The New York Giants needed to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, September 26 but instead, they dropped to 0-3 on the season.
And to make matters worse, they lost linebacker Blake Martinez, the heart and soul of the defense, who went down with a non-contact knee injury and was ruled out for the game in the first quarter.
“Hopefully, it’s not serious,” Judge told reporters after the Giants’ 17-14 loss. “Blake’s obviously a key part of our team. He’s a leader. He’s a hard worker. He’s a tough dude.”
Unfortunately, it was revealed on Monday morning that Martinez has a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
Giants middle linebacker Blake Martinez has a torn ACL, per sources. He will miss the remainder of the season. Martinez’s streak of 140+ tackles in four straight years ends. A huge loss for the Giants. Martinez was the defensive signal-caller and a captain.
Obviously, this is a huge blow for the Giants, who have already gotten off to a disastrous start to the 2021 season, despite coming in with high expectations.
And while Martinez’s season-ending injury is a major loss, that wasn’t the end of the Giants’ injury woes on Sunday.
They also lost wide receivers Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard to hamstring issues as well. At the moment, neither of them have a timeline to return, but hamstring injuries are always tricky and it sounds like they will at least be out for a couple of weeks.
However, Judge was optimistic that this duo could bounce back soon.
“Hopefully, it’s a quick turnaround for both those guys,” Judge said. “They’re obviously integral parts of our offense. I was pleased to see some other guys step up.”
On the bright side, Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post reported that Shepard has a chance to play this week, which would be ideal for the Giants.
I’m hearing Sterling Shepard has a chance to play this week. #Giants
Regardless of whether other players step up, Martinez is irreplaceable on the Giants’ defense. And losing Slayton and Shepard is concerning, given the struggles of the Giants’ offense.
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Manning’s Day Spoiled
On the day of Eli Manning’s jersey retirement ceremony, the Giants couldn’t even pull out a victory for their former future Hall of Fame quarterback.
Manning was inducted into the Giants’ Ring of Honor on Sunday, as they officially retired his No. 10, meaning it will never be worn by another player in franchise history.
“Being a part of the New York Giants organization has been one of the great joys of my life,” Manning told the crowd earlier today.
Manning was introduced by his former center and close friend Shaun O’Hara, as well as co-owner John Mara.
However, the Giants fell to the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 17-14 to drop to 0-3. And despite it being a special day for Manning, it doesn’t change the fact that the Giants have gotten off to another rough start to the season.
Mara Not Greeted Well
Speaking of co-owner John Mara, Giants fans greeted him with boos during Manning’s ceremony at halftime.
And rightfully so. In the last four seasons, the Giants have gone an abysmal 18-49, which is the worst mark in the NFL during this span, tied with the crosstown rival New York Jets. The Giants are also the only team in the league, who haven’t had a winning record during any week of the regular season since 2017.
As far as the boos go, Mara was fully understanding as to where they were coming from.
“I would boo, too. We’re 0-2 and down at half,” Mara told reporters following the ceremony.
Following Mara’s comments, the Giants ultimately fell to 0-3 for the second straight year. And they now have a tough schedule ahead, facing the Saints, Cowboys, Rams, Panthers, Chiefs, Raiders and Buccaneers over the course of the next seven weeks.
Two trash cans were also thrown to the ground in the press box out of frustration. The culprit? It is believed to be Mara who is known for lashing out in anger when the Giants lose.
But Mara declined to speak with reporters, who confronted him after the game.
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Blake Martinez Out for Season, Giants Lose 2 Additional Starters to Injury