New York Giants safety Landon Collins reportedly will be out for this Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins.
A big blow for Big Blue. According to Ian Rapoport, New York Giants safety Landon Collins will be out this Sunday against the Redskins. The fourth-year man out of Alabama suffered a shoulder injury in the Giants’ 30-27 win against the Bears last Sunday.
#Giants S Landon Collins suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday’s overtime win and is out this week, sources say. The team will continue to evaluate this ailment going forward.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 4, 2018
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network added a concerning nugget to Rapoport’s report.
Adding to @RapSheet on #Giants S Landon Collins (shoulder): Surgery is a reasonable possibility with his injury, source says. We might have seen the last of him this year and, with free agency on deck, maybe his last game with NYG. Long way to go before March, though.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 4, 2018
Collins injured the shoulder in the third quarter, however, he did return to finish out the game for the Giants. He will now sit against Washington and possibly the rest of the 2018 season, as surgery may be needed. Therefore, the Chicago game could be the last game for Collins in 2018 and for his career in a Giants uniform. He’s slated to become a free agent in the 2019 offseason and will be looking for a big pay-day.
Collins leads the Giants in tackles this season with 96. However, he doesn’t have an interception nor a sack to his name on the stat sheet. Either way, it’s a big loss for the Giants as long-shot playoff hopes are still mathematically possible.
Standing at 4-8, the Giants would need to win the final four games of the regular season to even have a chance to play in January. It’s a very tough road ahead, and now will be even tougher without their standout safety.
Guys that could replace Collins at the strong safety position are captain Michael Thomas along with Sean Chandler. The favorite is Thomas, as he has played in all 12 games for Big Blue this season and has racked up 30 tackles and four pass deflections. He would be alongside free safety Curtis Riley, who’s started all 12 games for the Giants thus far.
With an important slate of games to end the season for the Giants, the defensive backfield has to step up. Without Collins, it’s definitely an issue, but it can be done.
