The New York Giants earned their first win of the season in Week 3 behind the heroics of several star players. Two of their top performers landed on Pro Football Focus’s Team of the Week.
PFF names Malik Nabers the NFL’s Week 3 Rookie of the Week
Malik Nabers is on the rise to superstardom. The rookie first-round pick has had an electric start to his NFL career and turned in another impressive performance in Big Blue’s win over the Cleveland Browns. PFF named Nabers the NFL’s Rookie of the Week:
“Nabers had another incredible showing again for the Giants, finding the end zone twice in the win over the Cleveland Browns,” PFF’s Gordon McGuinness wrote. “The first of those touchdowns was an incredible toe tap on the sideline, and he finished the game with an 85.0 PFF receiving grade.”
In Week 3, Nabers was targeted 12 times and hauled in eight receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns. He earned an 83.8 overall PFF grade in the contest. Six of his 12 targets were contested and Nabers hauled in three of those six contested catches. Nabers has been explosive and has the most catches gaining 20+ yards this season. The Giants have a star in the making.
Brian Burns and the Giants’ pass rush came to life in Week 3
Through the first two weeks of the season, the Giants’ defense struggled to apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks. That trend was bucked in Week 3 as star pass-rusher Brian Burns led the charge in Big Blue’s sack party. The G-Men sacked Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson eight times on Sunday and held Cleveland to only 217 yards of offense.
Burns was named to PFF’s Team of the Week alongside Nabers for his efforts in the contest. He totaled three combined tackles, two pass defenses, and one sack on which he forced a fumble recovered by the Giants’ defense.
Burns totaled six pressures and two quarterback hits as well. According to Next Gen Stats, it was the most pressures Burns has ever had in a game in his NFL career (h/t Giants.com). He now has an 81.2 overall PFF grade on the season through three weeks and is one of the Giants’ highest-graded players.
- Giants’ star receiver says Daniel Jones wasn’t the problem following embarrassing Week 12 loss
- Giants wide receiver blames fans and media for Daniel Jones’ downfall
- Giants scouting electrifying Miami quarterback
The Giants are back on track after their crucial win in Week 3. However, they have a quick turnaround for their upcoming Week 4 matchup at home against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. It will be Nabers’s first taste of the primetime lights. Big Blue will need him and Burns to continue playing at a high level if they want to defeat the Cowboys in Week 4.
