The Giants need to solve their offensive problems, possibly without Malik Nabers, before it's too late

EAST RUTHERFORD – The Cowboys didn't embarrass the Giants.

Maybe that's because the Giants are better than expected? Maybe because the Cowboys are worse. But New York's revamped offensive line persevered Micah Parsons in check, quarterback Daniel Jones He enjoyed his third straight efficient performance and the defense kept Dallas' potent offense in check. It became clear that the gap between the two was narrowing.

That's the positive thing about the Giants' 20-15 loss, which dropped their record to 1-3. It also feels hollow and pointless. All of this is secondary to the health of the recipient Malik Nabers.

The Giants need him.

New York had a chance – a foreign concept after its last two meetings with the Cowboys ended with a combined score of 89-17. They got the ball back with 3:33 minutes left. Jones, who finished 29 of 40 for 281 yards, needed a touchdown and the game was theirs. Jones beat Nabers to four goals, Tyrone Tracy ran unsuccessfully, then Jones narrowly missed Wan'Dale Robinson for a supposedly deep profit.

Jones grabbed the shotgun shot on fourth-and-six, the pressure drove him left, he moved that direction and up the field, then fired a laser at Nabers near the sideline. The ball landed at Nabers, whose feet dragged. As his body fell to the grass, he lost control. Then his helmet fell to the ground.

Nabers lay motionless on the ground for several moments. The trainers then led him to the blue medical tent before taking him back to the locker room. He was quickly ruled out due to a concussion.

The Giants did not provide an update on Nabers – Daboll said he had not yet spoken to him during his press conference. The freshman was standing at his locker when the media entered the room. Several teammates namely Jalin Hyatt And Rakeem Nunez Rocheswent to check on him. Coach Ronnie Barnes and Daboll also stopped by. From what could be observed, Nabers seemed to be in good spirits.

Nabers was not made available to the media because he suffered a concussion – players with concussions are not allowed to speak. Pass rusher Brian BurnsHowever, during his media availability, he yelled out to Nabers and asked the wideout how he was doing.

“Leek, are you okay?” Burns asked.

Nabers shook his head.

The wideout later posted a photo on his Instagram story with the caption: “All good. Thanks for all the prayers!!”

Nabers, who the Giants drafted sixth overall this year, is in step with his former teammate Jayden Daniels as the NFL's most impressive rookie. He already has 35 catches for 386 yards and three touchdowns. Against Dallas, he had 12 catches for 115 yards.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, he is the first player in NFL history to have at least 25 catches and three touchdowns in his first four career games.

He's already the Giants' primary offensive player, and that will likely impact Jones as well. The Giants target him an average of 13 times per game. He also threw a pass and a run three times.

“I think he’s doing some good things,” Daboll said. “I’m glad we have him.”

The only thing good for the Giants right now is that Nabers suffered his injury on Thursday. New York has 10 full days before traveling to Seattle to face the 3-0 Seahawks. These additional days could be important for Nabers' release of the protocol.

But even then, it feels a bit like a long shot.

The Giants' offense runs through Nabers. You have other players, like a tailback Devin Singletary and Robinson, but this offense thrives when Nabers leaves. But even with him, they're only averaging 15 points per game, down from 15.6 a year ago. The thought of them finding their way to the end zone in his absence with alternatives like Hyatt, a third-round pick from a year ago who had no receptions this year, and veteran Darius Slaytonwho had three catches for 56 yards is concerning.

Regardless of whether a gap has been closed or not, the Giants are 1-3. After Seattle they will face the Bengals, Eagles and Steelers. This season you can escape them very quickly.

They liked the chances of finding relief with Nabers.

Now they may have to figure out how to accomplish the same thing without their most dynamic and perhaps only weapon.