New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers has been ruled out for the team's "Sunday Night Football" game against the Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Brian Daboll said in a news conference Friday.
The rookie's status is perhaps not so surprising considering Giants insiders on Thursday noted the rookie's slow progress through the concussion protocol. Nabers sustained a concussion in the Giants' 20-15 loss vs. the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. Sunday's showdown with the Bengals will be the second consecutive game the Giants will play without their star wide receiver.
Nabers wasn't alone on the injury report , though. Notably, punter Jamie Gillan (left hamstring) is now questionable to play in Week 6, too. And unlike Nabers, Gillan did not leave either of the team's games these past two weeks and his playing status wasn't in question until now.
According to The Athletic writer Dan Duggan, Gillan's questionable designation came as a surprise and whether he starts in the primetime matchup could be a game-time decision. Duggan explained that the Giants began working out punters on Friday, possibly to sign someone to the practice squad as insurance for the injured punter.
Giants fans may not breathe easy until Gillan is on the field and stays healthy for all four quarters, as this echoes the series of events which led to kicker Graham Gano leaving the team's 21-18 loss against the upstart Washington Commanders with an injury — without a backup kicker to take his place.
Gano entered the Week 2 contest with a groin issue and immediately hurt his hamstring on the opening kickoff while chasing down the kick returner. The Giants had not elevated practice squad kicker Jude McAtamney at the time. As a result, they were forced to turn to Gillan for extra point and field-goal attempts.
Gillan missed his one and only extra-point attempt, resulting in Daboll foregoing extra points and field goals altogether. The Giants didn't have a chance for a go-ahead field goal late in the game, which led to the Commanders hitting a game-winning field goal of their own.
Special teams are often an overlooked part of football, but they can dramatically swing the outcome of a game. The Giants just experienced this in their favor as a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown led to their 29-20 win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5.
If they had been proactive and elevated a backup for Gano back in Week 2, the outcome could've put them in the win column. Instead, New York is now 2-3 looking to get their first back-to-back wins of the 2024 season.
The Giants working out punters now is a promising sign they've learned their lesson. If they were to lose Gillian — as they did Gano — that would equally be a problem if they had no one else to punt.
In the worst-case scenario, the offense would be forced to go for it on every fourth down, potentially pinned deep in their own territory and forced to attempt fourth down conversions dangerously close to their end zone.
Gillan's status and the number of punters on the game-day roster are now an important detail for New York heading into this week. But since it's related to special teams, it may not be noticed unless there's a game-changing play.
