Malik Nabers’ NFL career is off to a flying start.
The New York Giants wide receiver is more than living up to his billing as the 6th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, reeling in 23 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns in three games so far this season.
Nabers is an early contender for Offensive Rookie of the YearAP
Week 4’s Thursday Night Football sees the battered and bruised Dallas Cowboys traveling to MetLife Stadium to take on Nabers and the G-Men in a pivotal NFC East clash.
The division rivals have a long history of spicy encounters, and the latest matchup is set to be a continuation of that as offseason beefs are revisited.
Rookie Nabers will go up against Cowboys star cornerback Trevon Diggs on ‘TNF’ — just months after the pair traded shots and unpleasantries on social media.
It all started when Nabers was asked which NFL cornerback he can’t wait to face.
His answer was two-time Pro Bowler and 2021 interceptions leader, Diggs.
Diggs caught wind of the comments and fired back to let Nabers and the Giants know he isn’t running from the challenge.
“Giants been getting belt for some years now,” Diggs posted on X on June 18.
Diggs then re-posted the clip of Nabers answering the question with a ninja emoji. Nabers followed that up by posting explicit rap lyrics to his Instagram story.
Nabers, who signed a four-year, $29.2 million contract earlier this summer, was asked about the exchange after practice this week and what it meant for ‘TNF’.
Nabers said he was most looking forward to facing DiggsX@LawsNation
Diggs is one of the best CBs in the league and led the NFL in interceptions in 2021Getty
The 21-year-old told reporters he’s looking forward to the matchup but refused to get drawn back into the beef.
“It is what it is. I don’t really wanna talk about this now. It is game time,” Nabers said to the media.
The former LSU wideout has established himself as an early contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year through the first three games of the season.
He ranks fourth in redzone targets (5) and leads the league in both targets over 20 yards (8) and air yards (385).
The Giants have already targeted Nabers 37 times this season, and in Sunday’s 21-15 win over the Cleveland Browns, he finished with 8 receptions on 12 targets for 78 yards and two touchdowns.
Nabers delivered a couple of highlight-reel grabs, including one in the corner of the end zone for his first career touchdown.
He also hauled in a Daniel Jones pass over Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr on a 2nd and 8 in the second quarter for an impressive 28-yard reception.
Diggs scored 2 TDs in a much-needed win over the Browns in Week 3Getty
A few plays later, the young pass-catcher scored on a 3-yard pass from Jones.
In doing so, Nabers (21 years, 56 days) became the youngest wide receiver in NFL history to have two TD receptions.
Crucially, his history-making performance came in a victory – the first of the Giants’ season after losing to the Vikings and Commanders in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively.
The Giants now have some much-needed momentum heading into their Thursday Night Football clash with the Cowboys.
Dallas are also 1-2 this season but very much trending downwards after a Week 2 blowout loss to the Saints and a Week 3 defeat to the Ravens.
Diggs returned to the field this season after suffering a torn ACL in 2023 that ruled him out for the year.
He has compiled 16 total tackles and an interception so far for a Cowboys defense that has struggled against the passing game – something Nabers and Jones will no doubt look to exploit.
The NFC East rivals have played each other 120 times during their history, with New York winning on just 47 occasions.
The Cowboys have won 13 of their last 14 matchups against the Giants, a run dating back to 2017.
The Boys’ destroyed Brian Daboll’s squad in both meetings last year — a 40-0 demolition at MetLife Stadium in September 2023 followed by a 49-17 victory in November.
Nabers and the Giants will look to put that right on Thursday night.
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