Giants Lose Two Key Starters Ahead of Texans Clash

The New York Giants made a statement by knocking off the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, taking out their division rivals 28-20 in John Harbaugh's debut as Giants' head coach. But they then fell 28-6 to the Rams in Los Angeles, and lost franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury that same game.

New York bounced back with wins over the Titans and Cardinals, but then had an ugly tie against Washington and suffered a frustrating 34-24 loss to the Saints last weekend. They're now 3-2-1 heading into Sunday's game against Houston, which is good enough to put them atop the NFC East but not enough to guarantee them anything heading into Week 7.

Aside from Dart, the Giants have also lost star pass rusher Brian Burns to a season-ending ACL injury and just lost top linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to a torn chest muscle and right shoulder injury, which will also sideline him for the rest of the 2026 season. Cornerback Greg Newsome II is also set to miss the Texans game with a concussion.

As if all that wasn't already enough, the Giants are also set to be without two key starters on Sunday, with NFL insider Adam Schefter reporting that safety Jevon Holland (concussion) and tight end Theo Johnson (neck) were both downgraded to out on Saturday after initially being listed as questionable and doubtful.

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Holland has been one of the Giants' best defenders this season. Through six games, he's already recorded 30 tackles, three interceptions (leading the league), two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September, and losing him adds another name to a long list of key playmakers gone from the Giants' defense. Jason Pinnock and Ar'Darius Washington are expected to take more responsibility at safety in the meantime.

On offense, Johnson's absence means quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be without one of his top two tight ends. Isaiah Likely is still the team's top red zone threat, but Johnson has had a strong couple of weeks, hauling in an 11-yard touchdown against the Cardinals in Week 4 and then two catches for 35 yards in the Commanders game. More pressure will fall on Likely, along with depth options Thomas Fidone II and Chris Manhertz in Johnson's absence.

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After an 0-4 start to the year, the Texans have now won two straight, and C.J. Stroud has the offense humming. It was never going to be an easy matchup for the Giants, but losing two starters this close to kickoff is brutal. A win in Houston would keep them atop the division, while a loss would drop them down to .500 on the season, just narrowly above the 2-4 Eagles and Cowboys.