Kenny Phillips Inactive Against Steelers

As late as Thursday, Giants safety Kenny Phillips, who practices all week but who was still listed as questionable on the team’s injury report, insisted that he’d be ready to play when the Giants took the field against the Steelers.

He was wrong, as Phillips was one of the Giants’ eight inactive players announced by the team 90 minutes prior to kickoff.

The loss of Phillips, who misses his fifth straight game since injuring his knee, poses an interesting scenario for the Giants defense. Several of the members of that unit strongly hinted that this might be the week the famed three safety set, which had not been used much if any this season, might make its return.

With Phillips, who will be replaced by Stevie Brown, and linebacker Jacquian Williams, who was also inactive, it’s unlikely that the Giants will run the look this week.

Also inactive for the Giants is tight end Bear Pascoe, who was limited in practice this past week with a high ankle sprain he suffered last week against Dallas. With the Giants having activated Travis Beckum (knee) off PUP on Saturday, it sent signals that there were concerns about Pascoe’s status for this game and the level of readiness of rookie Adrien Robinson, who is also inactive.

In the end, the move to activate Beckum proved to be a good one as Pascoe will miss his first NFL game this week.

As previously announced by the club on Friday, linebacker Chase Blackburn will also miss the with a hamstring injury. He’ll be replaced by second-year linebacker Mark Herzlich, who will be making his third career start.

The rest of the Giants’ inactive list includes defensive end Adewale Ojomo, a healthy scratch, and linebacker Keith Rivers, who misses his fourth game this season as a result of an injury.

In non-injury related news, the Giants will indeed make a change at right tackle, starting David Diehl at the spot in place of Sean Locklear. Locklear will move to the bunch tight end spot.