New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers was recognized by the league for an outstanding Week 2 performance against the Washington Commanders. Nabers was nominated for the league’s Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of The Week award for the second consecutive week (h/t Giants.com’s Matt Citak).
Malik Nabers was dominant in the Giants’ Week 2 contest against the Commanders
Nabers was everywhere in Week 2, catching 10 passes on 18 targets for 127 receiving yards. He also caught his first NFL touchdown pass, the first of what is hopefully many more in his Giants career.
It was an overall tremendous game that saw him take over the team’s offense and nearly lead them to a victory, but they ultimately fell short of achieving their first win of the season and lost 21-18 to the Commanders.
A critical fourth-quarter drop clouded Nabers’ brilliance
Despite the great game, his efforts were clouded by a critical fourth-quarter drop that forced a turnover on downs and set up the Commanders for the game-winning field goal, to which Nabers expressed disappointment following the crushing defeat:
“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,” Nabers said after the game regarding the dropped pass (h/t SNY).
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However, Giants head coach Brian Daboll looked past that critical play when speaking to the media on Monday, and used the opportunity to praise Nabers’ skillset. He also liked how much Nabers was targeted and expects more of that in the coming weeks ahead.
“He’s a talented player that can do things with the ball in his hand and you saw that yesterday,” Daboll said via Giants.com’s Matt Citak. “[He] gained in a lot of yards after contact, as did Wan’Dale [Robinson] when Wan’Dale got the ball thrown to him. So that’s going to be, that’s going to have to be a big part of our game.”
Nabers has been a top rookie this season
When Nabers was drafted sixth overall by the Giants during the offseason, the expectation was that he was going to be a large part of their offense instantaneously as he became their top receiver before even stepping on the field. That expectation has held true, as he leads all rookies in targets (24), receptions (15), receiving yards (193), and yards after catch (106).
If he continues to get the ball a significant amount of times, he will almost certainly be in the running for Offensive Rookie of The Year. Nabers’ NFL career has gotten off to a fantastic start, and the hope is that he only continues to quickly develop into one of the top receivers in the entire league.
