The preseason’s over and the Giants are less than one week away from the start of the regular season, possibly without Odell Beckham Jr..
It’s been two weeks since Beckham injured his ankle in a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. The Giants open their season Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys on national television. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on the availability of their star wide receiver.
Beckham, according to reports, has yet to practice since injuring his ankle.
There’s plenty reason to have Beckham on the field Sunday night. He’s a playmaker who’s shown he can thrive on a huge platform such as playing on Sunday night. The Cowboys, besides being a rival, or also a divisional opponent. The Giants can make an early statement with a win on the road to start the season.
But while there’s plenty of reason for Beckham to play Sunday night, the reality of the situation is there’s still an entire season ahead.
Perspective On Beckham
If the Giants deliver on defense, protect Eli Manning, and find some sort of running game, they’ll be make a playoff-run this season. But they’ll need their playmakers and Beckham’s at the top of the list.
Odell Beckham Jr. of the Giants walks off the field after suffering an injury in the first half of a preseason game against the Browns. (Image Credit: Getty / Joe Robbins)
Beckham obviously is a huge reason expectations for the Giants passing game this season are high. If he’s not 100 percent or close to it, do the Giants really want to risk their top receiver re-injuring himself?
In my opinion, that’s not a risk worth taking in week 1 of the season.
It’s no secret Beckham’s passion for football sometimes gets overshadowed by his occasional emotional displays on the field. There’s no doubt he’s well aware any game against the Cowboys is circled on the calendars of most Giants fans. He’s going to want to play, hurt ankle or not.
It will be interesting to see how the Giants approach Beckham’s injury during the week leading up to Sunday night. Will they throw caution to the wind and play him? Or will the big picture for the rest of the regular season take first priority?
