NY Giants vs. Bengals: Kayvon Thibodeaux leaves with knee injury, out for game
EAST RUTHERFORD - Kayvon Thibodeaux was grabbing for his right knee before he even hit the MetLife Stadium turf.
A nightmare of a scene for the Giants unfolded in the second quarter of their preseason game when the star rookie outside linebacker crumpled to the ground, and he was quickly surrounded by the team's training staff. The cart came out for Thibodeaux, but he shrugged off the ride, instead walking to the blue medical tent where he was further examined.
Thibodeaux was ruled out of the game officially by the Giants with a knee injury, but he appeared to be joking with teammates on the sideline before heading into the locker room. Perhaps Giants dodged a bullet here.
There is optimism from the Giants after the initial exam that Thibodeaux avoided a significant knee injury, two individuals with knowledge of the situation told NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network. Ruling Thibodeaux out for the night was not necessarily a reflection on the severity of the injury. He'll likely undergo further evaluation and testing Monday morning to determine just how serious of an injury this is.
This was not a non-contact injury, which was the initial fear when he grabbed at his knee. Replays showed Bengals tight end Thad Moss - son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy - dived at Thibodeaux's right knee in an apparent attempt at a cut block, which is a legal play under the circumstances, even if it looked unnecessary.
Solid night for Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones pumped his fist as if he'd birdied the 18th hole at the Masters.
The Giants have not gotten in the end zone much in his first three seasons, so when rookie running back Jashaun Corbin followed a key block from left tackle Devery Hamilton and crossed the goal line, albeit in the second quarter of a preseason game Sunday night, it's hard to fault Jones for exalting, even if his celebration was a bit of an exhale as well.
Corbin's 2-yard touchdown run capped the third series of the night for Jones, who finished 14-of-16 for 116 yards and an interception on a catchable throw that went off the hands of rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger. Yes, the Giants were not going against the first-team defense of reigning AFC champion Cincinnati, but things just looked more functional than they have been offensively in recent seasons.
The offensive line, even without two starters, down to their sixth center of the summer in veteran guard Max Garcia, was smooth. There were holes for running backs Corbin and Antonio Williams, and Jones had good protection all night.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Giants vs. Bengals: Live updates from Sunday's preseason game
