The New York Giants lost again after giving up a huge play to superstar running back Jahmyr Gibbs in overtime.
The Giants may not have lost if Dexter Lawrence were available to play. But unfortunately, the Pro Bowl defensive tackle was unable to play and was in tears as a result.
Interim coach Mike Kafka opened up about why Lawrence was not on the field for New York’s lone defensive snap of OT, which resulted in Gibbs’ game-deciding, 69-yard touchdown run in the Giants’ 34-27 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Ford Field.
The Giants (2-10) dropped their sixth straight game and squandered a late-game lead for the fourth time this year. New York is 0-2 in overtime with road losses to the Lions and Dallas Cowboys.
New York will play at the AFC-leading New England Patriots (10-2) on Monday night.
Dexter Lawrence Was ‘In Tears’ Through The Lions Game
Lawrence only played 36 of 68 snaps due to an undisclosed injury that “flared up” in the game. The Giants wanted to have Lawrence on the field, but Kafka shared why they had to pick their spots to avoid subjecting him to further injury.
âHe was a guy that was battling through this game, this injury, and probably just toughed it out for us and was trying to give us everything he had,ââ Kafka said. âSo the decision was just to kind of play him in like those pass situations, second and longs, third and longs, so he can be a factor on a limited snap count.
“I thought that was the right thing to do in handling it and hats off to Dexter for toughing it out and working through that because he got dinged up pretty well.ââ
Roy Robertson-Harris (32) and D.J. Davidson (23) played the majority of the snaps in Lawrence’s snaps. They both were on the field for Gibbs’ touchdown run — which was his third TD of the game — on the first play of overtime.
Kafka also shared Lawrence’s emotional response to being confined to the sideline for New York’s loss.
âI mean, this guy was in tears on the sideline, just wanting to be out there with the players,” Kafka said. “He gave us his all.â
Dexter Lawrence May Not Have Many More Snaps With The Giants
Kafka did not reveal Lawrence’s injury. But if it was serious enough to limit him from playing Sunday it may be serious enough to warrant him being shut down for the year, especially after the Giants were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Lawrence has not been the same player this season, since he only has a half-sack — he had nine in 2024 — 24 tackles, two tackles for loss and just seven QB hits in 12 games. His struggles are a big reason why New York’s highly touted front four has largely fallen flat this year, despite Brian Burns’ NFC-leading 13 sacks.
The Giants’ defensive deficiencies cost coordinator Shane Bowen his job Monday, and Bowen joined previous coach Brian Daboll on the unemployment line. With the focus looking ahead to 2026, and New York potentially saving $20 million in salary-cap space if it cuts Lawrence after June 1, it’s a wonder how much longer the 17th pick of the 2019 NFL Draft has on the Giants roster.
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