As a team, the 3-13 New York Giants might not have much to play for in Week 18. However, the same can’t be said about rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers.
Malik Nabers is chasing the Giants’ single-season receptions record
Nabers is playing for the record books. The Giants’ first-round pick has been spectacular this season. In 14 games, he’s totaled 104 receptions for 1,140 yards and six touchdowns, finally breaking the team’s six-year drought without a 1,000-yard receiver. Nabers’s impressive stat line could be strengthened by an illustrious franchise record in Week 18.
With 104 receptions, Nabers is three catches shy of breaking the Giants’ single-season franchise reception record. Steve Smith currently holds that record with 107 receptions, set in 2009. A four-reception performance from Nabers would place him at the top of the record books.
For Nabers to accomplish this feat and place his name into the stratosphere of the franchise’s legends would be wildly impressive. The LSU product is proving to be one of the league’s best young talents as a rookie
Nabers has turned in a stellar rookie campaign
Nabers has already rewrote portions of the franchise’s history books this season. His 104 receptions are the most by any rookie in Giants history, far surpassing the previous mark of 91 receptions shared by Odell Beckham Jr. (2014) and Saquon Barkley (2018). Considering Nabers set this record in only 14 games (missing Week 5 and Week 6 with a concussion) makes the accomplishment all the more impressive.
The Giants have a special talent in Nabers. He is one of five rookies in history with at least 100 catches (h/t Giants.com). The previous NFL rookie receptions record of 105 was set by Puka Nacua just last year, and Nabers is only one catch away from tying that mark. However, the record was reset this year by Raiders rookie TE Brock Bowers. He currently has 108 receptions. It will be a race between Bowers and Nabers to see who owns the record at the end of Week 18, however, Bowers’s head start on the Giants’ rookie will make it difficult for Nabers to take over.
This season did not go as planned for Big Blue. However, if there is one thing they can be excited about, it is the emergence of their rookies. Nabers and rookie RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. have both been immediate, high-level impact players this season that the franchise can build around going forward. The present might be dim but the future is bright for the New York Giants.
