Odell Beckham Jr.'s status for Sunday is a lot like the Giants offense when it struggles: three and out.
The Giants' star wide receiver will be sidelined for a third straight game Sunday at the Indianapolis Colts (8-6) with the same left quad injury that kept him out of a 40-16 win at Washington two weeks ago and a 17-0 home shutout loss to the Titans on Sunday.
"He's closer," head coach Pat Shurmur said Friday of Beckham's health. "He did more this week. He was able to do more field work, so we'll just have to see what the next couple days bring."
Beckham did not practice at all this week but was in the field house on both Thursday and Friday doing some work.
Shurmur insisted in his weekly in-house interview published Friday morning that missing Beckham against the Titans "had nothing to do with" the offense struggling.
"We didn't have Odell the week before and we performed very well," Shurmur said of a Dec. 9 victory without Beckham over a Washington team starting Mark Sanchez at quarterback. "So it had nothing to do with that. It had to do with the players on the field and the way we coached the game. So we have to do a better job. I have to do a better job of putting them in better positions, and we need to execute better."
Per NFL.com, in the last two years, the Giants have averaged 21.6 points per game with Beckham in the lineup and 14.8 points without him. Barkley gained just 31 rushing yards on 14 carries (2.2 average) against the Titans, so getting the rookie Pro Bowl back going will be key to the Giants staying in Sunday's game in Indianapolis.
