After a win on the road vs. Seattle in Week 5, the Giants are 2-3 on the season. Besides a Week 1 loss to the Vikings, the Giants have been competitive in every game. This past offseason, the Giants parted ways with long-time defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
To replace him, the Giants hired former Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Despite three losses this season, the Giants’ defense has been playing at a high level. In each of their last four games, the Giants have allowed 20 or fewer points. Additionally, the team (22.0) sacks through five games leads the NFL. During the Giants’ 29-20 win vs. the Seahawks in Week 5, OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux suffered a wrist injury but finished the game. At a press conference on Wednesday, head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that Thibodeaux had to have surgery on his wrist. Daboll said he considered “week-to-week.”
Who will step up for the Giants while Kayvon Thibodeaux is out?
#Giants standout pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux suffered a fractured scaphoid bone in his wrist and had surgery to repair it today, source said.
Coach Brian Daboll described him as “week-to-week.” pic.twitter.com/uRAQLSnEru
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 9, 2024
In the 2022 NFL draft, the Giants used the 5th overall pick to select Kayvon Thibodeaux out of Oregon. As a rookie, Thibodeaux played in 14 games for the Giants and had (4.0) sacks, 49 combined tackles, six tackles for loss, and 13 QB hits. During his second season in 2023, the OLB stepped up his production for the Giants. Last season, Thibodeaux started all 17 games for the Giants and had (11.5) sacks, 50 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 16 QB hits.
Through five games in 2024, the 23-year-old has (2.0) sacks, 12 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, and seven QB hits. However, Thibodeaux suffered a wrist injury in Week 5 and needed surgery. He is week-to-week and will likely miss New York’s game on SNF vs. the Bengals. Without Thibodeaux, the Giants have Azeez Ojulari, Patrick Johnson, and Boogie Basham as their backup OLBs. Ojulari has the most experience with the Giants as a member of their 2021 draft class. He’s played in 40 games and made 25 starts. Johnson started the season with the Eagles but has appeared in three games for the Giants. Basham is in his second season with the Giants but hasn’t appeared in a 2024 regular season game.
