When the New York Giants take the field against the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend for Sunday Night Football, they will do so without star rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers. Nabers has been in the concussion protocol this week and hasn’t been able to be cleared in time for the game.
Nabers will be missed in this game but the Giants have to make sure that he is fully cleared from the concussion protocol. He hadn’t practiced this week and head coach Brian Daboll didn’t sound too optimistic about his status in recent days.
He suffered the injury against the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks ago and has been out since. After the game, he assured fans that he was alright but he has now missed multiple games due to the injury.
Sometimes concussions can take a while to clear and this move is all about keeping Nabers healthy down the line. Concussions are some of the scariest injuries in sports so New York is taking the extra cautious approach with their star player.
Nabers has emerged as a reliable receiving option for the Giants this season, even in limited time. The rookie has caught 35 passes for 386 yards and two touchdowns.
He has been targetted 52 times when on the field, one of the higher totals for a wide receiver around the league. The former LSU product has given the Giants a legitimate No. 1 option for quarterback Daniel Jones to throw the ball too.
Nabers uses his size and explosiveness to help the New York offense be more dynamic when he’s on the field. The team will miss him again but they feel like they can exploit some of the holes in the Cincinnati defense.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Without Nabers, other members of the Giants are going to need to step up if New York wants to come away with the win. They showed a lot of fight last week against the Seattle Seahawks, grabbing a massive road win.
New York has other playmakers that they can rely on, including Wan’Dale Robinson, who has emerged for the Giants this season. They also have veteran wideout Darius Slayton who just posted eight catches for 122 yards and one score against the Seahawks.
The Giants enter this game against the Bengals with a record of 2-3 on the season. If other players can step up, New York could grab the win to get their record back to the .500 mark.
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