Kayvon Thibodeaux gives Giants a scare, walks off on his own in preseason game vs. Bengals

Kayvon Thibodeaux got his first round of loud applause from Giants fans at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night.

First, though, he scared the heck out of them.

The first-round pick, who is expected to play a large role in the team’s defense this season and only a few days earlier had been talking about his plans to break the team’s record for sacks by a rookie, found himself sprawled out on the turf early in the second quarter. He was clutching his right knee and wincing in pain.

He had come up to hold the edge on a run when Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss delivered a low cut block that caused Thibodeaux’s leg to buckle.

The team’s medical staff sprinted onto the field to tend to him and a cart sped from the far tunnel to carry him off. Hushed concern dampened what was feeling like a positive night for the Giants, with Daniel Jones looking sharp and the first-team offense having just scored a touchdown in what would become a 25-22 comeback win.

Thibodeaux was helped to his feet. He walked under his own power toward the cart, where even more staffers waited to help him onto the back of it.

Then he walked right past the cart.

While Thibodeaux’s immediate and long-term future for this season remain unclear, that demonstration of defiance to eschew the ride and instead stride to the sideline himself did more to endear him to Giants fans than any sack or big tackle might have in this otherwise meaningless preseason game against Bengals backups.

It was a display of fortitude and resolve that almost certainly will become part of the Thibodeaux Lore as his career grows over the coming years, even as the immediate concerns over his well-being and upcoming availability weighed on the entire organization. Thibodeaux almost certainly will have tests to determine the seriousness of the injury on Monday morning. Those images will decide how long he will be sidelined — if at all.

“I’m good,” he said as he walked out of the locker room with only a hint of a limp, even stopping to grab a burrito from the table serving the postgame meal to the team. “I’ll be back . . . Good news. All good news and good wishes.”

After walking to the sideline with only a slight limp, Thibodeaux began to head to the locker room but was called back for an examination in the medical tent behind the bench. After several minutes in that shelter, he emerged and walked the length of the bench area — getting high-fives and concerned looks from teammates — before making his way into the locker room for the night.

Thibodeaux spoke Friday about making his home stadium debut. “It’s going to be exciting,” he said. “The Fan Fest at MetLife Stadium two weeks ago] was really dope, so I know there are going to be a lot of fans out there, the energy is going to be great. I’m excited to play on that turf . . . They don’t hold back. There’s no sugarcoating in Giantsland.”

He also called Giants fans “relentless” and “pretty tough.”

It was an undesirable way to show it, but Sunday he proved he can be those things, too.

Notes & quotes: Jones completed 14 of 16 passes for 116 yards with an interception. The pick came on a throw that went off the hands of rookie TE Daniel Bellinger and into the arms of cornerback Dax Hill. The pass was a bit high but should have been caught . . . WR Alex Bachmann caught 11 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns — all in the second half — to lead the comeback . . . WR Wan’Dale Robinson touched the ball for the first time in his career, with middling results. The rookie caught three passes for minus-3 yards . . . WR Kenny Golladay was not targeted. David Sills caught three passes for 46 yards and Collin Johnson had two catches for 33 yards in that same span of plays . . . RB Jashaun Corbin scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter to give the Giants a 7-3 lead . . . RB Saquon Barkley was the only healthy offensive starter who did not play in the game . . . The Giants’ special teams were the weak link in the first half. A 66-yard kickoff return by C.J. Board was negated by a holding penalty against Oshane Ximines, the Giants allowed a 73-yard kickoff return by Chris Evans and Board fumbled another return. Former Giant Michael Thomas forced the fumble. Board was ruled out after that play with a rib injury . . . Thibodeaux wasn’t the only rookie linebacker to leave with a nasty-looking knee injury. Sixth-round pick Darrian Beavers hurt his left knee in the third quarter. He too walked off under his own power . . . K Graham Gano suffered a concussion after diving to attempt a tackle on the Evans return.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.