Malik Nabers, Devin Singletary & Saquon Barkley’s shared Week 2 misery

One of the biggest stories this season in the NFL was the very public divorce between the New York Giants and their star running back, Saquon Barkley.

Barkley headed down the Turnpike to the rival Philadelphia Eagles while the Giants decided to go with the less expensive Devin Singletary.

The Giants also made news by selecting LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick in the draft after missing out on a top quarterback.

In Week 2 of this very young NFL season, all three players flourished with signature games that are now expected of them.

Singletary rushed for 95 yards on 16 carries (5.9 YPC) and a score. Nabers was targeted 18 times, catching 10 for 127 yards and scoring.

Barkley did not have the explosive week he had against Green Bay in Week 1 in Brazil, but he still accounted for 116 total yards for scrimmage on Monday night versus Atlanta.

This morning, all three players have one play they would like to have back.

Singletary’s one play was a lost fumble early in the third quarter against Washington that eventually cost the Giants on the scoreboard. It occurred on the Washington 47 yard-line and led to three points for the Commanders.

The Giants had a fourth-and-4 on the Washington 22 with 2:09 remaining in an 18-18 game on Sunday. Quarterback Daniel Jones rolled right and fired a pass into the hands of a wide-open Nabers, who bobbled and then dropped the pass on the 10 yard-line.

The play would have given the Giants a first-and-goal with two minutes left. Instead, the Commanders took possession and drove down to beat the Giants with a 30-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.

Barkley’s drop was similar to that of Nabers. The Eagles were ready to expand on their 18-15 lead with 1:46 in the fourth quarter. On a third-and-3 on the Atlanta 10, quarterback Jalen Hurts swung a pass out to Barkley, who would have either made, or gotten very close to, a first down.

Instead, Barkley could not reel in the pass. The Eagles were forced to kick a field goal, keeping the Falcons in the game, which they eventually won.

To Giant fans, Barkley dropping passes is nothing new.

That is one of the warts in Saquon Barkley’s game. Tremendous player but that was his 16th drop since the start of the 2021 season, the most among running backs.

— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) September 17, 2024

Players make mistakes, we know that. But for these three players who have a close connection to one another to do what they did in the same week is, well, a story.