EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants will be down another playmaker this week, as wide receiver Sterling Shepard will miss some time with a quad strain, team and league sources told ESPN.
Shepard suffered the injury in the second quarter of Monday night’s 20-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He missed the second half, and tests Tuesday showed he will be out at least for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, sources said.
Coach Joe Judge said Tuesday, before Shepard had an MRI, that there was hope the injury “isn’t too, too bad.” That appears to be the case, even though there is no definitive timeline for his return.
The Giants (2-6) have a bye after this week’s matchup with the Raiders, providing Shepard and the Giants’ playmakers some time to get healthy. Running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) and wide receiver Kenny Golladay (knee) missed Monday’s game, and wide receiver Kadarius Toney (ankle/thumb) was in and out of the contest.
Injuries have been a continuous problem throughout this season for the Giants. Barkley, Golladay, Shepard and wide receiver Darius Slayton have all missed three games because of injuries. Toney has missed two.
The Giants’ offense has a league-high 25 missed games by its Week 1 starters — five more than any other team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Shepard, 28, missed games last month against the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys with a hamstring injury. After returning against the Los Angeles Rams, he tweaked his other hamstring the following week and missed a win over the Carolina Panthers.
He will have missed at least four games in four of the past five years.
It was a promising start to the season for Shepard, who had 16 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown in the first two weeks. The longest-tenured Giant has 32 receptions for 324 yards and a touchdown in 2021.