If the New York Giants are going to avoid being what everyone thinks they are — one of the NFL’s worst teams — then they’re going to need all hands on deck.
That begins with their regular season opener on the road against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, September 7, as the Giants start the year against a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
The Giants got good news just a few days before the game when ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported superstar second year wide receiver Malik Nabers was expected to play after sitting out the last full practice of the week with a back injury.
“It’s especially notable in that Nabers sat out almost two weeks this summer with a minor back problem,” Raanan wrote on September 5. “At the time, it wasn’t considered serious … The second-year receiver’s presence is vital to the Giants. He’s their clear-cut No. 1 receiver. Nabers had 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. The 109 catches was a franchise record.”
To put it lightly, Nabers isn’t just indispensable when it comes to the Giants — he might be the best player on the roster.
Nabers Has Deep Connection to Commanders QB
Nabers was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft — just 4 picks behind best friend and college teammate Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall to the Commanders.
It was also Nabers’ dumb decision tht brought Daniels his only negative headlines as a pro. That was when Nabers disclosed publicly he and his former LSU teammate made a $10,000 cash bet on which one of them would win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Several days later, both Daniels and Nabers had to face the media and confirm the bet, which would have violated the NFL’s gambling policy, was no longer in play.
“We were uneducated on the gambling policy in the NFL,” Daniels told ESPN. “We learned about it last night. Me and him had a conversation and we canceled the bet. Obviously we don’t want to get in trouble, so we’re focused on being the best players for our respective teams.”
Nabers addressed the bet at Giants’ rookie minicamp.
“I’m educated now that I got here about sports betting and gambling,” Nabers said. “So we’re calling the bet off. There is no bet now. It was just another brother pushing another brother to try to get to success. That is all it was.”
Daniels went on to win the award after leading the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game.
How Commanders Can Stop Nabers
Nabers was one of the few bright spots for the Giants as they stumbled to a 3-14 record in 2024 — the best way for the Commanders to stop him might be trying to make sure he never gets the ball at all.
The Giants will be without superstar, $117 million left offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (lisfranc surgery) against the Commanders. That could be the key to opening up the pass rush for the Commanders and putting pressure on new Giants quarterback Russell Wilson.
The Commanders swept last season’s games against the Giants with a pair of one score wins — a 21-18 victory in Week 2 and a 27-22 victory in Week 9.
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