New York Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence did not participate in Wednesday’s team practice. He was listed on the injury report with a hip issue.
Lawrence told reporters after practice not to read too much into it. He’ll be ready to play versus the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
“I’m playing he declared. “I’m good. I’m where I’m at after every week.”
When asked why he didn’t practice, Lawrence said he was “just resting” and spoke about the importance of Sunday’s game.
“They all count for something. But, I think, right now, the division is all pretty square. We’ve still got opportunities. Our week, this week, just to take care of business and go out there and beat the Eagles,” he said.
Linebacker Brian Burns, who also missed Wednesday’s practice with a groin injury, is also ready to take care of business in Week 7, saying he has “no doubt” he will suit up.
And taking care of business means shutting down former teammate Saquon Barkley, who has been the Eagles’ best offensive player thus far in 2024. Lawrence always kidded with Barkley about facing him for real while the two were teammates. This time will be different.
“Like I told him, I had a chance to go against him in practice, in the Joe Judge era,” Lawrence said. “Got a couple of tackles in on him then. Now it’s time for a full game against him. I know what kind of player he is and his mindset going into games. I’m excited to compete and just beat the Eagles.”
Lawrence said there will be some trash talking but the crux of the matter is he knows they are up against in Barkley and knows they can’t let him get comfortable.
“I think we’ve got to stop Saquon from getting going. We’ve got to clog the holes. We’ve got to get a lot of guys on him, a lot of bodies on him. He’s good at finding the second lane, third lane type of thing,” Lawrence said. “We’ve got to stop his feet before he gets going because then he’s explosive. Elite back. We’ve got to stop his feet. We’ve got to beat the guys in front of us on the offensive line and make sure Saquon doesn’t get started.”
Asked what kind of reception Barkley will get from Giant fans on Sunday in his return to MetLife, Lawrence said there is “no telling.”
“Honestly, I think he did a lot of good for this organization,” continued Lawrence. “But, we’ve got some tough fans and they’re going to bring him in however they feel is right by them. I appreciate what he did for this organization and who he was as a teammate and a person to me, most importantly. But, Sunday is war and he knows that.”
A war the Giants need to win in order to keep afloat in the topsy-turvy NFC East.
