New York Giants rookie vast receiver Malik Nabers made historical past together 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 disillusioned. I imply, regardless of how good of a recreation you’ll be able to 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 mentioned. “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 have been similar to, ‘it’s not on me.’ That one play doesn’t decide the entire recreation. We had lots of totally different performs to alter the result of the sport,” Nabers advised reporters on Wednesday. “I had lots of totally different talks with a number of the veterans. I’m not going to talk on the conversations, however there was simply lots of uplifting from these veterans.
“It means so much. It implies that they’ve obtained my again. It solely makes the bond stronger. I’m the brand new particular person coming in, so having these guys as my teammates it’s a robust second for them to come back as much as me, take time after observe and are available as much as me and simply discuss by totally different sorts of moments that I’ve been going by. Simply displaying 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. In fact, 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 observe. I’ve been doing it anyway, however simply carry on making an attempt to get catches afterward,” Nabers mentioned. “You’ve obtained to maintain your head down, work slightly bit more durable. Keep along with the individuals on this locker room and keep collectively as a workforce.”
Profitable 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 change into a distant reminiscence.