Everything is going wrong for the New York Giants in the 2023 regular season. They are 2-6 heading into their Week 9 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, which presented another low point for the franchise.

The Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator Mike Lombardi and general manager Dave Ziegler this week. They also announced rookie Aidan O’Connell would be starting at quarterback over Jimmy Garoppolo and the Giants are getting their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, back from a neck injury.

Despite that, the Raiders are still favorites in Sunday afternoon’s game. A big reason for that could be the expected absence of star tight end, Darren Waller. This was a game Waller certainly had circled on the calendar as the Raiders traded him to the Giants this offseason. Unfortunately for him, it doesn’t sound like he will be suiting up against his former team.

Waller has dealt with numerous soft-tissue injuries to his hamstrings in recent seasons. He suffered another one in Week 8 against the New York Jets, exiting the game in the first half and being ruled out shortly after.

As shared by ESPN, Waller did not take part in practice on Wednesday but was feeling better compared to when the injury first occurred. While that is certainly a positive, he doesn’t sound close to getting on the field. The hamstring problem was described as “very frustrating” and “a little bit discouraging” given how often he has had to deal with them.

Last season with the Raiders, he missed eight games because of hamstring-related issues. He was listed as questionable heading into last week’s game against the Jets after being limited all week at practice. Waller admitted he could be looking at a multi-week absence once again.

“Potentially. The amount of weeks I’m not that sure,” Waller said. “But it may take a little bit.”

Sunday’s matchup against the Raiders is the first of a three-game road trip for New York. They have divisional matchups against the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders in the next two weeks.

Being without Waller in those games would be a huge blow as he is the team’s leading receiver with 36 receptions for 384 yards and one touchdown. He will certainly be missed for however long he is out as this offense has struggled even when at full strength.

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