Giants' Xavier McKinney Out a 'Few Weeks' with Hand Injury Suffered in ATV Accident

New York Giants defensive back Xavier McKinney announced Monday on social media that he injured his hand in a crash on an all-terrain vehicle during the team's bye week and will be sidelined for several weeks.

McKinney was later placed on the reserve/non-football injury list by the Giants.

The 23-year-old is in his third season with the Giants and has started all eight games this season, registering 38 tackles (two for loss), one sack and a forced fumble.

Losing McKinney is a major blow for the Giants defense. According to Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com, the safety has been "a leader and signal-caller on the defense, a respected teammate and emotional spark plug on game days, not to mention one of the best players on a surprising playoff contender."

The Giants, coming off their bye week, are 6-2, two games behind the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles and deadlocked with the Dallas Cowboys in a surprisingly deep NFC East.

The defense, which gives up just 19.6 points per game (ninth in the NFL), has played a big part in the team's resurgence.

With McKinney out, rookie Dane Belton could be in line for a bigger role alongside starting safety Julian Love. The team also has veteran Landon Collins on the practice squad, while special teams contributor Jason Pinnock is available for depth but has only played one snap at safety this season.

One of McKinney's best traits was his durability and reliability. Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, he hasn't missed a defensive snap since Week 3 of the 2021 season.

While injuries are never ideal, the Giants have a relatively easy schedule the next two weeks with the Houston Texans (1-6-1) and Detroit Lions (2-6) on deck and both at home.

But things tighten up from there with four straight NFC East clashes against the Cowboys, Washington Commanders (twice) and Eagles before a trip to face the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Eve.

That five-game stretch will likely determine whether the Giants find themselves back in the postseason. The team will hope McKinney can return during that stretch.