Malik Nabers made it through his first regular-season game back from a torn ACL without a setback, and the New York Giants are now preparing to keep building his workload against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.
Nabers told reporters Thursday that he was “a little sore, but manageable” after the Giants’ Week 1 win over Dallas. He caught six passes for 69 yards on nine targets while playing 36 offensive snaps, roughly half of New York’s total, in his first game since the knee injury that ended his 2025 season.
The update moves the conversation forward from FSN’s Week 1 return coverage. The question is no longer whether Nabers can get back on the field. It is how quickly the Giants can restore him to the larger role their offense is built to give him.
Nabers cleared the first major checkpoint
The most important part of Nabers’ opener was not the box score. It was that his repaired knee tolerated game speed, contact and route volume well enough for him to come out of the contest healthy.
That does not mean the recovery is complete. Soreness after the first extended action following an ACL reconstruction is not surprising, and New York still has to monitor how his body responds as the season moves from one game to another.
But the Giants now have real game evidence instead of practice projections. Nabers was able to get through 36 snaps, earn a team-high nine targets and produce six receptions without an immediate setback.
His Week 1 usage showed both progress and restraint
New York did not immediately ask Nabers to play every offensive snap. That was a sensible approach after such a long rehabilitation.
The Giants used him enough to make him a central part of the passing game while still leaving room to manage his total workload. That balance matters because the objective is not simply getting Nabers through September. It is getting him back to the point where he can handle the full route tree and the weekly volume expected from a No. 1 receiver.
The Giants also showed they can function around him. Jaxson Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns in the 28-20 win over Dallas, while Isaiah Likely led the team with eight receptions for 78 yards and two scores.
The Rams present a different test
Monday night’s game against Los Angeles should provide a better picture of how far Nabers has come physically. The Rams can challenge receivers with a more varied defensive structure, and New York will have to account for Aaron Donald’s expected return to the defensive front.
If the Rams can generate pressure without sending extra rushers, the Giants will need Nabers to win quickly and consistently outside. That places a premium on his burst off the line, his ability to change direction at the top of routes and his confidence when planting on the repaired knee.
Those movement details will be more revealing than any single reception total.
Nabers believes he left production on the field in Week 1
Nabers said after reviewing the opener that he believed there were additional yards available if he had been more decisive after the catch. That is a useful sign for New York because his own focus has already shifted from simply completing the comeback to cleaning up football details.
That mindset is important in the second game back. Players returning from major knee injuries often spend the early stages of a comeback thinking about the joint, the workload and how the body will respond. Nabers is already evaluating missed opportunities and route execution.
It suggests the competitive side of the recovery is beginning to replace the medical side.
What to watch against Los Angeles
The Giants have not publicly committed to a specific Week 2 snap count for Nabers. The clearest indicator will be whether his role expands beyond the 36 snaps he played against Dallas.
A larger share of first- and second-down work would suggest New York is comfortable increasing his baseline workload. More vertical routes and more targets in congested areas would be another sign that the coaching staff trusts the knee under stress.
The matchup also creates an interesting contrast with Puka Nacua’s hip injury situation on the Rams side. Both teams are monitoring a top receiver, but Nabers enters the weekend with the more reassuring trajectory because he already made it through Week 1 and reported only manageable soreness.
The Giants can now think about growth instead of return
That is the most important shift for New York. Nabers spent most of the offseason trying to get back to football. Now he is back, and the next phase is about rebuilding volume, timing and explosiveness.
If Monday night goes well, the Week 2 story will not be that Nabers returned from an ACL tear. It will be that the Giants are moving closer to having their offensive centerpiece back in a normal role.