The Giants had to play the past two games without wide receiver Malik Nabers, their rookie sensation.
Now they will have to play without perhaps their most indispensable player, as left tackle Andrew Thomas is expected to miss time dealing with a foot injury.
Thomas hurt his foot during a 16-play touchdown drive in the third quarter of Sunday night’s 17-7 loss to the Bengals at MetLife Stadium. He did not sound optimistic afterwards, saying he needed an MRI exam to determine the extent of the damage.
It is believed that this could be a significant injury. Whenever the foot is involved, the fear is it could be a Lisfranc injury, which is an injury to the bones or ligaments or both in the middle part of the foot.
There is often damage to the cartilage in a Lisfranc joint injury. Surgery is sometimes required and if not, wearing a boot for several weeks, or months, is often the required therapy.
Thomas conferred with the Giants’ medical staff and is also seeking second opinions from outside medical sources. It is believed that one of those options being discussed is surgery.
This will be a major blow to the Giants. The most stable position group on the field in their 2-4 start to the season was the offensive line, as all five starters played 419 snaps — 100 percent — in the first six games.
Thomas, by his lofty standards, was not having his finest season but he is a top-tier left tackle and the Giants do not have anyone remotely capable of playing at his level on their roster.
The likely move for Sunday’s game against the Eagles would be to install Josh Ezeudu into Thomas’ spot at left tackle.
Ezeudu, a 2022 third round pick, started five games last season and did not make a case that he is the answer at tackle — he was originally drafted as a guard.
Another move, far more radical, would be to move veteran right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to left tackle and bring Evan Neal off the bench to play right tackle.
Neal, the 2022 first round pick (No. 7 overall), started 13 games as a rookie and seven in 2023 before injuries set in. He has not played on offense at all this season.
That move would disrupt two positions instead of one.
After the loss to the Bengals, Thomas said his foot felt “not great’’ and revealed it felt “sore.’’ He appeared downcast and concerned.
Thomas played in 16 games in 2020 and again in 2022. He has had issues with his ankle in the past, necessitating two off-season surgeries.
The Giants’ season went off the rails in 2023 after Thomas went down in the opener to a strained hamstring and missed the next seven games.
Now they will try to avoid that downfall this season.