New York Giants’ Jabrill Peppers not practicing Thursday, availability for Sunday in doubt (Report)

Jabrill Peppers didn’t practice for the second consecutive day, citing a low ankle sprain. The New York Giants may be without him on Sunday.

The New York Giants secondary evidently crumbled in Week 3 after Jabrill Peppers left the game early with an ankle injury — 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens finished with 343 passing yards. And now, the same story could unfortunately repeat itself this Sunday.

According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Peppers didn’t practice Thursday, his second consecutive missed day. This puts his status for the team’s Week 4 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams in doubt.

S Jabrill Peppers (ankle) again not spotted at practice. Be stunned if he plays Sunday vs. Rams.

— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) October 1, 2020

This isn’t Peppers’ first bout with the injury bug. The fourth-year defensive back missed the final five games of last season — his first campaign with the Giants — due to a transverse process fracture. He suffered the setback in a Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears.

If Peppers isn’t healthy for this Sunday, how would the Giants go about replacing him?

Well, they would have a few different routes to consider, one of which would be to put newly acquired defensive back Logan Ryan at safety alongside Julian Love. They could then play either Isaac Yiadom or Ryan Lewis at the starting cornerback spot opposite James Bradberry with Darnay Holmes performing in the slot.

There’s additionally the chance, albeit a small one, they could promote Sean Chandler from the practice squad and start him at the free safety spot. Love would then work at strong safety — Peppers’ position — with Ryan continuing his role as the secondary’s X-Factor.

Regardless of who plays, this Giants defense possesses a daunting task on its hands facing an offense led by quarterback Jared Goff and head coach Sean McVay.