Hakeem Nicks Injury: Giants Can't Afford to Take Chances with Knee

Just how bad is the injury to Hakeem Nicks' knee?

That's actually a pretty good question. We know that the wide receiver hurt it during the New York Giants' 28-14 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday, and we know that he had X-rays after the game. Beyond that, we really don't know much.

On Monday, a report from The Star-Ledger cited a team source who claimed the team was hoping Nicks' knee injury was a "bone bruise at worst." Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, though, couldn't say one way or the other.

"We know that he has some type of injury there," he said. "Don't know what it is or to what extent."

Things were not much clearer on Tuesday. As the New York Daily News put it, Nicks' knee has "become a serious source of concern" for the Giants. The team knows there's no serious damage, but the amount of swelling has them worried.

At this point, Nicks' status for the Giants' Monday night game at home against the St. Louis Rams is "uncertain."

The silver lining here is the fact that the Giants don't have to play again until Monday, giving Nicks an extra day to recover. If the swelling goes down enough, he could certainly play against the Rams.

But the Giants need to be smart here. While they would obviously love to have Nicks, who caught seven passes for 122 yards against the Redskins, in the lineup, their main priority right now should be ensuring that Nicks is going to be able to stay in the lineup for the rest of the season.

The reason for this, of course, is that the Giants are thin enough at the wide receiver position as it is. Nicks and Mario Manningham do make for a productive duo, but the Giants don't really have any reliable options behind them on the depth chart. The last thing they want to do is risk further injury to Nicks, as his production will be nearly impossible to replace.

So if Nicks has to miss a game, so be it. As long as he's healthy for the other 14 games remaining on the Giants' schedule, they stand a fighting chance.

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LIFE HURTS. THIS INJURY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKIES.