Tag: malik nabers

Giants vs. Steelers: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 8

The New York Giants visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night in Week 8, and here are three reasons for optimism.

The New York Giants will head on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers for their Week 8 matchup.

Through seven weeks, the two teams are going in opposite directions. The Steelers come in with a 5-2 record and have won their last two games averaging 34.5 points per game in that span. Meanwhile, at 2-5, the Giants have dropped two straight and have averaged five points per game in that span.

Given the current status of the two teams, it’s no surprise that the Giants opened and continue to be significant underdogs in this matchup.

Here are three reasons for optimism ahead of the matchup on Monday Night Football.

Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images

On the road again

The Giants are back on the road this week after consecutive weeks at MetLife Stadium. The splits for quarterback Daniel Jones are mightily tilted when it comes to being away versus being home. For whatever reason, DJ is much more impressive on the road.

While he has not faired well in primetime, he seems to like to be away from MetLife Stadium so hopefully, the Giants can keep it close in a hostile environment.

Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports

These aren’t the same Steelers

As the saying goes, you are what your record says you are. Things were going well for the Steelers, sitting at 4-2 and hoping to extend to 5-2 on the season.

Through six weeks, the Steelers had played well with Justin Fields under center. However, for whatever reason, last week, the Steelers turned to Russell Wilson, who got his first win of the season.

There is certainly a quarterback controversy among the fans in Pittsburgh.

Russell Wilson has not been good over the last couple of years and tends to take a lot of sacks during his career. Hopefully, the Giants and their league-leading 31 sacks on the season can get to Wilson early and often.

Jason Miller/Getty Images

Malik Nabers

With the way Malik Nabers had played through the first four weeks of the season, he could legitimately be the Giants’ reason for optimism week in and week out. Nabers was back last week after a two-game absence with a concussion.

Nabers was not as overly impressive as he had been before the concussion and perhaps the Giants were easing him back into the role. Nabers seems primed for an impressive game to make a statement once again during his rookie campaign.

Getting their star rookie involved in the game early and often could give the Giants the best chance to win on Monday.

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Former LSU receivers continue to dominate the NFL

LSU continues to earn the title of WRU early in 2024.

For years, LSU was known as “DBU.”

The Tigers were synonymous with sending star defensive backs to the NFL. In recent years, former LSU defensive backs have continued to produce, but LSU has claimed the mantle at another position — wide receiver.

Three of the NFL’s six leading receivers are LSU products. [autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag] leads the NFL with 620 yards. [autotag]Justin Jefferson[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] rank fifth and sixth with 531 and 513 yards, respectively.

Further down the leaderboard, [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] ranks 14th with 427 yards. He sits eight in catches, despite only playing five games and getting rough quarterback play.

LSU put receivers in the NFL throughout the 2000s and 2010s. [autotag]Dwayne Bowe[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon LaFell[/autotag] eventually gave way to [autotag]Odell Beckham Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Jarvis Landry[/autotag]. But the group in the league now is deeper and more talented.

Its a young group too, and its set up to lead the NFL for some time. Thomas and Nabers are rookies while Chase and Jefferson are just getting around to their second contracts.

Ohio State has a claim to “WRU” too with Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Marvin Harrison Jr. in the league. But that core doesn’t stack up with LSU’s at the moment.

LSU has another promising group of receivers on campus now. [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] both rank in the top 10 in the SEC in receiving yards and will aim to be LSU’s next difference makers at the next level.

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Giants’ Malik Nabers is frustrated: Watch the tape, I was open

New York Giants WR Malik Nabers was frustrated after a Week 7 loss, saying he was open consistently, but admitted poor pass protection hurt.

On Sunday, the New York Giants were looking forward to the return of star rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who had missed the previous two games recovering from a concussion.

The Giants responded by gaining just 119 net yards of offense — 41 by Nabers on four catches — in their 28-3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at home.

Nabers was targeted eight times in the game but the Giants’ pop-gun offensive game plan combined with Daniel Jones running for his life on most plays, led to a sorry output against a lukewarm Eagles defense.

“I mean, I was open,” Nabers said after the game, via the New York Post.

All of Nabers’ receptions came in the first half. He was targeted just twice in the second half — not exactly a strategy one would imagine for a team playing catch-up.

“It was very difficult out there. We gotta do a better job of just making plays and protecting the quarterback and trying to do our best to score points,” Nabers added. “Our defense was doing a hell of a job, playing a good game. But it’s hard when you’re going 3-and-out, and when they get back on the field, they’re tired.

“We gotta give our defense some time to get some breathers, so when they get back out there, they’re still playing at a high level.”

The Giants were playing their first game without All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas, who was lost for the season after undergoing surgery on his foot last week.

As a result, Jones was under siege all game, and the Eagles’ pass rush had free reign it seemed, sacking Jones seven times and his understudy Drew Lock once.

Nabers was on the field for 93 percent of the Giants’ 58 offensive snaps. He was there, where was the ball?

The Giants converted just 10 first downs, punted on 11 of their 13 possessions and their longest gain of the day went for just 14 yards.

You’re not beating anyone playing like that.

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Giants-Eagles Week 7: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 7 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants suffered their latest humiliation on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium as Saquon Barkley carved them to shreds in his return, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a 28-3 victory.

The game wasn’t even as close as the score indicated.

With co-owner John Mara and general manager Joe Schoen watching on, Barkley turned their nightmares into reality, out-gaining the Giants himself (187-119).

The game was so out of hand that head coach Brian Daboll waived the white flag early in the fourth quarter and all but forfeited, pulling most of his starters and sending in the reserves.

Things get no easier for the Giants in Week 8 as they go on the road to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.

Here are the snap counts that contributed to the Giants’ Week 7 loss.

Offensive snaps: 58
Defensive snaps: 66
Special teams snaps: 32

Ironically, one of the two defenders to take 100 percent of the snaps was cornerback Deonte Banks. That’s noteworthy because although he was on the field for all 66 snaps, he didn’t actually play all 66 snaps.

Returning from a concussion, rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers took a 93 percent snap share but was largely unproductive through no fault of his own. The offense was non-functional and long-developing plays down the field were over before the receivers could even come out of their breaks.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt took just three snaps and managed to suffer an injury on one of them. It’s been that kind of year for him.

Another remarkable stat is that linebacker Matthew Adams took just a single defense snap and was credited with a missed tackle.

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Eagles vs. Giants: Best photos from Philadelphia’s 28-3 win over NY in Week 7

We’re looking at the top photos from the Philadelphia Eagles 28-3 win over the New York Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in Week 7

The Eagles are 4-2 and back atop the NFC East after an emphatic 28-3 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

In Saquon Barkley’s first game against his former team, the running back logged 17 carries for 176 yards (10.4 avg) and one touchdown on the afternoon.  Barkley finished 14 yards shy of his career-high yards in a game and placed himself firmly back into the race for the NFL rushing title and the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award.

With preparation for the Week 8 matchup against the Bengals set to begin, we’re looking at the top photos in Sunday’s win.

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Giants’ Malik Nabers can’t remember suffering ‘scary’ concussion

New York Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers can’t remember the moment he suffered a “scary” concussion and was knocked unconscious.

New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol this week and will play on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Nabers missed two games after getting off to a historic start to his NFL career. He was injured late in the Giants’ Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Nabers told reporters on Friday that he could not recall getting injured.

“It was scary when I couldn’t remember what happened,” Nabers said, via ESPN. “I can’t remember the last play I was in, so yeah, it was kind of scary.

“Last thing I remember was [Daniel Jones] throwing me the ball. That was it.”

Nabers is fine now, however, but did end up back on the Giants’ injury report on Friday with a groin injury.

“It tightened up on him a little bit yesterday (Thursday), so we took him out,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said before Friday’s practice. “He practiced for most of the practice. But then he tightened up, so we took him out and put him on the injury report.”

Nabers was able to practice in full on Friday and is expected to line up Sunday afternoon against the hated Eagles.

Nabers had 35 receptions for 386 yards and three touchdowns on 52 targets before getting injured.

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Giants vs. Eagles: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 7

The New York Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon in Week 7, and here are three reasons for optimism.

The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles will face off in their first of two meetings this season when the Giants will welcome Saquon Barkley back to MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Giants were four-point home underdogs when the line opened up earlier this week.

The Eagles are not the powerhouse many expected entering the season. Last week, although Philly did end up winning, they struggled mightily against the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, the Giants lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football, putting up just seven points on the night.

The Giants will be short-handed in the trenches this week. This will be their first game without left tackle Andrew Thomas (foot) and their second without edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux (IR).

Here are three reasons for optimism ahead of Sunday’s game.

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The return of Malik Nabers

After missing two games with a concussion, rookie sensation Malik Nabers is set to return Sunday after clearing protocol late on Thursday.

Nabers had proven in his first four games that he could be a game-changer. He has quickly become the team’s top weapon to run the offense around and Daniel Jones seems to have trust in throwing the ball in Nabers’ direction.

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Giants defensive front

The Giants’ defensive front took a hit last week when they lost Kayvon Thibodeaux. Azeez Ojulari stepped up big time in the absence of Thibodeaux and the defensive line was on fire again.

With the offensive weapons the Eagles have on the field, the more pressure the Giants are able to get on Jalen Hurts, the better.

Sarah Stier/Getty Images

The Giants’ rushing attack

The Giants have found a spark plug in rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. He has been quite the talent, getting the bulk of the work over the last two weeks with Devin Singletary out.

The Eagles defense is ranked 25th in the league in yards per rush. This could be something the Giants may focus on going into Sunday.

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Giants’ Malik Nabers officially cleared to play vs. Eagles

New York Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers has officially cleared concussion protocol and will return on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

After two games on the bench due to a concussion, New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers will make his return on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

After clearing the final hurdle of concussion protocol on Thursday and practicing in full, an independent neurologist officially cleared Nabers later in the afternoon.

Nabers suffered the concussion in the final moments of a Week 4 game against the Dallas Cowboys and faced a long trek back. At one point, head coach Brian Daboll seemed to imply that the injury was on the more serious side.

Before missing the past two weeks, Nabers had led the NFL with 35 receptions and his 386 receiving yards were good for second best.

From the Giants:

His 35 receptions through four games are the second-most in NFL history (Puka Nacua had 39 in 2023). The other two players with 30+ receptions in their first four games each went on to break the single-season rookie record (Nacua, Anquan Boldin in 2003).

Nabers also had at least five receptions in each of his first four games, tied for the fourth-longest streak to start a career since at least 1970. The three players with the longest streaks to start their careers are CeeDee Lamb (six games in 2020), Nacua (five games in 2023), and Terry Glenn (five games in 1996).

That’s a lot of offensive production the Giants are getting back.

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Giants injury report: Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns remain sidelined

While New York Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers is trending toward playing in Week 7, NT Dexter Lawrence and LB Brian Burns remain sidelined.

The New York Giants took the field on Thursday for their second of three practices ahead of a Week 7 game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium.

Beforehand, head coach Brian Daboll revealed some positive news to reporters, noting that rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers advanced in concussion protocol and would practice in full.

If all goes well, Nabers will meet with an independent neurologist in hopes of being cleared to play.

The news wasn’t nearly as positive for nose tackle Dexter Lawrence and linebacker Brian Burns who, despite their vows to play on Sunday, missed their second straight day of practice.

Veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson was also sidelined on Thursday due to a neck injury.

The Giants’ full Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: NT Dexter Lawrence (hip), LB Brian Burns (groin), P Jamie Gillan (hamstring), CB Adoree’ Jackson (neck)

Limited participant: WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton (shoulder), WR Darius Slayton (groin), RB Devin Singletary (groin), LB Ty Summers (hamstring)

Full participant: WR Malik Nabers (concussion/groin), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (ankle)

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Giants have second-most dropped passes entering Week 7

The New York Giants have 16 dropped passes this season, second to only the Cleveland Browns (19).

The New York Giants offense has had plenty of struggles so far this season. There’s the inability to score points, red zone failures, missed field goals, and lack of explosive plays to blame.

Another area that can be pointed to is the many dropped passes. The Giants have dropped 16 passes this season, the second-most in the NFL through six weeks behind only the Cleveland Browns (19).

Darius Slayton leads the way with four, followed by Wan’Dale Robinson and Malik Nabers with three each. None, perhaps, was more damaging than the fourth down drop by Nabers in a 21-18 loss to Washington in Week 2.

Quarterback Daniel Jones needs all the help he can get to spark the offense and the drops have been a hindrance.

“We feel like we should catch every ball. Especially if it’s coming and hitting our hands,” Robinson said in late September. “So, that’s on us. At the end of the day, we’ve got to make those plays for Daniel even if it’s not a perfect ball.

“For us, it’s just making sure we’re looking at it all the way in and not trying to do too much before making the catch all the way.”

Slayton has always had issues with drops, but the others are just starting out with Jones as their quarterback. Hopefully, the Giants can rectify the issue and become more efficient.

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