Just when the Giants had good vibes again, a cart came on the field to take off Malik Nabers.
Nabers’ right knee appeared to buckle Sunday against the Chargers as he jumped for a deep pass down the visitors’ sideline on a free play because the Chargers had jumped offside before the snap. He went down and reached for his knee.
The entire Giants sideline emptied and went across the field to check on Nabers. It was clear that the second-year receiver was in intense pain as trainers tended to his knee.
Dr. David Chao — the former Chargers team doctor who runs SICscore.com — immediately speculated the worst-case scenario for Nabers.
“By video, the news will not be good,” Chao wrote on X. “Fear is right knee ACL tear.”
The sight of the cart coming onto the field brought a collective groan from the crowd at MetLife Stadium. Nabers was cheered in support by those fans — and raised his hand to acknowledge the love — as the cart disappeared down the tunnel with a towel covering his face.
Nabers, who has 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns in four games, is unquestionably the Giants’ best offensive weapon and his absence will make things infinitely harder for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who is making his first career start.
The Giants now turn to seldom-used third-year receiver Jalin Hyatt in a much bigger role. Wan’Dale Robinson becomes the No. 1 receiver and Darius Slayton becomes the primary target of deep shots.
The cart also came on the field earlier in the game for Chargers star left tackle Joe Alt, who suffered an ankle injury. Alt and Nabers were the No. 5 and No. 6 picks, respectively, in the 2024 draft.
