Giants Country

Giants Rookie Duo's Historic Season Nearing Rare Milestone

A pair of Giants rookies are pursuing a special statistical achievement in the season's final three weeks.

Stephen Lebitsch

Dec 15, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) makes a catch during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium.
Dec 15, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) makes a catch during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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With just three games left in the New York Giants’ 2024 season, it might seem that the team has little to play for besides moral victories in the final stretch. 

For a couple of their prominent players, though, a special feat remains to be chased.

Heading into the Giants’ Week 16 contest with the Atlanta Falcons, the most important question will be whether the team’s performance could potentially impact its positioning on the 2025 draft board. The Giants are currently in a race for the No. 1 pick with the Las Vegas Raiders. 

However, there is a story to be had beyond the final scoreboard for two rookie offensive players. 

Wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., the tandem that has been powering the Giants’ huddle all year, are on the precipice of setting a rare piece of first-year history for the first time in almost two decades. 

That would be the possibility of becoming the third-ever rookie duo in NFL history to each record 1,000+ yards from scrimmage, the only other instances coming in 1960 and most recently in 2006 with Marques Colston and Reggie Bush for the New Orleans Saints.

Accomplishing the feat would only add to a line of happenings on the gridiron for the two young studs who have combined for nearly 1,600 yards and nine touchdowns. Just two weeks ago, they both became the second pair of teammates since the aforementioned Saints’ men to average 65+ yards from scrimmage in a minimum of 10 games. 

Nabers, who was snagged as the No. 6 pick to step into the role of the Giants’ top passing threat, has filled in beautifully and is just under a century away from setting his mark. 

He leads the team with 90 receptions for 901 yards and four touchdowns, the last one coming last Sunday against Baltimore, and has been among the best of his position overall.

To think he’s done it while having to play behind four different quarterbacks in 14 games. In his first 10 with Daniel Jones, Nabers had six games with at least 10 targets and tallied two 100+ yard outings in the first month of the season. 

Since Jones was released from the team at the start of November, the Giants have cycled through three different arms over the past four games, but Nabers has nonetheless stayed hot.

He has three games of at least 6 catches, including his third 10+ catch performance against the Ravens, which he converted into 82 yards and a touchdown. 

Meanwhile, Tracy holds a combined 915 scrimmage yards, 695 of those coming on the ground as the lead guy in the Giants backfield. 

He also has another 30 receptions for 220 yards in the air to complement his overall number and help him near 1,000, given that his rushing efforts have slowed down recently. 

It took a few weeks to take over, but Tracy had commanded the Giant's starting role since Week 5 when he exploded onto the scene for 129 yards in the team’s last win over Seattle. 

After that outing, he added two more 100+ yard contests with five total touchdowns and partnered it with an average play between 4.6 and 7.3 yards.

Tracy wouldn’t be anywhere close to chasing the feat without his excellent rushing both in between the tackles and outside in the zone. He ranks among the top 30 ball carriers in yards after contact, missed tackles forced, and carries of 10+ yards in 2024 and has been one of the best for the rookie class. 

He might have already had the number to gain had his production not dipped over the last few weeks. Tracy has finished under 45 yards rushing in the last month of the season and below 4.0 yards per carry as the team has played behind a lot and relied more on the passing game than falling back on the rock of their offense earlier. 

That said, the two rookies have a very good chance of eclipsing the 1,000-yard benchmark in the final three games of the regular season.

The Giants’ upcoming game in Atlanta will feature a matchup with the 20th-ranked defense in total yardage allowed to opponents, which extends as low as 24th in the respective phases of the offense. 

After that, New York will face a Colts squad that is near the bottom of the league in the same overall metric before a dance with the Eagles in the season finale, which could be a tough task if the starters remain active in that game.

The record is right there to be had for Nabers and Tracy, and if history tells one anything, they should reach it given their invaluable roles in the Giant's offensive game plan throughout the year. 

It would add to a list of reasons why the two players can serve as long-term pieces in the future, and the Giants front office, for better or worse, deserves some credence for the successful draft they put together last offseason. 

More simply, it would provide the organization something to fall back on as an achievement in a campaign marred by some of the worst offensive efficiency the franchise and league have seen in a long time. 

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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