Giants WR Malik Nabers doesn’t remember concussion 3 weeks ago

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The last thing rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers remembers before his concussion late in the fourth quarter against Dallas on Sept. 26 was New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones going throw the ball in his direction near the touchline.

That’s all. He was hit by Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs as the ball reached his hands in front of the Giants bench, was thrown to the ground and hit his head on the artificial surface at MetLife Stadium.

“I mean, it was scary when I couldn’t remember what happened or I couldn’t remember, like, the last play I was on,” Nabers said Friday, a day after clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol . “So yeah, it was a little scary.”

Nabers said it was his first concussion. He thinks he was knocked out on the job. Her symptoms for the past three weeks were headaches and “throbbing in the head.”

Nabers hopes to play in a game for the first time since the concussion on Sunday when New York (2-4) hosts the Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) at MetLife Stadium. He was added to the injury report Thursday with a groin problem, but said it’s something he’s played with before.

The game will mark the return of former Giants running back Saquon Barkley. He signed with the Eagles as a free agent in March.

Nabers, who led the NFL with 35 catches after four games, missed games against Seattle and Cincinnati with the concussion. He now ranks seventh overall in receptions and his 386 receiving yards are 14th in the league.

Although he wanted to play, Nabers said he wasn’t frustrated by the amount of time he missed, noting that his health was more important. He only wants to collaborate this weekend.

During his recovery, the 21-year-old Nabers took some heat for attending a Travis Scott concert at MetLife.

“This is my business,” he said. “What I do outside of this facility has nothing to do with what the media thinks or what happens, so that’s my business. So I’ll keep that at home.”

Nabers said he told the Giants’ medical staff he was going to the concert. He said he didn’t mind the lights and had no problem with the sound.

“I’ve been playing loud music since after the concussion in the car,” he added. “I go out with the lights on. I play with lights. So I had nothing with lights. My head didn’t hurt. The sound didn’t hurt my head, so it was fine.”

Giants wide receivers coach Mike Groh said Friday that Nabers didn’t miss any meetings because of the concussion, so it was easy to get him back into the routine. He also said the sixth overall draft pick is easy to coach.

“He’s very smart and he really understands the game,” Groh said. “Obviously an instinctive player on the pitch. But when you surround him in the classroom and the tutorials and all that, he can handle a lot of information.”

Giants coach Brian Daboll said punter Jamie Gillan (hamstring) will miss his second straight game and cornerback Adoree Jackson is out with a neck injury.

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