Giants’ rookie wide receiver had a great game Sunday … except for one fateful play
New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers did a lot of wonderful, exciting things on Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
- The No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft scored his first NFL touchdown, a 4-yard reception on a pass from quarterback Daniel Jones.
- Nabers caught 10 passes on 18 targets for 128 yards.
- Nabers had receptions of 28, 25, and 21 yards. He drew a pass interference penalty. He was, for the most part, the passing attack.
Yet, in the end none of that mattered because of the one play Nabers did not make.
With the score tied at 18-18 and 2:09 to play, the Giants had fourth-and-4 at the Washington 22-yard line the Giants went for the first down. They had little choice, with placekicker Graham Gano sidelined since the game’s opening play with a hamstring injury.
Jones climbed the pocket, delivered an easily catchable ball to an open Nabers along the sideline for what should have been a first down. It should have put the Giants in position to win the game.
Only, Nabers did not catch the ball. Inexplicably, the ball slipped from his grasp and fell to the Northwest Stadium turf.
The Commanders then marched down the field for the game-winning Austin Seibert field goal.
“I’;m disappointed. I mean, no matter how good of a game you can play, that last play came down to me. I’m just, I’m hurt that I let those veterans down,” Nabers said. “I mean, they know what kind of player I am. [DT] Dex [Lawrence], [DE Brian] Burns, [LB] Isaiah [Simmons], I know what kind of confidence they got in me. So just letting those guys down. It’s just, I don’t want to never let my team down. That’s the main motto that’s in my head: Don’t let my team down. I let my team down.”
“I’m hurt that I let the veterans down, they know what kind of player I am. I know what kind of confidence they have in me. The main motto that’s in my head is ‘don’t let my team down,’ and I let my team down.”
– Malik Nabers pic.twitter.com/2Z6y6TJR8j
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 15, 2024
Nabers was prone on the ground, head in his hands after failing to make the play.
“This whole week I’m going to think about it until I play the next game,” Nabers said. “And then it goes in the past. Until then, I’m going to continue to think about it.”
Here is Nabers on being targeted so many times:
“He’s certain that if he throws me the ball, a play is going to be made,” Nabers said. “Him going at me that many times shows how much trust he has in me.”
That trust was rewarded … except for the one time it wasn’t.
And now the Giants are 0-2.
