The New York Giants have ruled out Saquon Barkley for Thursday's game against the San Francisco 49ers due to a sprained right ankle the star running back sustained Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
ESPN reported Monday that Barkley was expected to miss around three weeks after injuring his ankle in the latter stages of New York's 31-28 Week 2 win, though Giants coach Brian Daboll told reporters Tuesday the 2022 Pro Bowl selection was feeling better and the team had yet to make a determination on Barkley's status.
With Barkley unavailable, the Giants will have former 49er Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell as their top two running backs for Thursday's matchup.
Breida has spent the majority of his seven-year career as a backup, but did rush for 814 yards in 14 games with San Francisco in 2018. Brightwell's most extensive action came in the 2022 regular-season finale, in which he rushed for 60 yards on 11 carries against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Neither has the credentials of Barkley, who finished fourth in the NFL with a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and scored 10 touchdowns in 2022 to help the Giants to their first playoff appearance in six years. The 26-year-old accounted for 27.7 per cent of New York's total yards from scrimmage last season, the sixth-highest rate of any player for his respective team.
Barkley also played a major role in Sunday's win, in which the Giants overcame a 21-point third-quarter deficit. The 2018 No. 2 overall pick had both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the second half and ended the game with 63 rushing yards on 17 carries along with six receptions for 29 yards.
The two-time Pro Bowler has been slowed by ankle problems in the past, however. Barkley missed three games in 2019 with a high ankle sprain and four in 2021 with an injury to his left ankle.
The Giants will also be without starting left tackle Andrew Thomas for a second straight game due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the team's season-opening 40-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Pickett to have surgery
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will reportedly miss two-to-four weeks with a right ankle injury he sustained in Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pickett will undergo surgery Monday and will be evaluated further following the procedure, leaving open the possibility he could be sidelined for a period longer than his initial timetable.
Pickett was injured on a scramble attempt near the goal line during the second quarter of Pittsburgh's 24-10 loss to the Cardinals. The second-year pro was ruled out at half-time and had his right foot in a walking boot while on the sidelines during the second half.
Veteran Mitch Trubisky replaced Pickett and will start the Steelers' game against the New England Patriots on Thursday.
Trubisky began last season as Pittsburgh's No. 1 quarterback before being displaced by the then-rookie Pickett after four games. The former Chicago Bears' first-round pick went 2-3 in five overall starts in 2022 while compiling 1,252 passing yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions over seven total games.
Pickett completed seven of 10 passes for 70 yards before exiting to extend his franchise-record streak of pass attempts without an interception to 218, the longest streak of any quarterback this season as well. The 2022 first-round pick has not thrown an interception in eight consecutive starts to help put the Steelers in position for a playoff spot in the AFC.
At 7-5, Pittsburgh is one of four teams currently tied in the race for the conference's three wild card spots. The Steelers trail the first-place Baltimore Ravens by two games in the AFC North with five left to play.
For the season, Pickett has thrown for 2,070 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 62 per cent of his pass attempts in 12 starts.
Texans rookie Dell reportedly to miss rest of season with broken left fibula
Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Tank Dell will reportedly miss the rest of the season after fracturing his left fibula in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Denver Broncos.
The severity of the injury was reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
The injury occurred with about four minutes remaining in the first quarter when his leg was rolled over during Dameon Pierce's 3-yard touchdown run.
Dell remained on the ground in obvious pain and was helped onto a car, unable to put any weight on his left leg. He covered his face in a towel while being driven off the field.
As one of the favourite targets of fellow rookie C.J. Stroud, his injury is a big loss to Houston's offence.
The 24-year-old is second on the Texans with 47 catches for 709 yards. Among all rookies, his seven touchdown receptions are the most in the NFL and are also a franchise record.
He had a career-high 149 receiving yards and entered Week 13 as the third rookie in league history with at least five catches and a TD reception in four straight games.
After losing 13 games each of the last two seasons, the Texans are one of the bigger surprises in the NFL this year, as Sunday's win improved their record to 7-5.
Indianapolis Colts snatch overtime victory against Tennessee Titans
Gardner Minshew threw a touchdown pass to Michael Pittman with less than three minutes remaining in overtime as the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans 31-28 for their fourth straight win.
The Colts had to score a touchdown to win after Nick Folk made a 46-yard field goal to put the Titans 28-25 in front with four minutes, 19 seconds left on the clock.
Minshew led his side down the field in a 71-yard, seven-play drive which culminated in a four-yard pass to Pittman. The Colts now have a 7-5 record and remain in the play-off race in the AFC.
The Denver Broncos suffered a blow in their bid to make the post-season as their five-game winning streak came to an end against the Houston Texans.
Nico Collins had a career-high 191 yards receiving, including a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Jimmie Ward intercepted Russell Wilson in the end zone with nine seconds remaining to ensure the Texans held on for a 22-17 win.
A miserable campaign for the New England Patriots hit a new low as they were shut out twice in a season for the first time in franchise history, with two field goals from Cameron Dicker giving the Los Angeles Chargers a 6-0 win.
It was a different story in New Orleans as the Detroit Lions beat the Saints 33-28 to improve to 9-3, their best record after 12 games since 1962.
Sam LaPorta enjoyed career highs of nine catches for 140 yards, including an early touchdown, while Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr to injury in the fourth quarter after he was the victim of a penalised hit from Bruce Irvin.
Desmond Ridder threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt as the Atlanta Falcons beat the New York Jets 13-8, while the Arizona Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-10 for just their third win of the season in a weather-delayed contest.
Tyreek Hill caught two touchdown passes, the first from 78 yards, as the Miami Dolphins thrashed the Washington Commanders 45-15 to improve to 9-3 for the first time since 2001.
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