‘Throwing J.J. (McCarthy) Under the Bus?’ ‘This Guy Is a Nightmare’ — NFL Fans Read Between the Lines in Malik Nabers’ Assessment of Giants’ Loss to Commanders
· Yahoo Sports
The New York Giants’ 24-21 loss to the Washington Commanders on Thursday night left a bad taste in the mouth, but Malik Nabers’ comments the following day only added to the drama.
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The wide receiver questioned the team’s late-game decisions, leading some fans to believe he was blaming quarterback J.J. McCarthy rather than owning up to his own mistakes.
Malik Nabers Questions Giants’ Late-Game Decisions
After reaching Washington’s 48-yard line with 42 seconds remaining, McCarthy attempted a short pass to Malachi Fields before taking consecutive deep shots toward Darnell Mooney and Malik Nabers. Rasul Douglas intercepted the second attempt, ending New York’s comeback bid.
Nabers, who missed the postgame press conference because of a family emergency, was asked about the team’s approach in the dying minutes on Friday.
“I think as far as that play, and in the ending of the game, I’d say we will be better just finding a better situation on not trying to score points as quickly as we were, but just making smart decisions on what we want to get to after seeing the cover zero that it was giving us at the moment,” Nabers said.
“So, trying to just get the ball out fast instead of trying to create a home run ball,” he added
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NFL Fans Question Malik Nabers’ Accountability
While Nabers didn’t name McCarthy, some fans took his remarks as an indirect shot at the decision-making of their new quarterback.
One fan wrote, “This guy is a nightmare. No accountability on his dropped passes, fumble, but should’ve ran different play. Yet if they didn’t pass it to him, he would’ve been [expletive] and moaning about throwing it to someone else.”
However, Nabers did take responsibility for his lost fumble during the same press conference. He acknowledged that his mistake cost the Giants a potential scoring opportunity and said he needed to improve his ball security and awareness.
Another fan questioned his relationship with McCarthy, writing, “So is dude throwing JJ under the bus? Oh man … attitude matches his game.”
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One commenter pointed to Nabers’ failure to make a play on the final interception, saying, “How about don’t fumble the football? How about go up and be aggressive with 25 seconds left and a ball is thrown to you?”
Another user added, “How about going up for the catch instead of whatever that passive [expletive] was?”
“Lmao suddenly he doesn’t want the ball,” another fan remarked.
Nabers also addressed his involvement in the game-ending interception, explaining that he was tracking the pass and did not initially see Douglas approaching. Harbaugh defended his receiver’s effort, suggesting Nabers’ positioning may have made it difficult to knock the ball away.
The criticism largely stemmed from Nabers’ quiet performance against Washington. The wide receiver entered the game in excellent form, eclipsing 110 receiving yards in four of his previous five appearances.
However, the Commanders did a good job limiting his impact. Nabers finished with just five catches on seven targets for 44 yards, with 37 coming on a single reception.
He also lost a fumble, making it a frustrating night for the Giants’ top receiving option.
Despite ranking 24th among wide receivers with a 77.2 PFN WR Impact Rating and recording 692 receiving yards through nine games, Nabers now faces questions about his performance and his response to the team’s latest defeat, especially after the whole back-and-forth with Greg Olsen.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.