The New York Giants (5-9) are officially eliminated from the postseason, but the team hasn't completely stuck a fork in the 2018 campaign.
Giants head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters Wednesday that he is still not considering placing wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who has missed two straight games with a quad injury, on injured reserve. Shurmur said Beckham feels better this week, but will not practice Wednesday.
While it would make sense to shut down Beckham and allow extra time to heal before the offseason, Shurmur apparently isn't approaching the final two games as an evaluation process for other receivers on the roster to take on more responsibilities. Shurmur said he considers Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts as "important" and there is value in the Giants "learning how to win," according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY .
Despite missing the past two games, Beckham has been a bright spot for an otherwise dismal Giants' season. Fresh off signing a lucrative contract extension during the offseason, Beckham has 77 catches for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. The 1,000-yard receiving campaign marks his fourth such effort in five seasons, and he has also thrown two touchdown passes in 2018.
Whether Beckham is 100 percent healthy to play Sunday should clear up in the coming days. The Giants, however, could certainly use him to close out the season with an opportunity to play spoiler against the Colts and Dallas Cowboys, two playoff-hopeful teams.
Shurmur also announced that linebacker Alec Ogletree (illness) will not practice Wednesday.
