Malik Nabers is believed to have torn his right ACL late in the second quarter of the Giants' Week 4 home game against the Chargers. Nabers will undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the diagnosis, but the initial fear within the organization is that the rookie wideout has suffered a season-ending injury. The signs point that way—non-contact, grabbing below the knee, and being carted off are rarely good indicators.
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Malik Nabers down holding his right knee pic.twitter.com/VCrWUW9q1o
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 28, 2025
The LSU product and 2024 first-round pick had been off to a blazing start in his sophomore season, putting up 271 yards on 18 receptions while finding the end zone twice. His speed and explosiveness had quickly made him one of the few bright spots for the Giants' offense, and his connection with fellow rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart was beginning to give fans some optimism about the team's future.
If Nabers does land on season-ending IR, it will be a crushing blow for a Giants squad that had finally shown some life and was leading the Chargers at the time of the injury.
The setback also highlights a frustrating and all-too-familiar trend at MetLife Stadium, where a string of ACL and Achilles injuries has drawn criticism from both players and coaches around the league.
If Nabers' ACL tear is confirmed, he would become the eighth high-profile player since 2020 to suffer a non-contact season-ending injury on the Meadowlands' turf, joining names like Nick Bosa and Aaron Rodgers.
The NFLPA has repeatedly called for all stadiums to switch to natural grass, arguing that the current artificial surface puts players at unnecessary risk. For the Giants, though, the focus now shifts to how they can regroup and move forward without one of their most dynamic young weapons.
The Giants defeated the Chargers 21-18 in Dart's debut as the starting quarterback. The schedule continues with a Week 5 matchup with the Saints.
