EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Kayvon Thibodeaux was grabbing for his right knee before he even hit the MetLife Stadium turf.
A nightmare of a scene for the New York Giants unfolded in the second quarter of their preseason game when the star rookie outside linebacker crumpled to the ground, and he was quickly surrounded by the team’s training staff. The cart came out for Thibodeaux, but he shrugged off the ride, instead walking to the blue medical tent where he was further examined.
Thibodeaux was ruled out of the game officially by the Giants with a knee injury, but he appeared to be joking with teammates on the sideline before heading into the locker room. Perhaps the Giants dodged a bullet here.
There is optimism from the Giants after the initial examination that Thibodeaux avoided a significant knee injury, two individuals with knowledge of the situation told NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network. Ruling Thibodeaux out for the night was not necessarily a reflection on the severity of the injury. He’ll likely undergo further evaluation and testing Monday morning to determine just how serious of an injury this is.
Giants coach Brian Daboll said he would discuss the injury Monday after hearing all the test results.
“I’m good, I’ll be back,” Thibodeaux said while walking past the media without a limp after the game. He said it was good news.
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This was not a non-contact injury, which was the initial fear when he grabbed his knee. Replays showed Bengals tight end Thad Moss – son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy – dived at Thibodeaux’s right knee in an apparent attempt at a cut block, which is a legal play under the circumstances, even if it looked unnecessary.
Thibodeaux was the fifth overall pick in this year’s NFL draft.
Contributing: Associated Press
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Kayvon Thibodeaux suffers knee injury in Giants preseason game