The last thing rookie receiver Malik Nabers remembers before his concussion late in the fourth quarter against Dallas on September 26 was New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones throwing the ball toward him near the sideline.
That’s all. He was hit by Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs as the ball got to him in front of the Giants’ bench, causing him to fall and hit his head on the turf at MetLife Stadium.
“I mean, it was scary when I couldn’t remember what happened or couldn’t remember, like, the last play I was in,” Nabers said Friday, the day after clearing the NFL concussion protocol. “So, yeah, it was kind of scary.”
Nabers mentioned that this was his first concussion and believes he was knocked out during the play. For the past three weeks, he experienced headaches and a “throbbing in the head.”
Nabers hopes to play in a game for the first time since the concussion on Sunday when New York (2-4) hosts the Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) at MetLife Stadium. He was added to the injury report with a groin issue on Thursday, but he said it’s something he has dealt with before.
The game will also see the return of former Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who signed with the Eagles as a free agent in March.
Nabers, who led the NFL with 35 catches after four games, missed games against Seattle and Cincinnati because of the concussion. He is now ranked seventh in receptions, and his 386 receiving yards put him 14th in the league.
Even though he wanted to play, Nabers said he wasn’t upset about the time he missed, noting that his health was more important. He just wants to help the team this weekend.
During his recovery, 21-year-old Nabers faced some criticism for attending a Travis Scott concert at MetLife.
“That’s my business,” he said. “What I do outside this facility has nothing to do with what the media thinks or whatever they got going on, so that’s my business. So, I’m going to keep that in the house.”
Nabers mentioned that he informed the Giants medical staff about going to the concert. He said he didn’t face the lights and had no issues with the sound.
“I’ve been playing loud music since after the concussion in the car,” he added. “I go out with the lights on. I play the game with lights. So, I didn’t have anything with lights. It wasn’t making my head hurt. The sound wasn’t making my head hurt, so I was fine.”
Giants receivers coach Mike Groh said on Friday that Nabers didn’t miss any meetings due to the concussion, making it easy for him to get back into the routine. He also mentioned that the sixth pick in the draft is easy to coach.
“He’s highly intelligent and really understands the game,” Groh said. “Obviously an instinctive player on the field. But when you get around him in the classroom and the walkthroughs and all that, he can handle a lot of information.”
Giants coach Brian Daboll noted that punter Jamie Gillan (hamstring) will miss his second straight game and cornerback Adoree Jackson is out with a neck injury.
