The New York Giants finally secured a win on Sunday afternoon, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 21-18 in Jaxson Dart’s first career start. The offense seemed to be moving the ball well, and the defense did its best to keep Justin Herbert and company at bay. It was a gradual improvement from their disastrous Week 3 performance against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Unfortunately for the Giants, that win was brutally overshadowed when Malik Nabers came down awkwardly on his leg and crumpled in pain. What was supposed to be their biggest asset on offense and a reliable target for a rookie quarterback is now out of the equation. New York is now left with a critical fork in the road so early in the season: Seek out a trade option for a temporary solution or bite the bullet and throw the white flag early.

Nabers Out for the Season With Torn ACL

The star wide receiver was having a light day before Dart threw a long pass down the sideline to set the Giants up in the red zone. Nabers got tangled up with cornerback Cam Hart and had to stop and jump to go up for the ball. Almost immediately, his leg coiled up, and he seemed to hurt himself on the jump before landing on his side. The second-year wideout was carted off the field shortly after.

While not official, insiders believed Nabers had indeed suffered a torn ACL on either the jump or landing during the play, according to NFL.com. That injury thins the Giants’ wide receivers corps significantly, leaving Wan’Dale Robinson with likely WR1 duties or sharing them with veteran Darius Slayton. As with most ACL injuries, barring a miracle or new treatment that hasn’t been used before, we won’t see him until 2026.

It’s a detrimental blow to a team that was looking to turn it around after benching Russell Wilson after Week 3. A rookie quarterback now has to learn with more of a stopgap roster rather than depending on a star wideout to give him some confidence in the pocket.

Jaxson Dart Made the Most Of It

While not the most electric debut from a first-round quarterback draftee, Dart somehow managed not to turn over the ball and keep drives moving. The Ole Miss product completed 13 of 20 passes for only 111 passing yards, but also threw a touchdown to tight end Theo Johnson in the third quarter. He also added a rushing touchdown in the first quarter on a 15-yard scramble.

The offensive line continued to let down the team, allowing six sacks the entire day, five of them against Dart and one against Wilson for a series. The unit was just enough to give Dart some time to scramble and make completions, even if they were only for a few yards. Chipping away at the defense might be the way for this team to go.

Cam Skattebo is Here to Stay

Giants fans went nuts when they drafted Skattebo in the fourth round of the NFL draft. He’s not a Saquon Barkley by any definition, but he can certainly hold his own on this offense. Plus, it’s clear to see he plays with an intensity matched for the city and for the history of this team.

Following a lackluster Week 1 start, Skattebo is seeing an increasing workload and is doing his best to be productive for the team. He scored touchdowns in weeks two and three, while rushing for an average of six yards a carry against Kansas City. It’s only a matter of time before he runs for 100 yards in a game. With Nabers out, he’s going to see a surge in his workload across the board.