David Wilson appeared to be on his way to an excellent day of football. The New York Giants running back put up six carries for 16 yards and touchdown in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles. Fantasy football owners were preparing to take Wilson out of the doghouse after the strong start. However, the running back went down with a neck injury at the start of the second quarter, ending his day.
Wilson tweeted out that he will return in time to play in Week 6. The running back said he passed all doctor tests and would take an extra day or two of rest. It is unclear exactly when Wilson suffered the neck injury in the loss. He appeared fine after his touchdown and backflip celebration, something Tom Coughlin likely did not appreciate. On his final play of the first quarter, he was crumbled in the pile after a run at the five yard line. He stayed on the ground for a few moments and then headed to the locker room.
As the game, Wilson confirmed his intentions to return, tweeting out, "Wish we can win for all our supporters other than that I feel good passed all test. The Dr. Just taking extra precaution be back next week."
With Wilson out, Brandon Jacobs took over running back duties. He finished the day with 11 carries for 37 yards as the Giants went out to lose 36-21 and fall to 0-5. He gave up a costly fumble in the second quarter that Philadelphia recovered and turned into three points.
The Giants are in desperate need of a run game and for Wilson to be healthy. While there are almost zero positives in the offensive performance being put up by New York, having Wilson out could be catastrophic. However he and Jacobs have yet to do much as the Giants rank 30th in the league in rushing, averaging 57.8 yards per game.
The Giants will face the Bears in Week 6. As a team, Chicago is giving up 98.2 yards per game in rushing. Their defensive front will make it very difficult for the Giants to run with or without Wilson, but having the running back healthy will certainly only help. As a whole, the Giants are simply frustrated with the season as Coughlin admits things need to change.
"They're very frustrated, very down," Coughlin said. "They've worked very hard during the week, built themselves up to a good approach, and then the frustration of not getting the win ... they're doing the best they can. They're standing up, they're supporting each other. That's the way it has to be for a team to continue on."