Malik Nabers Dismisses "Breakout" Label After 112-Yard Game

Malik Nabers says his 112-yard, one-touchdown game was "basic" and that he wants more targets, but his status for Sunday is uncertain.

Oct 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) scores a touchdown while Arizona Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams (21) defends at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New York Giants receiver Malik Nabers finished last week with his first 100-yard receiving game since returning from a torn ACL.

But for him, catching six of seven passes for 112 yards and one touchdown is far from what he considers a "breakout" showing.

"I think everybody's saying it's a breakout because I scored and got 100 yards," Nabers said Wednesday.

"I could have done that in game one, but I just slipped a couple times, and the ball just didn't come my way, or we just didn't complete on some routes.

"So, I don't know why everybody's saying it's a breakout game. I feel like that was a basic game. I could have done more."

Nabers, who caught five of five targets for 84 yards and a touchdown in the first half, said he wanted more opportunities to help the offense.

"I felt like I didn't get targeted much after halftime," he said. "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 I'm just trying to figure out why."

The receiver, who landed on this week's injury report with a knee issue and said he's "a little sore," shared his feedback with head coach John Harbaugh.

"I think we need to implement more things after halftime. Just also trying to give me the ball down the field to create some of those opportunities for us to gain more points," Nabers said.

"It felt like during the first half when we did that, it led us in the right direction with scoring touchdowns in the red zone. And after that, we couldn't get going.

"So, I felt like the offense was needing a spark and I wanted to be that spark."

Nabers in 'Wait and See' Mode Regarding Sunday

Nabers did not practice Wednesday; the reason listed was his knee, though it’snot known if the knee issue involves the same knee where he suffered the torn ACL last year.

Nabers, who repeatedly said he was sore, would not commit to Sunday.

"We'll see how the next day goes, but through the week I'd usually be sore," he said. "But this one was kind of a little bit more sore, but I always continue to fight through it."

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