On Sunday, the 3-1-1 New York Giants will take on the 1-4 New Orleans Saints at MetLife Stadium.
After five weeks, the Giants currently lead the NFC East. Despite the strong start, it has been a tumultuous first five weeks for New York as they have been hit with the injury bug.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2, and star pass rusher Brian Burns suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3. Additionally, Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas has been nursing a groin injury that has kept him away from a majority of the team’s practice sessions.
Most recently, Giants second-year pass rusher Abdul Carter suffered a calf injury that forced him to miss Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practice sessions. After being a limited participant in Friday’s session, New York made an announcement on Carter.
New York Giants Announce Abdul Carter Injury Designation
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan posted on X: “Abdul Carter (calf), Andrew Thomas (groin) and Jermaine Eluemunor (calf) were all listed as limited participants in practice and are questionable for Sunday against the Saints.”
Regarding Carter’s injury status, Giants on SI’s Patricia Traina wrote: “Carter’s status is also worth monitoring. He’s been a big part of the defensive pass rush. With the Giants already missing Brian Burns for the rest of the season due to an ACL injury, not having Carter would be a huge blow to a pass rush that has started to click over the last couple of weeks.”
Fortunately, New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh expressed optimism regarding Carter’s availability. He told reporters, “He (Carter) looked fine. I think he’s going to say full participation, but I don’t do the report.”
Abdul Carter has two sacks, six quarterback hits and 14 total tackles in five games this season. He is currently the fourth-highest graded edge defender in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. PFF has registered 17 pressures from the second-year player.
Giants vs. Saints Prediction
Carter appears to be in a breakout second season. Having him on Sunday would help boost New York’s chances of earning their fourth win of the season.
Despite New York being at home and having a better record than the New Orleans Saints, Sports Illustrated’s Ryan Gilbert predicted the Saints would win 27-23. Gilbert wrote: “The Giants are 3-1-1 and at home, yet are ever-so-slight underdogs against a 1-4 Saints team.
I do agree that the Saints should win this game, and I expect it to be a higher-scoring affair.
The Giants have only allowed 21.2 points per game, but I’m not letting that fool me as it’s skewed a bit by the seven allowed to Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Saints have deserved better than their 30.2 points allowed per contest.”
New York Giants Announce Abdul Carter Injury Decision Before Saints Game