The New York Giants could be without star pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux for their Week 8 primetime matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Giants head coach Brian Daboll revealed Thibodeaux is “week to week” after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his wrist.
It leaves his status up in the air for the Steelers game in 19 days, Oct. 28. The Giants’ first-round pick and fifth-overall selection of the 2022 NFL Draft, Thibodeaux broke out in a big way last season. He finished 2023 with 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles and four pass deflections, becoming one of the most impactful young defensive players in football.
Through five games this season, Thibodeaux has only recorded two sacks and zero forced fumbles, though he’s surely receiving more attention from offenses after his monster sophomore year.
Even without him, the Giants have other sources of pass rush. Stud defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence leads the team with six sacks and is a half-sack shy of tying Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson for the league’s top mark. Safety Jason Pinnock is second on the team with three sacks while the Giants acquired DE Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers this offseason. He has two sacks as does DL D.J. Davidson.
On the year, the Giants’ pass rush has been fierce and leads the NFL with 22 total sacks. Still, that hasn’t always translated into wins, the Giants 2-3 on the year thanks to an offense that continues to struggle. New York is 27th in points per game and has been held at or under 21 points in four of its five games this season. The offense did improve in Week 5, posting 420 total yards in a 29-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Thibodeaux is the latest key defensive lineman who won’t or may not face the Steelers. Pittsburgh avoided LB/EDGE Micah Parsons and DE DeMarcus Lawrence last weekend against the Dallas Cowboys. Las Vegas Raiders star DT Christian Wilkins won’t see the Steelers this week while Thibodeaux is looking questionable for the Steelers game.
