Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas out at least three games after going on injured reserve

Daniel Jones’ pass protection took a major hit on Tuesday that was expected but no less devastating.

The Giants placed left tackle Andrew Thomas on injured reserve with injuries to his left foot and right ankle, sidelining the second-year offensive lineman for at least three games.

He won’t be eligible to play again until after the team’s Week 10 bye. He’ll miss Sunday’s game between the Giants (1-5) and Carolina Panthers (3-3), and ensuing matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders.

His first eligible game will be a Monday night visit to the reigning champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 22.

Jones has played less confidently and thrown less accurately when Thomas has been out of the lineup. Not only has he faced more pressure when Thomas has been out; he appears to anticipate more pressure even when it doesn’t come.

That included the Giants’ Week 5 blowout loss at Dallas, in which Thomas did not play at all. Jones uncharacteristically missed Saquon Barkley high on a wide-open slant that might have been a touchdown if he’d connected.

In a freak accident after that missed throw, Barkley turned his left ankle badly on the foot of Cowboys corner Jourdan Lewis. Since, the Giants have crumbled before everyone’s eyes.

Thomas tried to gut it out last Sunday through a bad left foot against the L.A. Rams, but he paid the price for doing so. Players rolled up on Thomas’ right ankle as he was hobbling to keep his bad left foot off the ground at the end of his final play, in fact.

Right guard Will Hernandez promptly false started after Thomas’ injury. Then Matt Peart surrendered a strip sack of Jones on his first left tackle snap in Thomas’ place.

The Giants clearly had anticipated this happening. They practiced Peart at left tackle all week. Offensive line consultant Pat Flaherty and GM Dave Gettleman were coaching up Peart on left tackle pass sets after one practice just steps away from the assembled media.

But Jones was sacked four times by the Rams, pressured 19 times, per Pro Football Focus, and turned the ball over four times facing constant pressure.

The Giants’ left guard position is an absolute disaster on top of Thomas’ absence at left tackle. Ben Bredeson has sat out with a badly injured left hand. Matt Skura is trying to play through a knee injury. Wes Martin has rotated in. But no one can adequately do the job.

Meanwhile, the Giants placed wideout and returner C.J. Board (broken left arm) on injured reserve, as well. He is expected to be out for the season. Darnay Holmes returned kickoffs in Board’s place after his injury on Sunday.

The team signed tackle Korey Cunningham and wideout Dante Pettis to their active roster off the practice squad despite both players’ underwhelming performances against the Rams.

They signed offensive tackle Derrick Kelly, inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney and wideout Travis Toivonen to their practice squad.

They cut guard Cole Banwart and tight end Jake Hausmann from their practice squad. And they protected four players on the practice squad from being poached: McKinney, defensive tackle David Moa, tight end Chris Myarick and wideout David Sills.