One of the NFL’s biggest stars, Malik Nabers, got carted off the field with a knee injury. The New York Giants looked great in the first half against the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers in rookie QB Jaxson Dart’s first start. Fans won’t be too hung up on their rookie’s debut, but on the injury update to their superstar receiver.
It didn’t look good for Nabers as he was in a lot of pain, and a former NFL doctor feared the worst for him. Later, an NFL insider ultimately provided a concerning update on the Giants star.
What Happened to Malik Nabers?
Dart threw a deep ball intended for Nabers, and when he leapt for the ball, his knee seemingly gave out. He stayed down for a while and needed the cart.
Former NFL team doctor David J. Chao predicted that this could be a season-ending ACL tear for Nabers.
After the game, NFL insider Ian Rapoport confirmed that Nabers has likely torn his ACL. “Giants WR Nalik Nabers is believed to have torn his ACL, per me and Tom Pelissero,” Rapoport wrote. “A crushing blow.”
On Monday, NFL insider Adam Schefter provided an update on Nabers, and it was not a good one for the Giants fans. “An MRI today confirmed that Giants standout WR Malik Nabers suffered a season-ending torn ACL during Sunday’s game vs. the Chargers, per source,” wrote Schefter on X.
Prior to his knee injury, Malik Nabers had 127 catches in his first two NFL seasons, second most catches by any player in his first 20 games behind only Odell Beckham Jr., who had 141. https://t.co/rVX4pkaKQt
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 29, 2025
The Giants couldn’t afford to lose a player like Nabers because of his importance to the offense, but now they will be without him. The star receiver didn’t have a great Week 3, but still had an outstanding start to his 2025 season.
After just three games, Nabers had 251 receiving yards to start the season and was looking to be a pivotal piece in Dart’s debut. Unfortunately, since Chao’s prediction is right, Nabers won’t just miss the rest of the game, but at least the rest of the season.
Losing a receiver of Nabers’ caliber for the entire season is devastating for any team. But the Giants don’t have a deep receiving room outside the LSU product. This leaves Wan’Dale Robinson to fill in as the main target on offense. Robinson has been great to start the season, but hasn’t been as reliable in the past.
Robinson is 12th in PFSN’s WRi metric through the first three games of the season with a grade of 82.9/B-. Nabers isn’t far behind Robinson in 21st with a grade of 80.9/B-. Nabers’ tough Week 3 is impacting his grade, but he’s still among some of the best in the NFL. Nabers was fourth in the NFL entering Week 4 with 32 targets, but only reeled in 16 receptions.
It’s no surprise the Giants keep trying to get their superstar the ball. He made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season and is an absolute force on the outside. Replacing his targets and production won’t be easy, but the Giants are going to have to find another weapon for Dart if he’s done for the year.
Since Nabers’ season is over, Giants fans will be hoping he comes back even better next season. His electric performance against the Cowboys in Week 2 will likely be the highlight of his season despite the unfortunate loss in overtime.
