Malik Nabers followed up a solid performance in his NFL debut by hauling in 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown, but a crucial fourth down drop late in the fourth quarter stung the Giants in a 21-18 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
"I'm disappointed. I mean, no matter how good of a game you can play, that last play came down to me,” Nabers said about the failed reception on a 4th-and-4 play from the Washington 22-yard line with just over two minutes to play in a tie game.
“I'm hurt that I let those veterans down. I mean, they know what kind of player I am. Dex [Lawrence], [Brian] Burns, Isaiah [Simmons], I know what kind of confidence they got in me,” the wide receiver continued. “Just letting those guys down. It's just, I don't want to never let my team down. That's the main motto that's in my head is ‘Don't let my team down.’
“I let my team down."
Head coach Brian Daboll said his message to the receiver will be simple: “Keep your head up. Keep your head up.”
“I thought he played well,” Daboll said. “... Nabers, it was a bunch of one-on-one coverage and they started running split safeties. So with them playing split safeties, we ran the ball some. Post-high, we threw it to him. What did he have 18 targets? 10 catches. The last one, he is as competitive as can be. I appreciate how competitive and how much he cares.”
Nabers said he can feel the team’s and the quarterback’s faith already.
“He’s certain that if he throws me the ball, a play’s gonna be made,” Nabers said of Daniel Jones. “... Just him going at me that many times, it shows how much trust he has in me, shows how much trust this offense has in me, it just moving on and continuing to grow.”
Jones said the team wouldn't have been in that position without the play of the receiver.
"He played really well, was big-time for us throughout the game, made tons of big plays," the QB said. "He was a matchup issue for [Washington] all day. I think he knows that, he knows he played a good game and we gotta pick him up.
"He's a competitor. He holds himself to high standard, so I know it bothers him. Gotta keep pressing forward."
The rookie went into Sunday’s game knowing he would get many opportunities against the Commanders' secondary but still feels a tinge of regret for not making that play he “obviously” felt he should have made.
"I mean, there's really not no up and down,” he said of his emotions during the game. “It's really just going back in my head and seeing how could I have done it different with the mistakes I made and hoping to get it back, but I know I couldn't. I know that I can't get that play back, just got to move on."
The Giants went for the fourth down and passed up on attempting a tie-breaking 40-yard field goal because they were without kicker Graham Gano, who sustained a hamstring injury on the game’s opening kickoff.