It was a slow day at the office for Malik Nabers on Sunday. The New York Giants’ superstar rookie totaled just four receptions for 41 yards in Week 7 — all single-game lows for the first-round draft pick.
When asked about his down performance, Nabers raised eyebrows with his response, seemingly deflecting blame off of himself and onto others.
Malik Nabers says he “was open” throughout the Giants’ Week 7 loss
The Giants’ offense turned in an ugly performance in their blowout 28–3 loss against the Eagles. Nabers received only eight targets throughout the four quarters as the Giants’ offense totaled a measly 119 total yards on the day.
Entering this matchup, Nabers had gone for 127 yards, 78 yards, and 115 yards in his last three outings prior to missing two weeks due to a concussion. So how did the Eagles crack the code and figure out how to slow Nabers down? One reporter asked following the game if they did anything different defensively than what was expected:
“Nah, I mean, nothing really different,” Nabers responded to the reporter (h/t SNY). “Watch the target tape. I was open.”
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These comments from Nabers have been viewed as controversial. Some fans feel as though he threw his quarterback Daniel Jones under the bus, inferring that Jones wasn’t hitting open receivers on Sunday. Others think Nabers was correct in his assessment and blame the offensive line and other factors for him not getting the ball.
At the end of the day, these are the kind of comments that reveal the temperature of a locker room. The Giants are 2-5 now with their playoff hopes dead on the table. Frustration is brimming over and, unless this offense starts producing, it won’t be long until things get ugly.
