NY Giants WR Darius Slayton's Rough Week 5 Outing Ends with Hamstring Injury

Lady Luck has certainly not been kind to the New York Giants' receivers over the last two weeks.

One week after losing wide receiver Malik Nabers to a season-ending ACL injury, No. 2 pass-catcher Darius Slayton was forced to exit Sunday's 26-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints due to a hamstring issue.

The veteran wideout, who was already having a rough day in The Big Easy, left the field around the midway mark of the fourth quarter and did not return.

Slayton's absence forced the beleaguered Giants to allocate more snaps to former third-round pick Jalin Hyatt and undrafted rookie Beau Collins. That did not go well.

Hyatt did not register a reception in three pass targets, and Collins, who caught one of his three targets, appeared to stop short on a route that led to a back-breaking Jaxson Dart interception with 5:11 left in regulation.

Before Slayton's exit, the veteran receiver, who was on this week's injury report with a groin issue, had caught three of his six pass targets and had a critical fumble and a dropped pass.

The 28-year-old recorded just three catches for 31 yards and committed a game-changing fumble in Saints territory toward the end of the first half. New Orleans ended up kicking a field goal and went into the break with a 16-14 lead.

Slayton was hardly the only Giants player to make a huge mistake -- both Dart and running back Cam Skattebo gifted points to the opposition via their own brutal fumbles.

But it was indeed a rare catch of a game for a usually reliable receiver and the whole showing further magnified the team's decision to not elevate a receiver from the practice squad this week given the injury Slayton entered the game with

With the Giants having a short week ahead--they host the Eagles Thursday night--Slayton's status for the game as of now is up in the air, depending on the severity of his hamstring issue.

The Giants also lost linebacker Swayze Bozeman in the first half to an ankle injury. Bozeman had been signed from the team's practice squad to fill in the roster spot that opened when linebacker/special teamer Chris Board landed on IR with a chest injury earlier in the season, and with Micah McFadde having seen his season cut short due to a foot injury in Week 1.