Giants first NFL team eliminated from playoff contention; Malik Nabers questions decision-making

With their 34-27 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the New York Giants became the first NFL team in 2025 to be eliminated from playoff contention.

Owners of the worst record in the NFC at 2-10, the Giants have already fired coach Brian Daboll and are onto their third starting quarterback of the season. Russell Wilson was benched after three starts and rookie Jaxson Dart has missed the last two games with a concussion. Jameis Winston has started in place of Dart and had his moments, but the Giants have lost both games with him under center and interim coach Mike Kafka in charge.

After New York lost to Detroit, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers shared a since-deleted post on X questioning the integrity of the team’s intentions.

“Sometimes I think they b makin us lose on purpose!” Nabers posted. “Cause it’s no way, bro you throw the ball instead of runnin it to make em burn 2 timeouts?? then you dnt kick the field goal.??? Then they have to go down and score!!! Football common sense!!!! Am I missing something?”

The sequence Nabers was referring to occurred in the fourth quarter at Ford Field. The Giants got the ball with just under 10 minutes left in regulation, clinging to a 27-24 lead. New York managed to milk almost seven minutes off the clock and got down to the Detroit 6-yard line. On fourth-and-goal, with 2:59 left in the fourth quarter, the Giants opted to go for it rather than kick a field goal and increase the lead to six points to force the Lions to go the length of the field. A Winston pass fell incomplete and the Giants turned the ball over on downs. The Lions moved the ball down the field and tied the game with 28 seconds left on Jake Bates’ 59-yard field goal. The Lions went on to win the game in overtime.

The Giants have had a tumultuous season, marred by injuries, ineptitude and change. Nabers, the team’s best receiver, suffered a season-ending knee injury on Sept. 28. Wilson entered the season as the starting quarterback, but was benched early in the season in favor of Dart. Dart has had frequent concussion evaluations. Daboll was fired on Nov. 10.

The Giants most recently made the playoffs in 2022, making it as a wild-card team after finishing in third place in the NFC East in Daboll’s first year as head coach. The Giants won a playoff game that year but were eliminated in the divisional round.

Dart has flashed enough potential to give the Giants and their fans some hope for the future, but there’s a lot of work ahead for the Giants to return to contention.