Star quarterback Russell Wilson said all the right things during the offseason as fans looked forward to his first stint with the New York Giants. However, when he made his much-anticipated debut on Sunday against the Washington Commanders, many things went wrong.
Wilson and the Giants couldn't get anything going as they were trampled by the Commanders, 21-6. The 36-year-old signal-caller went 17-of-37 for 168 yards and zero touchdowns. He threw four straight incompletions in the latter half of the fourth quarter.
Giants coach Brian Daboll didn't hide his displeasure after the defeat.
“Obviously, (with only) six points, it’s tough to win a game. We left 11 points out there in the red zone,” said Daboll in a report from the Associated Press.
Daboll had a heated discussion with wide receiver Malik Nabers at the end of the first quarter after New York failed to score. Nabers, however, simply chalked it up to their high-spirited competitiveness.
“I said I was going to speak up when it was time for me to speak up. I was just trying to get guys going, trying to get everything going. I felt like we were lacking out there. The energy wasn't right, so I took it upon myself to try to boost people up,” said the 22-year-old Nabers in a report from SNY's John Flanigan.
“It's two competitive people going at it. He wants to win, I want to win. I feel like that's the reason he got me over here is because of how he and me are just alike, so it was two people just going at it. We're trying to get the same outcome, that's all.”
The Giants drafted Nabers as the sixth overall pick in 2024 out of LSU in hopes of boosting their offense. The team, however, only averaged 231 total yards per game last season, the fifth-worst in the NFL.
True to form, the Giants tallied exactly 231 total yards against the Commanders. Nabers had five catches for 71 receiving yards. He also took accountability for the loss, saying he didn't make enough plays. He added that they “all need to be better.”
New York will next face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
