Shoulder injury likely to sideline Giants' Landon Collins vs. Redskins, source says
Landon Collins reacts after making a tackle during the second quarter of a game against the Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 18, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Landon Collins is expected to be ruled out for Sunday’s game against Washington after suffering a shoulder injury last weekend against the Bears, a source told Newsday. It will be the second time in his career that the Pro Bowl safety will miss a game because of injury. NFL Network was first to report the news.
The defensive captain suffered the injury during the Giants’ overtime win Sunday, leaving the field twice during play and coming back each time. X-rays on the shoulder taken Sunday were negative, but Collins underwent further testing on the area Monday and was still in considerable pain Tuesday.
Collins has missed only a handful of defensive snaps for the Giants this season and has played almost every snap since his rookie season. The only other game he has missed was last year’s finale – also against Washington – after he fractured his forearm in Week 16.
Collins spoke after Sunday's game about the difficulty in playing with his shoulder injury.
“A shoulder injury calls for tackling,” he said. “It’s more of tackling and getting guys down, trying to push through and run. Last year I had an ankle injury [which he played through], so it’s more of not twisting it or planting the wrong way. It has its ups and downs. It depends on how you feel during the game or after.”
Collins absence will leave the Giants without a mainstay in their secondary. Curtis Riley has been their other starting safety, but he was benched at times against the Bears (though he did return when Collins was briefly on the sideline). Michael Thomas and rookie Sean Chandler are other options at safety.
“We’re trying to rotate a little bit there just to make sure we’ve got the right people on the field at the right time,” Pat Shurmur said Monday. “I think it’s important, the way our roster is right now on the back end, I think it’s good for us to get all those guys in the game.”
Collins leads the team in tackles with 96 and is second with five tackles for a loss. He does not have any interceptions or sacks in his first season in a new system under coordinator James Bettcher. He had 4.0 sacks and eight interceptions in his first three seasons with the Giants.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
