ARLINGTON, Texas — The avalanche that snowballed into the Giants knocked out even their biggest and best players.
Two-time Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence's left-hander explained Thursday, clutching a sling in the locker room after the game, that he dislocated his elbow in the third quarter of a 27-20 loss to the Cowboys.
The 340-pound defensive tackle said he plans to return once he can deal with the pain, but the Giants (2-10) are weighing the short-term benefits against the long-term benefits with only five games left in the bye season. It would be wiser to put it on. – Term risk.
“I overdid it, and Bobby [Okereke] It just collapsed and fell out of place,” Lawrence said. “I looked at him and said, 'You just knocked my elbow out of place,' and I thought, 'I wonder if this is what shock is.'”
Pending an upcoming MRI, Lawrence had been thinking his season might be over. He said X-rays showed nothing was broken.
Asked how he would react to the season-ending diagnosis, Lawrence said, “I'm going to get hurt.” “Because I love going out there every week and competing against my guys. That's what brings me joy and I hate not being able to get out there.”
By the end of the seven-game losing streak, the Giants were down to two healthy defensive tackles in Jordon Riley and Elijah Chatman, as DJ Davidson (shoulder) and Rakeem Nunez-Roches (stinger) were also out.
With or without Nunez-Roche and Davidson, Lawrence is irreplaceable.
“Riley and Chatman earned a lot of respect. It was a lot. [to ask]” Okereke said. “Dex is our leader. We're an even better team when he gets healthy and back on the field, so we look forward to getting him healthy soon.”
Lawrence leads the NFL with nine sacks through seven games, and hasn't slowed down with a sack in five straight games. He also draws double and triple teams on every snap.
Despite Lawrence being stuck in the middle, the Giants entered Week 13 with the NFL's worst rushing defense (5.1 yards per carry).
“It's a big loss for us,” edge rusher Brian Burns said. “More importantly, I'm worried about his safety.”
Lawrence said she was showering “armless” because she was using one arm to support the other.
“I'm breathing, I'm smiling, and as far as the game goes, I'll be back,” Lawrence said. “I don't really know the timeline at this point, but I've been through a lot of battles, so it's hard to say. My journey now is to recover and come back.”
