New York Giants middle linebacker Blake Martinez suffered a torn left ACL yesterday against the Atlanta Falcons and will miss the remainder of the season, the team announced on Monday.
Martinez was hurt on the fourth play as he pursued running back Cordarrelle Patterson on an eight-yard reception. The six-year veteran remained on the ground for several minutes before two members of the team’s medical staff helped him walk off the field.
Martinez, 27, is the second of the team’s seven 2021 captains to suffer a season-ending injury in as many weeks. Offensive lineman Nick Gates fractured his lower left leg at Washington on Sept. 16 and subsequently underwent surgery.
When Gates was hurt, he owned the Giants’ longest active starting streak at 19 games. When he went down, that designation shifted to Martinez – who was also injured in his 19th consecutive Giants start.
The six-year veteran joined the Giants as a free agent in 2020 and bolstered his reputation as one of the NFL’s most prolific tacklers. He was the only player in the league with at least 140 tackles in each of the previous four seasons (the first three with the Green Bay Packers). Last year, Martinez started all 16 games for the fourth consecutive season and led the Giants and was third in the NFL with 151 tackles (86 solo). He posted double-digit tackles in eight games, including a season-high 14 (eight solo) vs. Washington on Oct. 18.
Despite missing virtually the entire game yesterday, Martinez is second on the team to safety Logan Ryan with 23 tackles (11 solo), including one for loss.
Martinez is also the defensive signal-caller, a job that second-year pro Tae Crowder assumed yesterday. Reggie Ragland stepped in and played a season-high 40 snaps. The other inside linebackers on the roster are second-year pro Carter Coughlin and rookie Justin Hilliard, who has never played in a regular-season game.
