Malik Nabers might have returned quickly from an injury scare, but the New York Giants’ star wide receiver was practically invisible once he got back on the field in their 28-6 Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on “Monday Night Football.”
Maybe his right shoulder wasn’t 100%. Maybe he’s still trying to find his footing in just his second game back after missing the final 13 weeks of the 2025 season with a torn right ACL in his right knee. Those are more than valid explanations for the third-year vet out of LSU’s struggles on Monday. But maybe Nabers, who finished the night with one reception for one yard on four targets, was simply outplayed.
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The Rams traded for Trent McDuffie – and paid a premium in the process – for a reason. And it showed when on the night of Aaron Donald’s return from a two-year retirement, it was McDuffie who was the standout defensive acquisition at SoFi Stadium.
The All-Pro cornerback played 34 coverage snaps on Monday, 21 of which were on Nabers. Of those 21 snaps where the two were matched up, McDuffie held Nabers without a catch on three targets. Two of those targets were passes defended while the third was a second quarter interception, his first in a Rams uniform. According to NextGen Stats, the 32.8 seconds McDuffie spent in tight coverage was his second longest in a single game in his five-year career.
“He’s a stud,” head coach Sean McVay told reporters. “He was active. Did a great job being sticky in coverage. I thought even on a couple plays where the ball was down the field, you could see his heart rate never raises. He just stays calm and is in his most comfortable position in those look-and-leans. He was able to be activated as a blitzer a little bit. He did a great job tonight, as did our whole defense, but Trent was a stud.”
The Rams’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia a week ago couldn’t have been more disastrous, but McDuffie was one of very few bright spots in that game, receiving the fourth-highest grade (83.6) and highest coverage grade (85.4) in Week 1 by Pro Football Focus. The St. John Bosco (California) High School alum built on that strong start with an outstanding homecoming.
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This time, the rest of the team showed up, too.
Their vaunted pass rush, even without Myles Garrett, was unleashed in Week 2 with a 66.7% pass rush win rate per Next Gen Stats. Donald didn’t get a sack, but got a tackle for loss. So did Byron Young and Nate Landman, who was all over the field with seven total tackles, tied for the team lead with safety Quentin Lake.
“I thought it was a great collective effort,” McVay said. “… We’re at our best when we play 11 as one. When we’re connected on all three levels, when we’re hitting blocks, when we’re finishing in protection, distributing the field. And that’s what we want to be able to be about.”
Just like that, the Rams once again looked like the Super Bowl contenders they had been hyped to be all summer.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Was Malik Nabers hurt? WR’s no-show vs Rams could’ve been thanks to Trent McDuffie
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