New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz out Monday night
The New York Giants will take on the Cincinnati Bengals Monday night, but they’ll do so without wide receiver Victor Cruz.
The New York Giants are on a high note right now, with a three game winning streak to push their record to 5-3 for the season. Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals should be a solid follow-up to a good NFL Sunday, but the Giants will take the field without wide receiver Victor Cruz.
Victor Cruz (ankle) will be inactive tonight. Mostly precautionary, eye on rest of season. Will address later on @nflnetwork.
— Kim Jones (@KimJonesSports) November 14, 2016
Cruz suffered an ankle injury in Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles, and he did not practice at all week after that. So he was widely not expected to play on Monday night, but Cruz is tentatively expected to miss just one game.
Undrafted rookie Roger Lewis was already splitting snaps with Cruz last week, so he is in line for more playing time against the Bengals. Rookie second-round pick Sterling Shepard resurfaced against the Eagles, with his first touchdown since Week 3, so he should become the Giants’ clear No. 2 wide receiver behind Odell Beckham.
Cruz missed the final 10 games of the 2014 season with a torn patella tendon in his right knee, and all of the 2015 season with an ongoing calf issue. So the Giants are used to doing without him, and they’ll do so again for at least one game now.
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Cruz is a long way from being the salsa-dancing force he was in 2011 (82 receptions for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns) and 2012 (86 catches for 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns). Now 30 years old, and whether this ankle injury lingers longer than expected or not, Cruz’s time in Giants’ blue is nearing an end. Kickoff between the Giants and the Bengals is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET Monday night.