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Dexter Lawrence doesn’t need crutches, so his healthy teammates won’t use them, either.
The Giants placed their best player on injured reserve Monday, which essentially ends his season considering Lawrence wouldn’t be eligible to return from his elbow injury until a meaningless season finale at the earliest.
“The reality of it is we’re going to miss him,” edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux said. “But this is going to be a great test and a great evaluation on everybody around him – the back end, the front end.
“We kind of joked about it as, ‘Dex can’t be the crutch. Dex can’t be our excuse on why we’re playing well or why we’re not playing well.’ We all kind of got to each step up to the plate, knowing that one of our top guys isn’t there anymore.”
Lawrence has a team-high nine sacks — none in the last five games, however — and is the main reason the NFL’s worst-ranked rushing defense (allowing 5.1 yards per carry) isn’t worse.
He is the league’s No. 1-ranked interior defender against the run, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I think it will change other teams’ scheme on us,” Thibodeaux said. “Definitely.”
The Giants are playing without three of their five captains: Lawrence, left tackle Andrew Thomas (season-ending foot injury) and former quarterback Daniel Jones (released and now with the Vikings).
“Obviously, he is our rock in the middle there,” linebacker Micah McFadden said. “Not only on the field, but he’s our captain and our leader off the field. He’s a voice within our locker room.
“It’s a big blow to us. It’s difficult when you don’t have that caliber of a player on the field. He’s going to make sure that ‘A’ gap (between the center and guard) is closed every time he’s in there.”
