ARLINGTON — The Giants’ top three defensive tackles, including their best player Dexter Lawrence, all left Thursday’s game with injuries in the second half.
First D.J. Davidson left with a shoulder injury. Then Lawrence was ruled out with an elbow injury. Then Rakeem Nunez-Roches struggled off with a stinger.
Lawrence ended up in street clothes on the sideline, and his injury will be worth monitoring if it leads to an extended absence on this 2-10 team down the stretch of a miserable season.
Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle had 22 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown, including a 22-yard gain against the Giants’ top defensive line in the first half on 2nd and 21.
Once Lawrence and Nunez-Roches went out, the Cowboys continued attacking the interior of the Giants’ defense to help run the clock down and out.
NABERS GETS HIS WISH
Brian Daboll heard Malik Nabers’ complaints about a lack of early targets and responded. It resulted in Nabers setting an NFL receiving record in the first half of Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day game.
Nabers caught eight passes for 69 yards on 13 targets, including five receptions for 39 yards in the first half alone.
That came four days after Nabers saw no targets at all under the third quarter of the Giants’ 30-7 loss to Tampa Bay and ripped Daboll’s offense and gameplan.
His fifth catch of the game late in the second quarter gave him 72 on the season. And that set a new NFL record for the most catches by a wide receiver through his first 10 games in the league.
Nabers snapped former Giants star Odell Beckham Jr.’s record of 71 catches through 10 games set in his rookie season of 2014.
Both wideouts played their college ball at LSU, and both were first-round picks of the Giants.
Nabers also had two first-half drops, though, providing a reminder that even the Giants’ bright spots leave you wanting more.