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Malik Nabers says 'that last play came down to me' following NY Giants loss

The rookie is holding himself accountable.
Braulio Perez
Braulio Perez

GMEN HQ

New York Giants v Washington Commanders / Greg Fiume/GettyImages

You've got to feel for NY Giants rookie wideout Malik Nabers. The No. 6 overall pick played out of his mind against the Washington Commanders, serving as the focal point for the passing attack. Nabers put up video game-type numbers, but his effort was spoiled a bit due to a key mistake late in the action.

In the fourth quarter, with the Giants facing 4th down, Jones escaped pressure and delivered a perfect ball for Nabers to come down with. Nabers, who was playing out of this world leading up to that point, let the ball slip through his hands. The Commanders took over and they drove down the field to win the game on a field goal as time expired. Nabers is sick to his stomach over that drop:

NY Giants wideout Malik Nabers was disgusted with his costly late drop

"I'm disappointed. I mean, no matter how good of a game you can play, that last play came down to me. I'm just - I'm hurt that I let those veterans down. I know what kind of player I am. Dex, Burns, Isaiah, I know the kind of confidence they have in me, so just letting those guys down - I don't ever want to let my team down. That's the main motto that's in my head is don't let my team down. I let my team down."
Malik Nabers

You can tell just how bad Nabers feels. Had he come down with that 4th-down grab, perhaps we'd be talking about a Giants win instead of a heartbreaking and inexcusable loss. Let's make one thing clear, however: Nabers is not at fault for this outcome.

The Giants defense didn't step up when needed and if anything, Nabers saved the day overall thanks to his brilliance in catching the ball from Daniel Jones. One mistake from him doesn't wipe away the 127-yard showing he delivered for Brian Daboll. Unfortunately for the first-round pick, he's down in the dumps because of his costly drop and it's likely going to haunt him over the next few days.

Braulio Perez

Braulio Perez

Braulio Perez is an NCAA Content Director for FanSided, joining Minute Media in 2017 after 2.5 years at the Newark Star-Ledger as a high school sports reporter and 2.5 years at the Lynden Tribune as sports editor. While with the Lynden Tribune, Perez was named the Sports Writer of the Year in 2012 for his division by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. At the Star-Ledger, he also assisted in coverage of college football recruiting. Perez's focus has been on college football recruiting, high school sports, the NFL, NCAA and English Premier League. He is also a regular contributor for 247Sports' Cougfan.com.