Will Alvin Kamara have to break tackles in the face of a depleted Giants defense on Sunday?
It's becoming an all-out emergency against the Saints.
On the inside of the defensive line, star nose tackle Dexter Lawrence is already on injured reserve with a dislocated left elbow and will not play again this season.
On Wednesday, another starter on the defensive line, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, missed practice with a neck injury.
Also along those lines, DJ Davidson (shoulder) and Jordon Riley (knee) were also limited.
This left the Giants with rookie Elijah Chatman and two practice squad linemen, Casey Rogers and Elijah Garcia, taking the majority of the snaps in practice.
Rookie Corey Darden participated for the first time since being signed from the Rams' practice squad.
It also didn't help that inside linebacker Bobby Okereke had issues and didn't practice.
Okereke has started all 12 games this season, but rarely leaves the field. He leads the team with 93 tackles.
If he is unavailable, Ty Summers, Matthew Adams or rookie Darius Muasau will start.
Another option is Deyontae Johnson, who had a practice period open on Wednesday. He should be able to play if needed.
Kamara will be targeting this defense, which is riddled with injuries. He ranks seventh in the NFL with 894 yards rushing.
The Giants are 29th in the league in run defense, allowing 145.8 rushing yards per game.
The situation is equally dire on the offensive line, with left tackle Jermaine Elemunor (quad) and right tackle Evan Neal (hip) unable to practice.
Veteran backup Chris Hubbard started at left tackle against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
If El Emunor and Neal are unavailable, the starting duo will be Hubbard and Josh Ezeudu, but that will likely be difficult for Drew Lock, who will be making his second start at quarterback for the Giants.
Cornerback Deonte Banks (ribs) also did not practice.
Head coach Brian Daboll said all players who missed practice should be considered “week to week,” which is ominous considering “day to day” is more in line with the player's prognosis. He said it was a prediction. It may be ready within a few days.
“I think they all have a chance, but I think it's too early to tell how optimistic I am,” Daboll said.
Rookie tight end Theo Johnson suffered a season-ending injury to his Lisfranc foot late in the Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys and underwent surgery on Tuesday.
He finished his first NFL season with 29 receptions, 331 yards, and one touchdown.
“It's going to take a while here, which is unfortunate,” Daboll said. “He did a really great job. He's a great young man. He worked very hard. I think it's terrible for him. It's tough. I mean, he did it late in the game and played until the end. He didn't really realize anything was wrong until he got tested after the game.
