Giants Starting Interior Offensive Lineman a Surprise Week 16 Scratch

Jon Runyan Jr was not on the team's injury report this week.

New York Giants guard Jon Runyan is a surprise Week 16 inactive for the Giants. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York Giants starting left guard Jon Runyan, Jr., is a surprise inactive this week for the team’s Week 16 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Runyan, whose wife is expecting a child any day now with wife Victoria, whom he married July 8, 2024, has not missed a game all season. His absence is likely related to the baby’s pending birth. 

With Runyan out of this week’s game, Aaron Stinnie will likely get the start at left guard.

Stinnie has appeared in just four snaps for the Giants this season, all at left guard in relief of Runyan when he’s had to come out for injury checks. 

Last season, Stinnie finished out the last four games of the campaign with three starts for Runyan, who dealt with a season-ending shoulder injury. 

Stinnie, in 193 total snaps (66 run block, 127 pass block) in pass protection for a 96.9 pass-blocking efficiency rating.

He did not surrender a sack in 2024.

Runyan meanwhile becomes the fifth member of the Giants offensive line to welcome a new baby since the start of training camp, joining Stinnie, right guard Greg Van Roten, right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, all of whom welcomed new babies this year.

Runyan is also the first member of the team who was excused by the head coach from a game because of the pending birth.

Defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches (ankle) and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (illness) are the Giants’ injury-related scratches. 

Nunez-Roches was declared out of the game on Friday, and Flannigan-Fowles was listed as questionable with an illness, having not practiced all week.

The rest of the Giants’ inactive players include: 

• OLB Caleb Murphy
• WR Ryan Miller
• WR Jalin Hyatt
• QB Russell Wilson (3rd QB)

The Vikings' inactive players are ILB Austin Keys, DT Javon Hargrave, T Walter Rouse, and QB John Wolford (3rd QB).

Tackle Brian O’Niell (heel), who was listed as questionable for the game, is active, which is good news for the Vikings. The bad news, though, is that Minnesota will be without left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee), who was placed on IR on Saturday after being ruled out on Friday.

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