EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Malik Nabers was so unsure whether he would play for the New York Giants in their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night that his family was not even there to see it.
“I didn’t want my family here and feeling like I let them down by not playing,” Nabers said.
No letdown needed. Nabers returned 350 days after going down with a torn ACL in his right knee, making six catches for 69 yards in a 28-20 Giants victory on Sunday night that completed his long road back to the NFL.
“I’ve been fighting a battle: You fight a battle alone,” Nabers said. “I’m happy that I was able to come out there, feel good and give it my all."
The Giants' top wide receiver was listed as questionable and his status was a mystery despite being reported as a full participant in practice all week. Team officials left it up to him to decide when to play his first game since last Sept. 28.
“He had been cleared medically, but he had to feel right,” coach John Harbaugh said. “He had to feel like he was ready to go and could protect himself and perform the way he wanted, and he did.”
The decision was not made until after Nabers went on to the field and got in a pregame workout. The 23-year-old did some stretching, ran routes with quarterback Jaxson Dart and caught passes.
Most importantly, he felt like himself.
“I just felt like it was time to go,” Nabers said. “When I got out there, I just felt good. I felt good. I got a little chill through my body, and I was like: ‘Yeah, it’s time. It’s time.’”
Dart threw to Nabers nine times, leaning on him after they got less than a half together last season. Nabers may not have been quite as dynamic as his rookie year in 2024, but there were early signs that he can get back to that level.
“We were all not 100 per cent sure what was going to happen,” Dart said. “I was just super stoked. I think that once he was able to feel those lights and feel the game-day environment, maybe he had a little bit of adrenaline. He’s just a guy who wants to play for this team, loves the game and I’m so happy that he was able to come back and have a game like this where he was just able to play really, really efficient and good football.”
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