Giants DPOY Candidate Misses Practice ahead of Steelers Game
New York Giants star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence missed practice on Thursday ahead of Monday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
New York Giants star nose tackle Dexter Lawrence did not practice on Thursday because of a hip injury. It’s still early in the week, so the Giants could be just playing it safe and resting the All-Pro. Now, if he doesn’t practice on Friday and Saturday, his status for Monday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers could be up in the air.
Steelers center Ryan McCollum will have a massive task on Monday night in trying to block Lawrence. The 6-foot-4, 340-pounder is on a historic pace right now, as he leads the league in sacks with nine. That’s unheard of for a nose tackle.
Lawrence has been double-teamed on 63.3% of his pass rushes this season, the highest rate faced by any player since at least 2018 (min. 100 pass rushes), according to Next Gen Stats.
Lawrence is currently in the running for NFL Defensive Player of the Year with T.J. Watt. Will Anderson Jr. and Chris Jones.
“Dexter Lawrence is a problem,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said during his weekly Tuesday press conference. “He’s a problem in the running game. He’s a problem in the passing game. I think he leads the league in sacks but he’s just a dominant, dominant player.”
Lawrence is a rare pass rushing talent but you don't sacrifice any run stopping ability.
Anchors versus double teams, controls blocks, sheds guys to make stops.
I am trying to think of a comparison for him but I'm not sure that there is one. pic.twitter.com/Ym82DavPdC
— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) October 24, 2024
Lawrence was a first-round pick by the Giants in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Clemson. He earned second-team All-Pro honors in each of the last two years, but this year his game has reached a new level.
Tomlin reflected on when he took Lawrence and Christian Wilkins out for dinner during the pre-draft process.
“I remember I took those guys out to dinner when he came out of Clemson a number of years back, and I was sitting having conversation with him and Christian Wilkins, and they were sitting on the love seat. And that love seat was really crowded and Christian Wilkins looked really small. And we all know Christian is not small,” Tomlin recalled. “You’re not gonna get a lot done unless you’re prepared to put four hands on [Lawrence]. Guys like Ryan McCollum, who are getting an opportunity to ascend and play, it’s gonna be a significant challenge, but we better do more than wish Ryan McCollum luck.”
An Achilles also popped up on the injury report for starting outside linebacker Brian Burns, who was limited on Wednesday. Burns has also been dealing with a groin injury since Week 3.
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