EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The last thing sensational rookie receiver Malik Nabers remembers prior to his concussion late in the fourth quarter against Dallas on Sept. 26 was New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones throwing the ball in his direction near the sideline.
That's it. He was hit by Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs as the ball reached his hands in front of the Giants' bench, was knocked to the ground and hit his head on the artificial surface at MetLife Stadium.
“I mean, it was scary when I couldn’t remember what happened or couldn’t remember, like, the last play I was in,” Nabers said Friday, a day after clearing the NFL concussion protocol. “So, yeah, it was kind of scary.”
Nabers said it was his first concussion. He believes he was knocked out on the play. His symptoms over the past three weeks were headaches and a "throbbing in the head.”
Nabers hopes to play in a game for the first time since the concussion on Sunday when New York (2-4) plays host to the Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) at MetLife Stadium. He was added to the injury report with a groin problem on Thursday but he said it's something he has played with before.
The game will mark the return of former Giants running back Saquon Barkley. He signed with the Eagles as a free agent in March.
Nabers, who led the NFL with 35 catches after four games, missed games against Seattle and Cincinnati with the concussion. He is now ranked seventh overall in receptions and his 386 yards receiving are 14th in the league.
Even though he wanted to play, Nabers said he wasn't frustrated by the amount of time he missed, noting his health was more important. He just wants to contribute this weekend.
During his recuperation, the 21-year-old Nabers took some heat for attending a Travis Scott concert at MetLife.
“That’s my business,” he said. “What I do outside this facility has nothing to do with what the media thinks or whatever they got going on, so that’s my business. So, I’m going to keep that in the house.”
Nabers said he told the Giants medical staff he was going to the concert. He said he did not face the lights and had no problem with the sound.
“I’ve been playing loud music since after the concussion in the car,” he added. “I go out with the lights on. I play the game with lights. So, I didn’t have anything with lights. It wasn’t making my head hurt. The sound wasn’t making my head hurt, so I was fine.”
Giants receivers coach Mike Groh said Friday that Nabers didn't miss any meetings because of the concussion so it was easy getting him back into the routine. He also said the sixth pick overall in the draft is easy to coach.
“He highly intelligent and really understands the game,” Groh said. “Obviously an instinctive player on the field. But when you get around him in the classroom and the walkthroughs and all that, he can handle a lot of information.”
Giants coach Brian Daboll said punter Jamie Gillan (hamstring) is going to miss his second straight game and cornerback Adoree Jackson is out with a neck injury.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Tom Canavan, The Associated Press
