Victor Cruz Tears Patellar Tendon, Likely Done For Year
PHILADELPHIA (CBSNewYork/AP) — The Giants' passing attack suffered a huge blow Sunday night.
Victor Cruz went down after a leaping attempt at a fourth-and-6 pass with the Giants trailing the Philadelphia Eagles 20-0 in the third quarter. He immediately grabbed his knee and was crying with his face in his hands as he was carted off the field.
The wide receiver tore the patellar tendon in his right knee, the Giants announced.
"Huge loss," head coach Tom Coughlin said after the 27-0 loss. "It wasn't a good situation, a grim scene."
The injury is expected to end Cruz's season.
"It was tough to say anything to him," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. "I went there and patted him on the shoulder, but he was in some pain. Anything I would have said, he wouldn't have heard me."
The Giants said Cruz will return to New Jersey on Monday after spending the night at a Philadelphia hospital.
"Extremely tough," safety Antrel Rolle said. "He's just down there screaming. That's your brother down there on the floor."
Without the popular Pro Bowler, the offense will be forced to lean on receivers Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr.
"It's the nature of this game, but it's even tougher when that's the guy ... that I modeled my game after," Beckham said. "To see him go down, it touches my heart."
"I know they already expect big things from me," the first-round pick added. "But with Vic going down, I just have to play bigger."
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)