Malik Nabers delivered his best performance since returning from a torn ACL and meniscus, hauling in six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown as the Giants beat the Cardinals 36-24 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The win pushed Big Blue to 3-1 and put them in first place in the NFC East. It also marked the first time the team has started 3-0 at home since 2008. The afternoon doubled as a celebration of the franchise’s past, with the Super Bowl-winning 1986 Giants honored at halftime.
For Nabers, the game was a milestone in his recovery from the knee injury that ended most of his 2025 season after he tore his ACL and meniscus in Week 4. He had admitted on Thursday that the injury was still on his mind, but Sunday he produced 16 more receiving yards than he had totaled through the first three games combined.
“I knew it was coming,” Nabers said after the game. “Everybody was asking me [how I felt]. I felt good throughout the whole week. I just didn’t want to jinx myself. I was trying to be humble and wait for the game to come to me.”
Late in the first half, Nabers caught his first touchdown in more than a year, a 25-yard pass from quarterback Jameis Winston. He beat linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. on a seam route while cornerback Garrett Williams arrived too late to help. It was his first touchdown since Sept. 14, 2025.
“I got the look in practice, I got the look watching film,” Nabers said. “When he called it, I was like, ‘Jameis, I’m about to be open.’ He was like, ‘I got you.'”
Nabers said he wasn’t sure how to celebrate after reaching the end zone for the first time in over a year. “Just to get back in the end zone, it felt good. I didn’t know what celebration [to do]. So I just walked off,” he said.
There was a brief scare earlier in the game when Nabers landed hard on his right shoulder after a 39-yard catch on the Giants’ first drive. He left the field but returned shortly after. “Just fell on my shoulder, that’s pretty much it,” he said.
Nabers said he still doesn’t consider himself fully back to his pre-injury form, even after Sunday’s showing. “I felt good coming out there,” he said. “I know I’m capable of more. It’s just a little bit of what I can do. I can do more.”
