We didn't expect to see Ahmad Bradshaw on the field for the New York Giants against the Carolina Panthers on "Thursday Night Football," and those suspicions have been confirmed. But the Giants dropped a bombshell later on Wednesday when they downgraded wide receiver Hakeem Nicks from questionable to out with a foot injury.
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Nicks, who didn't make the trip to Carolina, was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after torching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 199 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches in Week 2.
New York's starting running back also has been ruled out of the game with a neck injury, the team said. Wide receiver Domenik Hixon (concussion) and tackle David Diehl (knee) are also out for the primetime matchup against Cam Newton and the Panthers.
Andre Brown -- and not rookie David Wilson -- is expected to earn the bulk of the work against the Panthers after rushing for 71 yards on 13 carries in a win over the Buccaneers. Coughlin said this week that Wilson has a place in this offense, but the coach was obviously tweaked by the rookie's fumbling problems against the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener.
Giants cornerback Michael Coe (hamstring) is questionable.
Coe's potential absence would be eased by the return of cornerback Prince Amukamara, who is probable on the heels of an ankle injury that sidelined him against Tampa Bay. Keith Rivers (hamstring) is probable and should be back on the field to bolster Big Blue's linebacker corps.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
