Giants’ Nabers tackled by unlikely team member in first game back

The New York Giants’ 28-20 “Sunday Night Football” victory over the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t just a statement win, but a game full of firsts.

It was John Harbaugh’s first win as the Giants’ new head coach after his long career with the Baltimore Ravens ended. It was the first game back for running back Cam Skattebo after a left ankle injury ended his rookie season in Week 8. Skattebo also scored his first touchdown and landed his first backflip celebration since then. 

But perhaps the most important first for the Giants was that this was the first game back for No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers after tearing his ACL early last season. Not only did Nabers record an impressive six receptions on nine targets for 69 yards on “SNF,” but he looked good maneuvering around defenders for his first live action in a year. 

Nabers also survived taking hits not just during the game, but in warm-ups from a rather unlikely source. 

John Harbaugh tackles Malik Nabers to get the first hit out of the way

It was a strange sight that only media in the building and Nabers’ teammates got to witness. During the postgame news conference, Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart was asked when he knew Nabers would be available for the game. According to the second-year quarterback, it wasn’t until Nabers popped up from a Harbaugh tackle that he knew Nabers was ok.