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The New York Giants offensive line had big problems before the 2021 NFL season began.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), after being rated 31st last season, this year's offensive line expectations were a little higher thanks to left tackle Andrew Thomas entering his sophomore year and Nate Solder coming back after opting out in 2020.
But problems are starting to pile up for the Giants.
Shane Lemieux's season-ending injury
First, during training camp, Shane Lemieux injured his patellar tendon.
The Giants and Lemieux thought he could play through injury. They were wrong.
Lemieux started the Giants' first game against the Denver Broncos, but he was out less than 20 snaps after the initial kickoff. The team thought that recovery was possible, but after missing the Week 2 loss to the Washington Football Team, Lemieux underwent surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
Granted, Lemieux was not great, not even good, in the previous 2020 NFL season. According to PFF, he allowed five sacks, the sixth-worst mark in the league, and finished the season with a 32.2 overall grade. But like Thomas, the Giants expected him to have a better second year when compared to his rookie season.
Nick Gates
Nick Gates's case is even worse. The Giants elected the center as one of their captains, and after the Giants declared Lemieux out for the WFT game, he moved from center to left guard to replace the injured Lemieux. Gates suffered a gruesome injury at left guard.
The Giants believed that Gates could impact the offensive line not only because of his playing style and ability but also because of his leadership. Now, a team that has struggled for years with poor offensive line play will have to perform the rest of the season without Gates.
Even worse, the Giants may lose Gates forever. Head coach Joe Judge said the lower-leg injury sustained by Gates in the first quarter of last week's Thursday Night Football game against the WFT might be a career-ending one.
During his brief playing time this season, the Giants' center improved his overall PFF ratings from a 59.7 to a 60.9
Giants options
Against the WFT, former Cincinnati Bengals player Billy Price played at center and Ben Bredeson, a former Baltimore Ravens player, replaced Gates at left guard. Giants and head coach Joe Judge may look to do this again in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Giants' starting offensive line likely will be: LT Andrew Thomas, LG Ben Bredeson, C Billy Price, RG Will Hernandez, RT Nate Solder.
The Giants also have former Miami Dolphins center Matt Skura on their roster. But since the team acquired Bredeson and Price days before this season's first game, Skura's chances of starting or even seeing the field against the Falcons are slim.
