Giants lose defensive leader Brian Burns for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee

Brian Burns is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, leaving the New York Giants without their defensive leader and one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.

Coach John Harbaugh confirmed that Burns would have surgery to repair the damage after the linebacker went down in pain midway through the fourth quarter Sunday against Tennessee. It is the team's second significant long-term injury in as many games after quarterback Jaxson Dart injured his left knee in Week 2 at the Los Angeles Rams.

“We’re not the only team that faces losses or will face losses,” Harbaugh said on a video call with reporters Monday. “The fact that we (lost) our quarterback one week and probably our top defensive player, you might say, the next week is is shocking. But you’ve got to overcome the shock and you’ve got to get ready to play the next game and find a way to win the next game.”

“That’s what we’ll be doing as a team. But I feel bad for Brian more than anything. My heart breaks for him that way.”

Burns had a career-high 16 1/2 sacks last season, ranking second in the league behind only record-setting Myles Garrett. He had yet to get one through three games, sprained his left ankle against the Rams and did not practice all last week.

Abdul Carter has the Giants' only sack. Only the winless Miami Dolphins with zero have fewer.

Burns' absence should mean a bigger role for Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has gone from being on the field for 47% of snaps in the opener, 52% at LA and 60% against the Titans.

“It’s not going to be a problem for Kayvon to play more snaps,” Harbaugh said. “What we just need to do is get on track up front in terms of the pass rush. ... We need to get to the quarterback more.”

On the other side of the ball, the Giants acquired QB J.J. McCarthy in a trade with Minnesota on Monday. Harbaugh said Jameis Winston will start Sunday versus Arizona but was noncommittal about anything beyond that.

“Jameis will be the starter,” Harbaugh said. “Jameis will be the starter for as long as I can see into the future. But I don’t know. Nobody knows. What I do know is that we’re going to be playing this game against the Cardinals on Sunday, and Jameis will be our starter.”

With Winston replacing Dart and rain falling steadily throughout, Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy leaned on the ground game. Cam Skattebo and Najee Harris combined for 112 yards rushing.

“As a running back, you kind of pray for days like these because you know you are going to touch the football a lot,” said Skattebo, who had 20 carries. “It’s awesome. I felt great. I was ready to go.”

Winston and the offense failed to get into the end zone, and the 32-year-old's limitations were clear. He did what he had to do to get the job done against an overmatched opponent, but four field goals won't win a lot of games moving forward.

Rookie kicker Dominic Zvada is a perfect 6 of 6 on field goal attempts, and punter Jordan Stout is crushing the ball. Stout has the best net average in the league at the position, which was important because he had to punt six times against Tennessee.

“When you punt the ball 90 yards in the air, that is really good for the offense,” Skattebo said.

After Harbaugh hinted at a bigger role for Odell Beckham Jr., fans chanted “OBJ! OBJ!” during the Titans game. Beckham, who had yet to be thrown to once through the first two weeks, had one target and zero catches.

The Giants hope to have cornerback Deonte Banks and safety Tyler Nubin back after each was out with a calf injury.

50 — Years since the Giants won a game without scoring a touchdown and gaining fewer than 300 yards going back to Nov. 14, 1976.

Get ready for the Cardinals, who scored 30 points in a loss at San Francisco but look energized under new coach Mike LaFleur. Arizona was listed as a 1-point road favorite on Monday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) pressures Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) during the first half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) is assisted by the team's medical staff after being injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A judge on Monday sentenced in absentia 11 commanders of Colombia's largest remaining rebel group to prison for recruiting 60 children as young as 8 into their ranks between 2004 and 2018.

The commanders of the National Liberation Army, ELN, were found guilty of recruiting boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 17. Prosecutors said that some of the girls were sexually abused.

Sentences handed to the rebel leaders ranged from 11 years to 20 years in prison. Some of them recently participated in peace talks with Colombia’s government.

The trial was conducted in absentia because the commanders haven't been captured by Colombia’s government.

One of the leaders who was convicted, Israel Ramírez Pineda, also known by the alias Pablo Beltrán, now lives in Cuba and recently led a delegation that held peace talks with Colombia’s government.

Colombia’s government canceled peace talks with the ELN last year after the group staged a string of attacks in the northeastern Catatumbo region in which at least 80 people were killed.

Human rights groups have pointed out that the recruitment of children by rebel groups and gangs in Colombia continues to be a problem, with these organizations now using social media to lure youth into their ranks.

In 2016, almost 14,000 fighters laid down their weapons following a peace deal between Colombia’s government and the nation’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

But violence has resurfaced in some rural areas where there is little state presence and where groups like the ELN are fighting for control of drug trafficking routes, extortion rackets and illegal mines abandoned by FARC.

According to Colombia’s Human Rights Defenders’ Office, at least 1,500 children have been recruited by armed groups since 2021, with 625 cases reported in 2024. Recruits are given a wide range of tasks that include serving as messengers, gathering intelligence, cooking or engaging with the enemy — while girls are sometimes forced into sexual acts with commanders.

The United Nations has called on social media platforms to share evidence with Colombian prosecutors and take actions aimed at blocking rebel groups from using social media to recruit children. Its human rights office in Colombia welcomed the sentence against the ELN leaders, noting that recruiting children into armed groups is prohibited by international law.

“This is a very important development in the fight against the recruitment of girls and boys,” said Scott Campbell, the representative in Colombia for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. “We have urged the Colombian justice system to investigate, prosecute, and punish those responsible for the recruitment of girls and boys, and welcome this step forward.”

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

FILE - Pablo Beltrán, commander and chief negotiator for the National Liberation Army, ELN, rebel group speaks during a joint news conference with Jose Otty Patiño, chief negotiator for the Colombian government, as a part of the peace talks between both parties in Bogota, Colombia, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)