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Inside the Numbers

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Inside the Numbers: Malik Nabers closes in on franchise reception record

MALIK-NABERS-JAMESON

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Malik Nabers has reached numerous statistical milestones in his superb rookie season and can attain several more when the Giants conclude their season Sunday against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Despite playing in only 14 games – he missed Weeks 5 and 6 with a concussion – Nabers has 104 receptions for 1,140 yards and six touchdowns.

The 104 catches are the Giants' rookie record, obliterating the former mark of 91 shared by Odell Beckham, Jr. (2014) and tied by Saquon Barkley (2018). If he catches four passes in Philadelphia (he had a season-low four receptions against the Eagles on Oct. 20), he will break Steve Smith's franchise record of 107, set in 2009. In Sunday's 45-33 victory against Indianapolis, Nabers passed Beckham (101 in 2016) and moved into second place on the franchise's career list.

Nabers can set the NFL rookie receptions record, but that is somewhat out of his control. He is one of five rookies in history with at least 100 catches and is one shy of the previous mark of 105, set by the Rams' Puka Nacua last year. But Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers, selected seven spots after Nabers in the 2024 NFL Draft, has 108 receptions, which is the new rookie record. With the Raiders long out of postseason contention, ensuring Bowers keeps the record will certainly be one of their goals. And because their game in Las Vegas will start after the Giants have finished in Philly, the Raiders will know exactly how many catches Bowers needs to remain ahead of Nabers.

The Giants' sensational rookie is tied with Arizona tight end Trey McBride for fourth in the NFL, five catches behind No. 2 Amon-Ra St. Brown and four behind Bowers. If he can move into the top three, he will be the first Giant to finish a season that high since Beckham was third in 2016.

Nabers has 13 games with at least five receptions this season and surpassed Anquan Boldin (12 games in 2003) and Terry Glenn (12 in 1996) for the most games with five-or-more receptions by a rookie in NFL history.

This season, Nabers has caught passes from four quarterbacks – Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle. He is just the third receiver since the NFL's last expansion and realignment in 2002 to catch passes from four different players while exceeding 100 receptions. The others were Houston's DeAndre Hopkins in 2015 and Las Vegas' Davante Adams in 2023.

Nabers' 1,140 yards place him eighth in the NFL and are the third-most among the league's rookies behind Jacksonville's Brian Thomas, Jr. (1,179) and Bowers (1,144).

The Giants rookie record of 1,305 yards was set by Beckham in 2015. Nabers can top that with 166 yards in Philadelphia. He gained a season-high 171 yards against the Colts. That was the fourth-highest total by a rookie – and third highest by a rookie wide receiver - in Giants history, behind Kadarius Toney's 189 on Oct. 10, 2021, Beckham's 185 on Dec. 28, 2015, and tight end Mark Bavaro's 176 on Oct. 13, 1985.

Nabers averaged 24.4 yards a catch (seven for 171 yards) on Sunday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that was the highest single-game average by a Giants receiver with at least seven receptions since Oct. 16, 2016, when Beckham averaged 27.7 yards (eight for 222) against Baltimore.

Nabers had touchdown receptions of 31 and 59 yards against Indianapolis. He is the first Giants player with two touchdown catches of 31+ yards in a game since Darius Slayton scored on 35 and 55-yard receptions in Philadelphia on Dec. 9, 2019. Slayton was also a rookie.

Nabers' six touchdown receptions tie him with Hakeem Nicks (2009) and Evan Engram (2017) for seventh on the Giants' rookie list. Bobby Johnson (1984) is sixth with seven.

The six touchdown catches are most by a Giants player since Slayton had eight and Golden Tate had six in 2019.

*Nabers and Tracy have each scored six touchdowns, the first time the Giants have had two rookies with that many scores in a season since 2014, when Beckham had 12 and Andre Williams seven.

*Nabers (1,142 scrimmage yards) and Tyrone Tracy (1,057) are the third pair of rookie teammates each with at least 1,000 scrimmage yards in the same season, joining New Orleans' Reggie Bush and Marques Colston (2006) and the Dallas Texans' Abner Haynes and Pro Football Hall of Famer Johnny Robinson (1960). The Giants' single season record for combined scrimmage yards by two players is 3,604 by Tiki Barber (1,860) and Plaxico Burress (1,214) in 2005. Nabers and Tracy would have to combine for over 700 yards in Philadelphia to enter the team's top 10 duos.

*Tracy's 1,057 scrimmage yards place him second among Giants rookie running backs. He won't catch Barkley, who had 2,028 yards in 2018.

*With 780 rushing yards, Tracy needs 51 to pass Hall of Famer Tuffy Leemans (830 in 1936) and into second place on the Giants' rookie list behind Barkley (1,307).

*Tracy's 36 receptions are the third-highest total by a Giants rookie running back, behind Barkley (91) and Bobby Duhon (37 in 1968).

*Against Indianapolis, Lock threw for 309 yards, accounted for five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) and had a 155.3 passer rating. He is the fifth player in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards, four touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown and a passer rating of 155-or-higher in a game, joining Buffalo's Josh Allen (Oct. 1, 2023), New Orleans' Drew Brees (Dec. 29, 2013), Tampa Bay's Ryan Fitzpatrick (Sept. 9, 2018), and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers (Oct. 20, 2019).

*Lock, Nabers, Wan'Dale Robinson, Slayton, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette all scored touchdowns for the Giants on Sunday. It was the first time since Dec. 9, 2018, the Giants had five different players score touchdowns. In a 40-16 victory in Washington, Curtis Riley, Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Russell Shepard, and Bennie Fowler all scored.

*The Giants did not allow a sack, nor did they commit a turnover on Sunday. That had last happened on Dec. 18, 2022, in a victory in Washington. Since 2009, the Giants have won nine of the 10 games in which they had neither a sack nor a turnover.

*In three seasons under Brian Daboll, the Giants' highest scoring games were 45 points on Sunday and 38 points on Jan. 1, 2023. Both were home games against Indianapolis.

*Sunday's victory was the fourth game under Daboll's three season as coach the Giants did not allow a sack. Two of them were victories vs. the Colts.

*Indianapolis' 33 points were the most allowed by the Giants under Daboll. The previous high was 28 in a 3-point victory at Arizona on Sept. 17, 2023.

*The Giants owned the ball for 26:37 Sunday and won for the first time this season that their opponents had a time of possession advantage. They are 1-6 in those games.

*The Giants are 5-0 vs. the AFC South under Daboll.

*The Giants scored more than 30 points for the first time in 22 games, but the streak deserves an asterisk. On Oct. 6 in Seattle, Daboll elected to take a knee rather than attempt a 2-point conversion after Bryce Ford-Wheaton's 60-yard touchdown on a return of a blocked field goal.

*Joe Flacco threw for 330 yards and wide receivers Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman had 122 and 109 receiving yards, respectively, on Sunday. They were the first players with 33 passing yards and 100 receiving yards against the Giants this season.

*Indianapolis' Johnathan Taylor also rushed for 125 yards. It was the first 300-100-100 game by a Giants opponent since Oct. 8, 2023, when Miami's Tua Tagovailoa threw for 308 yards, De'Von Achane rushed for 151, and Tyreek Hill had (181) receiving yards.

*With one game remaining, offensive lineman Greg Van Roten and defensive end Brian Burns are the only Giants who have started every game.

The New York Giants host the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium for their Week 17 matchup.

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