot receiver is a no-go, expect to see some Gipson sprinkled into the offense.
It’s only Week 2, but the margin for error is already razor thin — and losing Robinson might just push them over the edge. For now, it's the waiting game... hoping No 17 is good to go on Sunday.