Editor’s note: This is the third installment of a season-long series on a breakout star from the past week of NFL action. The Week 3 winner: New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers.
On a historic day for Malik Nabers, Giants coach Brian Daboll wanted to discuss a play where the rookie didn’t register a stat.
With New York backed up in its own territory early in the fourth quarter, the No. 6 overall pick prevented a potentially disastrous interception, batting away a wobbly pass from the hands of two Cleveland Browns defenders.
Quarterback Daniel Jones wasn’t even targeting the first-round receiver — he was looking for rookie tight end Theo Johnson down the left sideline — but the Browns’ Shelby Harris got a hand on his throwing arm as the QB launched the pass, redirecting the ball in Nabers’ direction.
The heads-up play was the “biggest” one the former LSU star made in New York’s 21-15 victory over Cleveland, according to Daboll.
“For him to have the awareness to knock the ball down, that play to me says more about Malik than some of the other things,” Daboll said Sunday. “Everybody can see the touchdowns and stuff. But the unselfish play, the smart play that he made was a huge play in the game. Huge.“
“Huge” can also describe what Nabers is becoming.
He had eight receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns in the Giants’ first win of the season, becoming the youngest wide receiver in NFL history to have two receiving touchdowns in a game (21 years and 56 days old), according to FOX Sports research.
Nabers had two ridiculous catches on the same touchdown drive Sunday. He first snatched a ball over Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.’s head down the sideline for 28 yards to get the Giants in the red zone. A few plays later, he showed his impressive leaping ability and body control in keeping both feet inbounds to secure Jones’ high pass in the corner of the end zone.
Malik Nabers makes spectacular catch to give Giants 14-7 lead over Browns
Through three games, Nabers has already proved to be the focal point of the Giants’ offense. He has 23 receptions on 37 targets for 271 yards and three touchdowns — making him the first player in league history to have at least 20 receptions, 250 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in his first three career games, per FOX Sports research. He leads the NFL in targets and is tied for first in receiving touchdowns. He also ranks second in receptions, third in receptions per game (7.7), fourth in scrimmage yards per touch (11.0) and fifth in receiving yards and yards per game (90.3).
The most dynamic receiver the Giants have had since the early years of Odell Beckham Jr., Nabers already looks like one of the top receivers in the NFL. He’s the only wideout in the league to account for more than half of his team’s air yards this season (57.6%), according to Next Gen Stats.
“I have a lot of trust in him going up and getting the ball,” Jones said. “We need to continue to take advantage of his ability to make plays.”
Why Nabers was successful in Week 3
One reason? He found the middle of the field.
That’s where Nabers’ second touchdown came late in the second quarter. Thanks to pre-snap motion by fellow receiver Darius Slayton, Nabers had a mismatch in his favor against Browns safety Rodney McLeod Jr., who was nowhere near the No. 6 pick as he made a leaping grab in the middle of the end zone.
More than 30% of Nabers’ targets this season have been in the short center area (between 0-9 yards from the line of scrimmage), according to Pro Football Focus. He’s caught all 12 of his targets there for 139 yards and a touchdown through three games. Jones has a dazzling 142.7 passer rating targeting the ex-LSU star on that portion of the field.
Living in the middle of the field can leave players vulnerable to big hits. But at 200 pounds, the 6-foot Nabers has the frame and strength to withstand the pounding. He leads all rookies with three missed tackles forced, per PFF.
But what makes the first-round rookie so hard to cover is that he can hurt you in a multitude of ways all over the field. On Sunday, he had four receptions on the right side of the field, three on the left and one across the middle, running stop routes, slants, digs, quick outs and winning 50-50 balls down the sideline (see the 28-yard catch over Emerson).
More than 77% of his routes have come from a wide alignment so far this season, but he’s running close to an equal number of routes on both sides of the field, according to Pro Football Focus — 88 on the left, 91 on the right.
“You have a guy like that,” Daboll said, “it doesn’t really matter about the matchup.”
Nabers was upset with himself coming out of the Giants’ Week 2 loss to the Washington Commanders, despite putting up 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. He had a fourth-down drop that cost New York a chance at the game-winning drive.
He credited his team for lifting him up.
“I have a lot of great teammates behind my back pushing me for greatness,” Nabers said Sunday.
We’re already witnessing it early in his career.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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