New York Giants defensive end Robert Ayers tore a pectoral muscle in Sunday's loss to Jacksonville and will miss the remainder of the season, according to a source close to the situation.
Ayers had five sacks this year in limited playing time, tying him with Jason Pierre-Paul for the team lead in that category. The Giants as a team have 26 sacks, which ranks 18th in the league, but seven of those came in Sunday's game.
With Ayers out and veteran defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of Sunday's game, the Giants likely will give more playing time to second-year defensive end Damontre Moore and rookie Kerry Wynn over the final five games.
The coaches have been trying to get Moore more involved in the defense all season but have said his struggles with consistency in practice have prevented them from doing so. Moore batted down two passes in Sunday's game but also was whistled for an egregious offsides penalty.
Wynn made his NFL debut Sunday after being inactive for the first 11 games and was credited with half a sack.
Ayers signed a two-year free-agent contract with the Giants in March. His $1.23 million salary for 2015 is not guaranteed.