Giants' Malik Nabers will miss game vs. Bengals
Malik Nabers of the Giants is helped off the field late during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 26, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Giants will play a second straight game without rookie receiver Malik Nabers.
Head coach Brian Daboll said on Friday that Nabers remains in the concussion protocol and will not be cleared in time to participate in Sunday night's game against the Bengals at MetLife Stadium. While he has been able to do some physical activities on the side this week, Nabers has yet to join the team as even a limited participant in practices, which is the next step in the return-to-play protocol.
Nabers suffered the concussion on a hit late in the loss to the Cowboys on Sept. 26.
“We're making progress,” Daboll said, “but again, that's never anything you want to rush.”
Nabers appeared to be on track for a potential return for this game when he was cleared for the physical activity he did on Wednesday, but he has remained in the same place in the protocol since then.
Nabers was spotted at a Travis Scott concert at MetLife on Wednesday night, leaving many to wonder why he was there during his recovery and if doing so possibly hampered his return. Daboll said he would keep his feelings on that “in-house,” an indication that it was not necessarily a wise move by the 21-year-old, but he also said Nabers did not violate any limitations placed upon him by doctors or the team by attending the event. Players in the protocol are not permitted to speak with the media so Nabers will be unavailable for comment until he is fully cleared by an independent neurologist.
Nabers’ career had been off to a record-setting start as he caught 35 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns in the first four weeks of the season. His 35 catches still lead the NFL despite him not playing last week in Seattle.
The Giants won that game without him, 29-20, as Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton played key roles in the passing game with a touchdown reception each. They and others will now be asked to carry the offense against the high-powered Bengals.
“We've said all along we're confident in our whole group and all the guys we’ve got,” quarterback Daniel Jones said earlier this week. “We’ve got a deep, deep room in all the skill positions. We have a lot of guys who can make plays, and you saw that on Sunday, guys stepping up and doing that. So, when we say we have confidence in them, it's not just lip service, we really do. There's a lot of guys who can make plays for us.”
For at least one more game, though, Nabers won’t be one of them.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
