New York Giants rookie huge receiver Malik Nabers made historical past along with his efficiency in Week 2, changing into the youngest-ever participant with 10+ receptions, 100+ receiving yards, and a landing.
However none of that mattered after the sport, a 21-18 loss to the Washington Commanders.
Late within the fourth quarter, with the sport on the road, quarterback Daniel Jones fired a fourth-down move to Nabers alongside the sideline. He planted his toes and obtained his arms on the ball, however it ricocheted off his fingers and fell to the turf incomplete.
The drop was instantly haunting for Nabers, who was visibly upset within the locker room and expressed disappointment for letting his workforce down.
“I’m upset. I imply, regardless of how good of a recreation you may play, that final play got here all the way down to me. I’m simply, I’m damage that I let these veterans down,” Nabers stated. “I imply, they know what sort of participant I’m. Dex, Burns, Isaiah, I do know what sort of confidence they obtained in me.
“So simply letting these guys down. It’s simply, I don’t need to by no means let my workforce down. That’s the primary motto that’s in my head: Don’t let my workforce down. I let my workforce down.”
These exact same veterans obtained into Nabers’ ear this week, reminding him that soccer is a workforce sport and a single play isn’t why they limped house with their second straight loss.
“They had been similar to, ‘it’s not on me.’ That one play doesn’t decide the entire recreation. We had a variety of completely different performs to vary the end result of the sport,” Nabers informed reporters on Wednesday. “I had a variety of completely different talks with a number of the veterans. I’m not going to talk on the conversations, however there was simply a variety of uplifting from these veterans.
“It means lots. It implies that they’ve obtained my again. It solely makes the bond stronger. I’m the brand new individual coming in, so having these guys as my teammates it’s a strong second for them to come back as much as me, take time after apply and are available as much as me and simply discuss by completely different sorts of moments that I’ve been going by. Simply exhibiting that they’ve obtained my again by all of it.”
With out Nabers’ dominant Week 2 efficiency, the Giants wouldn’t have been ready to win anyway. After all, that’s not how the thoughts of a competitor operates, and why it’s good that the rookie has such good veteran management to lean on.
Now it’s full-steam forward.
“It’s only a second I’ve obtained to place behind me and proceed to go on the market and catch additional passes after apply. I’ve been doing it anyway, however simply carry on making an attempt to get catches afterward,” Nabers stated. “You’ve obtained to maintain your head down, work a bit bit tougher. Keep along with the individuals on this locker room and keep collectively as a workforce.”
Successful cures all, so if Nabers and the Giants can proper the ship and decide up an upset highway victory on Sunday in opposition to the Cleveland Browns, that drop will instantly grow to be a distant reminiscence.