The New York Giants held on for a 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, but fullback Patrick Ricard left the field with a gruesome facial wound in the rain-soaked grind.
Ricard suffered a deep nose laceration and left before the final whistle. Head coach John Harbaugh was still struck by the severity afterward.
"Pat Ricard got his nose lacerated. It's really unbelievable, all the way through, like deep. I don't know what happened. Maybe someone got their hand in his face mask," he told reporters after the game.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound veteran walked to the locker room under his own power. A cut that deep typically needs stitches, though it is not viewed as a long-term threat the way linebacker Brian Burns' right knee
injury may be. Burns needed help off the field and was slated for an MRI.
Ricard followed Harbaugh from Baltimore this offseason on a two-year contract that made him the highest-paid fullback in the league. Nicknamed Pancake Pat for his lead blocking, he has been central to the physical identity New York is trying to build.
The Giants leaned on that run game Sunday in their first start without quarterback Jaxson Dart, using Cam Skattebo and Najee Harris while rookie kicker Dominic Zvada supplied all 12 points with four field goals.
Safety Jevon Holland's end-zone interception with 17 seconds left sealed the win and improved the Giants to 2-1.
Ricard's availability for next Sunday's home game against the Arizona Cardinals should become clearer once the wound is closed and swelling is assessed.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Patrick Ricard suffered gnarly, bloody injury vs. Titans
