From Newsweek · Matthew Couden · · 1m 20s
Harbaugh tackled his own receiver
Malik Nabers returned from a torn ACL after his head coach hit him in walkthrough to see if he could take it.
In brief
Malik Nabers returned from a torn ACL after his head coach hit him in walkthrough to see if he could take it. Harbaugh's confidence test worked: Nabers stayed up, played, and the Giants opened 1-0. Originally reported by Newsweek.
Giants open with a win
New York beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 on Sunday Night Football, with several offensive stars back on the field after injuries wrecked last season.
Skattebo flips into the endzone
Cam Skattebo, out since a Week 8 injury against the Eagles, carried 18 times for 81 yards and a touchdown, celebrating with a cartwheel flip.
The walkthrough tackle
Nabers, back for his first game since tearing his ACL last September, said Harbaugh took him down in walkthrough to find out if he could absorb contact.
“Actually, Coach Harbaugh tackled me. He tackled me in walkthrough. He wanted to see if I could take a tackle.”
He didn't go down
Asked whether the hit put him on the ground, Nabers was blunt: he stayed on his feet. That answer settled the question of whether he could play.
“Nah, I didn't go down.”
A coach with receipts
Odd as it looks, Harbaugh won Super Bowl XLVII and 2019 Coach of the Year in Baltimore. Now he's trying unusual levers on a team that went 4-13.
The plan paid off
Dart said Harbaugh told him pregame that once Nabers got hit he'd know he was fine. Nabers caught six passes for 69 yards; Isaiah Likely added 78 and two scores.
The main idea
Harbaugh's confidence test worked: Nabers stayed up, played, and the Giants opened 1-0.
