Malik Nabers showed why Giants are glad they drafted him over QB — whether or not Daniel Jones is long-term answer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — At first glance, it seemed like a coverage bust.

How else could New York Giants receiver Malik Nabers be that open?

But the bird’s eye view of the Dallas Cowboys’ 20-15 win over the Giants showed otherwise.

Cornerback Andrew Booth hadn’t forgotten the sixth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. As Nabers flashed his sudden change-of-direction on the Giants’ first drive of the game, Booth instead lost his man.

The Giants advanced the ball 39 yards on Nabers’ first target.

Thursday night, Nabers caught 12 of 15 targets for 115 yards during the first prime-time game of his career. He exited the game with 3:30 to play after suffering a concussion, but his production until then sent a clear message to Giants fans about his potential as soon as he returns, and likely for a long time with this franchise.

For a franchise still reeling from the in-division loss of top playmaker Saquon Barkley, Nabers’ ability to help the Giants contend with the Cowboys for the first time in years gave the franchise hope.

Sure, they want to finish these games and aren’t taking moral victories. But when they think about the recipe to finishing these games, their No. 1 ingredient is the player wearing No. 1. Count Nabers among the top reasons why head coach Brian Daboll told his players they should be “disappointed but not discouraged” by this loss.

“He’s a playmaker,” Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis said from the postgame locker room. “He’s going to get the ball, man. He’s really good. Kind of reminds me of [Cincinnati Bengals receiver] Ja’Marr Chase. I mean, him coming in and doing what he’s doing is amazing and they have a really good scheme for him.

“He’s gonna be a problem for a long time.”

How Nabers torched Cowboys DBs, kept Giants in game

The Giants were not subtle about their interest in first-round quarterback prospects this offseason.

The franchise brought in top prospects for visits and interviewed them extensively. An…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/malik-nabers-showed-why-giants-are-glad-they-drafted-him-over-qb–whether-or-not-daniel-jones-is-long-term-answer-192226164.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-27 19:22:26

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.