New York offensive lineman D.J. Fluker came off the field during the Giants' Nov. 12 game against the San Francisco 49ers with a knee injury. He missed seven plays before going back in. After the Giants' 31-21 loss gave the 49ers their first victory of the season, Fluker limped out of the locker room on his way home.
He wasn't planning on missing any playing time.
"If you can't play through pain, I don't know why you play this game," Fluker told reporters.
In Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Fluker played all 69 of the Giants' offensive snaps at right guard in New York's 12-9 overtime victory.
"The best thing for me is to keep on fighting," Fluker said. "I'm not going to let my teammates down. That's how I see it. I'm going to give everything I got until they pull me out."
But now they've pulled Fluker out. He won't play in Thursday night's NFC East game against the Washington Redskins after a turf-toe injury suffered in Sunday's game put him in a walking boot.
"It's a short week, so it's tough to recover," New York coach Ben McAdoo said. "That's the biggest challenge going from a Sunday overtime game to a Thursday night game. We have a lot of guys who are banged up."
Fluker's injury dampens the boost that New York got from upsetting the Chiefs. The Giants won 11 games and went to the playoffs last season. But star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has missed most of 2017 and the offensive line has been overwhelmed by injuries. The victory over Kansas City left the Giants with a 2-8 record after a week of speculation about McAdoo's job security.
"We kept fighting," Fluker said. "We're going to defend our coach because, shoot, we only get one to play for -- and play hard for him. ...
"I know people want to give up and all, but we ain't quitting. We're the New York Giants. We're the Giants for a reason. If you don't play with passion for this coach, something is wrong. You shouldn't be here."
FOR MORE OF AL.COM'S COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Fluker's absence is another obstacle for the Giants in their snake-bitten season. They'll start their eighth offensive line combination in 11 games when they take on the Redskins. The choices to replace Fluker in the lineup are Jon Halapio, who was promoted from the practice squad in October; John Greco, who was signed last week; and Bobby Hart, who began the season as the Giants' right tackle.
In his first season with New York, Fluker hardly played in the opening three games of the season. But he was a regular in the next seven. The Giants averaged 48.7 rushing yards in the games without Fluker in the line and 110.6 in the games with him.
Fluker's absence removes one of the players with Alabama football roots from the NFL's Thanksgiving tripleheader. Fluker prepped at McGill-Toolen in Mobile and Foley before playing for the Crimson Tide.
The Giants and Redskins kick off at 7:30 p.m. CST Thursday on NBC after the Minnesota Vikings-Detroit Lions game at 11:30 a.m. on FOX and the Los Angeles Chargers-Dallas Cowboys game at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
The Thanksgiving games include the two NFL teams without any players from an Alabama high school or college on their active rosters -- Minnesota and Dallas.
The other state players in action on Thursday include:
- Lions:
- Chargers:
- Giants:
- Redskins:
Count Square among the players who'll be ready to go on a short week as the Chargers take the field on Thanksgiving for the first time since 1969.
"As football players, we want to play football," Square said. "So whenever the game gets closer, you like that. I'm a fan of Thursday night football. You don't have to wait long or second-guess anything. I feel like you step right off this field and onto someone else's field. That's the type of ball that I want to play."
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.