Why did Abdul Carter miss Giants first two drives?

For the second time in three weeks, Abdul Carter was benched for the New York Giants first defensive series of the game.

In mid-November, Carter missed the Giants Week 11 opening defensive series against the Green Bay Packers before returning to the field to play the rest of the game. Despite a report at the time that stated that Carter slept through a team walk-through, the Giants linebacker explained that he was doing recovery at the facility when he missed the walk-through.

On Monday, however, Carter was seated on the Giants bench again as the team opened its first defensive series on the road against the New England Patriots. The reason? According to reports, Carter was benched as a coach's decision yet again.

Unlike last benching, Carter didn't immediately return to the field for the Giants' second defensive series, as he was still absent from the field late in the first quarter.

We'll have to wait and see if Giants head coach Mike Kafka gives a reason for Carter's quarter-long benching.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why did Abdul Carter miss Giants first two drives?