Malik Nabers Unimpressed with His Performance vs. Browns

Nabers felt he could have done a better job against the Browns.

Sep 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) celebrates after catching a touchdown during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

By all accounts, a lot of people were beyond pleased with the performance of New York Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers in the win over the Cleveland Browns.

Nabers, however, isn’t one of them.

Malik Nabers wasn't overly impressed with his catches in the Commanders game

He says he makes better catches in practice, so he's looking to improve in that regard pic.twitter.com/ea0QiqGCNw

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 24, 2024

“They were good catches, but I’ve made some way better catches than that,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

Come again?

“I always make some crazy catches in practice, so I'm excited to see how the practice can translate to the game,” he said.

Nabers finished with eight receptions on 12 targets for 78 yards and two touchdowns, one of which saw him do a spectacular job of keeping himself in bounds as his momentum was carrying him in the opposite direction.

• RELATED: Receiver Malik Nabers Gives Giants Offense Reason for Optimism

“I just jumped,” he said of that play. “And I didn't want to try to fall backward, and hopefully, my body was going to keep traveling back, and I wouldn't be able to get my foot in. 

“So, I caught it and just kept my body moving and turned my waist. Then my feet just followed my waist. After I turned around, I saw where I was, and I knew I had some extra room, so I just tried to get two feet down.” 

Head coach Brian Daboll also praised Nabers for alertly knocking a ball away from a Browns defender that otherwise might have gone for an interception.

All that was good enough to contribute to the Giants' 21-15 win against the Browns last week, but Nabers seems to think he could have been a lot better in coming up with those balls he didn’t catch. 

Per Pro Football Focus, Nabers caught 50% (three out of six) of his contested catch opportunities against the Browns, perhaps at the core of his dissatisfaction, though he never clarified exactly what he was unhappy with.

If Nabers is looking to add style points to his performance, that’s all good, but it’s highly unlikely you’ll hear his coaches or teammates complaining about the lack of razzle-dazzle in his performance. 

Nabers currently leads all receivers in pass targets (36) and is one catch behind Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice (24) for the league lead in receptions. 

He also leads all wide receivers with at least 25 pass targets (12 total) in touchdowns with three and is second, again behind Rice (116.7), in target rating (114.5).

And he’s currently the league leader in receptions of 20+ yards with six.

So what more does Nabers think he can do?

“Just focus on catching the ball, really,” he said. “That's really it.” 

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