New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers owned a costly mistake from Thursday night’s 24-21 loss to the Washington Commanders while acknowledging he is still learning how to process defeats and manage his competitive fire.
Nabers fumbled for the first time in his career late in the third quarter, with the Giants trailing 17-14 and inside the red zone. The turnover ended a drive that could have produced points.
“You’re thinking about plays that could have been a difference in the game, and that could have been one of those,” Nabers told reporters on Monday. “We were in the red zone, could have got a field goal or a touchdown, and sadly went away just off a mistake that I made.”
Nabers said the focus now is simple.
“Just try to do better, try to be better, and
I’ll be better on just protecting the football, having awareness of where I am, and just like I said, protecting the football to give the offense an opportunity to score points on that drive,” he said.
The fumble was one of several plays that lingered. Nabers finished with five catches for 44 yards and was the target on the final pass of the game, which Rasul Douglas intercepted. He described how hard it is to move past nights like this.
“I take losses more painful than I say a lot of people just because overall I want to win so bad,” Nabers said. “When I receive a loss, I just, I don’t know, it hurts just off of certain things that you have to do to win the game. But it’s the NFL; 16 teams a week are going to lose the game. So, you just got to come to the realization that it’s going to happen. You just got to be able to flush it and just move on and just fight back and try to go get a win.”
He admitted the process is unfinished.
“It’s hard for sure, but I don’t know how to handle that. I’m still going through that. I’m still learning, try to find my way on flushing losses like this or just flushing a loss in general,” he said.
A sideline conversation with quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan offered one practical step. Callahan told him to play the specific play that is called and nothing more.
“He was just like, ‘Just play the one play that we call, don’t try to do too much,’” Nabers said. “Don’t try to do a lot on the play; we just need you to be you. So just be you at the end of the day.”
Nabers connected that advice to the coverage he has seen and his instinct to force plays when the ball arrives.
“I’m getting a lot of different coverages on my side. I’m getting a lot of cloud, getting a lot of double teams. So, every opportunity I have to get the football I think I’m just trying to do too much with the football instead of just let the game come to me and just play the game,” he said.
The Giants fell to 5-3-1 with the defeat but remain in first place in the NFC East.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Malik Nabers owns costly fumble, still learning to flush tough losses
