The New York Giants got their 2024-25 season off on the right note, winning their preseason opener against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. One nice surprise in the preseason kickoff game for Big Blue was the appearance of rookie first-round pick Malik Nabers. The Giants rested the majority of their starters against the Lions, but Nabers was among the few exceptions to that rule.
Nabers got some playing time in the first quarter but failed to record a single reception. He received zero targets on 12 snaps. He ran eight routes and “was open a few times,” but did not see the ball thrown his way, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Nabers spoke to the New York Post after the game and gave his thoughts on his underwhelming preseason debut.
Malik Nabers reacts to 0-target outing in Giants preseason debut
When asked about his lack of touches on Thursday night, Nabers gave a mature and introspective response to Paul Schwartz of The New York Post:
“I did a very good job of getting open, but everything has to go my way to get the ball,” Nabers told The New York Post. “It was kind of slippery out there. I think I could’ve done a better job of creating separation, getting better looks for the QB to throw the ball in better spots. That’s all I can do — continue to do what I do.”
Nabers was open on a few of those eight routes that he ran last night. But, for one reason or another, second-string quarterback Drew Lock did not get the ball into the hands of the rookie playmaker. As Nabers pointed out, many factors were at play, including the substandard weather conditions.
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Lock struggled in his Giants debut, going 4-of-10 passing for 17 yards and one interception before suffering a hip injury at the end of the first quarter that would sideline him for the rest of the game. On one play in particular, however, Lock caught criticism from the fanbase for refusing to pull the trigger on a seemingly wide-open Nabers. Head coach Brian Daboll exonerated his second-string quarterback for this miss:
“Drew thought he saw something with the safety coming down on the tight end so he pulled the trigger … he tried to make the smart decision,” Daboll said, per The New York Post.
The Giants will take to NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas for their next preseason game against the Houston Texans at 1 PM EST next Saturday. This will give fans a second look at Nabers — and hopefully their first sight of the rookie playmaker with the ball in his hands.
