Giants' Malik Nabers gets intriguing injury update ahead of Bengals clash

After suffering a concussion that kept him out of a Week 5 battle with the Seattle Seahawks, fans waited with bated breath to see if Malik Nabers could make his triumphant return to the field for the New York Giants in Week 6.

Well, in his media session on Wednesday, head coach Brian Dabell let it be known that Nabers is slowly but surely “doing better” and is considered day-to-day for an on-field comeback, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan.

“WR Malik Nabers (concussion) is ‘doing better,' per Brian Daboll. He will be working on the side with trainers at practice. He’s day to day,” Raanan wrote for ESPN. “OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (wrist) is week to week. Doesn’t sound like he’ll play Sunday vs. Bengals.”

Could Week 6 see Nabers back on the field for the Giants? Will fans get to see him face off against another LSU legend in JaMarr Chase in order to see who is the better NFL receiver? And if not, will the Giants be able to overcome a Cincinnati Bengals team that has an explosive offense and a desperation to finally get a win on the board? While the Giants do have a few other options if Nabers can't go, they aren't particularly good ones, as the rookie receiver has been the unquestioned favorite target of Daniel Jones so far this season.

The New York Giants offense is nothing without Malik Nabers

If the Giants are without Nabers in Week 6, they will be in trouble, as through the first four games of the season, he's accounted for a disproportionate amount of their offensive production.

You see, through the first five games of the 2024 NFL season, Nabers has caught the most passes of any player in the NFL at 35, two more than his fellow Ohio State product Garrett Wilson and three more than Chris Godwin, Drake London, Nico Collins, and his teammate Wan'Dale Robinson. Now granted, he hasn't been particularly efficient at picking up yards after the catch, as he only ranks seventh in receiving yards and is a full 181 behind the reigning receiving yards leader, Collins, but hey, when Jones needs a catch, he either looks to Nabers or Robinson, as there isn't another pass-catcher on the team with more 18 catches.

If Nabers is out, the Giants will have to hope Robinson can continue to feast underneath while someone like Darious Slayton or Jalin Hyatt can get something going over the top. If not, well, they might just get down as the unfortunate team that gives the Bengals their first win of the season.