Giants Country

Malik Nabers' ACL Injury Renews Criticism of MetLife Stadium Playing Surface

A growing list of players have suffered significant injuries on the MetLife Stadium field, again raising concerns about the need for a grass surface.
Colin Keane|
Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (20) breaks up a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Nabers was carted off the field with an injury after the play.
Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (20) breaks up a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Nabers was carted off the field with an injury after the play. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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New York Giants

The New York Giants may have picked up their first win of the 2025 season on Sunday, but they also suffered a massive loss. An MRI on Monday confirmed Giants fans’ worst fear about Malik Nabers: the star wideout did indeed suffer a torn ACL against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Following the devastating news, Nabers took to social media and shared a brief but heartfelt message with fans: “I’m sorry.” 

The silver lining for Nabers and the Giants is that the timing of this injury means that Nabers could be ready to return to action by the start of the 2026 season.

Beyond impacting the Giants’ 2025 outlook, Nabers’ injury reopened the debate among fans, pundits, and players about the concern of MetLife Stadium’s turf and the number of devastating injuries that have befallen athletes on the turf in recent years.

The list of ACL & Achilles injuries occurring on MetLife Stadium’s turf has grown

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers
Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) is carted off the field following an injury during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

According to Yahoo Fantasy Sports, eight players have suffered either an ACL or Achilles tears at MetLife since 2020.

In 2023, a new playing surface was installed at MetLife Stadium, one that both the Giants and Jets tested out. The new surface, FieldTurf CORE system, is claimed to offer a lower level of injury-related incidents.

Adding to the discourse, former Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. posted a plea to the NFL to get rid of the articifial turf surfaces. 

Perhaps even more intriguing than Beckham’s poignant message was a reply to Beckham from X user @sganley, who posted a more expansive list of ACL and Achilles injuries that have happened at MetLife since 2019.

Eight of the 16 names on Ganley’s list are former or present Giants players, while the Jets, who also play their home games on the same field, have been more fortunate in avoiding the injury bug.

MetLife Stadium plans to install an all-grass field for the 2026 World Cup next summer. While there have been pleas for the stadium operations to keep the grass permanently, given that two professional football teams, college games, and other events are regularly scheduled at the stadium year-round, it’s believed that the cost to maintain a grass field year-round would be astronomical.

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Colin Keane
COLIN KEANE

Colin Keane is a writer for New York Giants On SI. He graduated from Villanova University with a Major degree in English and a Minor degree in Business. Covering NBA, MLB, NFL and college basketball, he has contributed to various outlets including NESN and FanSided.

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