How New York Giants Offense Adjusted without Malik Nabers

Head coach Brian Daboll's game plan pulled out all the stops to ensure the Giants' offense would function despite missing a key cog.

Oct 6, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll stands on the sideline during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The New York Giants were without star rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers for the first time this season because he was in concussion protocol. Despite facing a tough Seattle Seahawks team without their best offensive player, the Giants walked out of Seattle with a 29-20 win.

How did Brian Daboll and the Giants offense adjust to not having Nabers in the lineup?

It started with trusting the young playmakers on this team to step up. The Giants had their best rushing performance of the season. Rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr rushed for 129 yards on 18 carries. 

Add in quarterback Daniel Jones’s 11 carries for 38 yards, and the Giants offense played a controlled game. They were able to dictate the pace and the action. 

The Seahawks pass rush entered the game with 14 sacks, averaging 3.5 sacks per game. They were able to notch three more sacks on Jones, but it was not enough to rattle him. Credit Daboll's overall game plan of mixing things up and ensuring Jones got the ball out of his hand quickly.

Jones was efficient and effective in the passing game, especially off-play action. This kept Jones settled down while forcing the Seahawks’ defense to play them honestly. 

Jones was 10-13 on play-action passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Daboll did a great job calling quick-hitting passes with easy outlets to the flat and running back screens. 

It’s been proven before that when Jones is under high pressure and is forced to speed up his game, he makes poor decisions. Daboll’s game plan limited the possibilities of this transpiring.

Without Nabers, who averages 13 targets per game, the Giants put more emphasis on spreading the football around. Jones completed passes to five different players and the quick passing game was pivotal to the Giants' success against the blitz. 

Whether it was quick screen calls or easy dump-offs to the hot routes, they had an answer. The Giants did a nice job getting rookie tight end Theo Johnson involved in the passing game. With his size and athletic profile, he impacts the middle of the field and works behind those second-level defenders.

Second-year running back Eric Gray didn’t have much impact on the ground. His presence was felt in the passing game. Gray caught three of his four targets for 50 yards. He played a vital role as the outlet and screen threat for Jones to quickly get the ball out of his hands, especially in the face of pressure.

In Nabers’s absence, someone needed to step up, and veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton performed well. He finished the game with eight receptions on 11 targets for 122 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. 

He brought the tough physical play needed without Nabers in the lineup. Slayton won multiple reps with slants and in-breaking routes and even fought through arm tackles for yards after the catch. He filled in for Nabers admirably, and the Giants offense benefited from it.

We would be remiss if we didn't mention that Daniel Jones looked more like the 2022 version, who had his best season as a pro. If Jones can play this way and spread the ball around when Nabers returns to the lineup, it will elevate the offense and lower the chance of him being jettisoned after this season.  

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