Oct 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) runs the ball during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Malik Nabers was not happy with how the New York Giants’ offense has been changing during the second half of games.
Of his 18 receptions this season, only five have come in the third and fourth quarters, and it appeared to reach a boiling point in Sunday’s Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals, as a demonstrative Nabers stalked up and down the Giants’ sidelines, making his displeasure known.
“I felt like I didn’t get targeted much after halftime,” Nabers said. “So, that was just a thing. It’s just – I felt like creating explosives down the field was just helping us get in a better position to score touchdowns. Some of those plays didn’t come my way, so just trying to figure out why.”
Nabers caught six passes for a season-high 112 yards with a touchdown from backup quarterback Jameis Winston, but he was not targeted once in the fourth quarter.
“I think we need to implement more things after halftime,” Nabers said. “Just also trying to give me the ball down the field to create some of those opportunities for us to gain more points. It felt like during the first half when we did that, it kind of led into the right direction with scoring touchdowns in the red zone. And just – after that, we just couldn’t get going. So, I felt like the offense was needing a spark, and I wanted to be that spark. I was just trying to figure out what was going on, and what was the thought process on going into after halftime and coming out, what was the talk that he had with the coaches on implementing things down the field – we had a talk about it.”
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was all too happy to listen, even if an unhappy star receiver makes headlines for all the wrong reasons.
“I do really like it as long as it’s done the right way,” Nagy said on Thursday. “Malik is without a doubt one of the most talented players — not just wideouts — that I’ve ever been around. On top of that, he’s competitive, too. He’s probably one of the most competitive. You morph those two together, and sometimes that may happen.”
The former Chicago Bears head coach was adamant that it is beneficial to see that sort of passion from a player, and their conversation on Tuesday was “great.”
“The biggest thing for us to understand, and what we discussed, was don’t ever take that away from a player,” Nagy continued. “You’re crazy if you take that away from somebody. Don’t ever try to not give him the football… You gotta make sure it’s constructive and not destructive. That’s important. He’s still young. We’re still going through that process. We’re four games into it together. You take all that, but you never want to lose that. I’ve got thick skin; I can handle it.”
As to how he can ensure Nabers stays happy, the formula is simple: “We definitely want to get him the ball a lot.”
For more on Malik Nabers and the Giants, visit AMNY.com
