Giants' Malik Nabers injures knee, carted off as Jaxson Dart debuts

Malik Nabers was carted off with an apparent right knee injury midway through the second quarter of Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium, a significant setback for the New York Giants as rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart made his first NFL start. The play occurred on a free snap after a defensive offsides; Nabers planted to go up for a deep pass, his knee appeared to buckle, and he fell to the turf clutching the joint before trainers came on and he was loaded onto a cart and taken to the locker room.

Before exiting, Nabers had two receptions on three targets for 20 yards. His abrupt departure forced the Giants to rework receiver snaps and thrust Jalin Hyatt and rookie Beaux Collins into larger roles for the remainder of the game. The injury compounds a difficult stretch for a player widely regarded as the offense’s primary weapon and comes after a troubled outing two weeks earlier against the Kansas City Chiefs, when Nabers posted a career-low two catches for 13 yards in a 22-9 loss.

Nabers had been dealing with lingering issues in recent weeks, including managed back and toe complaints and a shoulder injury sustained while attempting to defend a pass against the Chiefs. He missed a...