The New York Giants were in control for much of Sunday’s clash with the Detroit Lions but fell short in the end, allowing Detroit to force overtime and ultimately losing on a decisive play by running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

Following the loss, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, sidelined for the season with a torn ACL, vented his frustration online, attracting criticism for publicly questioning the team’s late-game strategy.

Nabers Questions Team Decisions After Close Loss

Even though Nabers has been out since Week 4, he remains deeply invested in the Giants’ season. After the 34-27 defeat, he took to X to voice concerns about the team’s fourth-down decision late in the game. Instead of attempting a field goal that would have put the Giants ahead by six, the team opted to go for it.

“Sometimes I think they b makin us lose on purpose!” Nabers wrote in a now-deleted post. “Cause it’s no way, bor 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!!!!”

Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka defended the call, emphasizing the need to be aggressive against a dangerous Lions squad.

“We’re trying to win the game, so we want to score as many points as possible,” Kafka said. “We thought that was a place to be aggressive.”

The Giants had multiple opportunities to close out the Lions, who have claimed the NFC North in the past two seasons and regained the division lead after Sunday. Detroit responded with 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including a 59-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining to tie the game. Gibbs then sealed the win with a 69-yard touchdown run in overtime, as the Lions held off the Giants on the next possession, improving to 7-4.

Lions Bounce Back in Must-Win Contest

Detroit had dropped out of the playoff picture after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles last week but surged back to the top of the NFC North with Sunday’s victory. The Lions have now avoided consecutive losses for over three years, and Gibbs acknowledged the urgency heading into the matchup.

“It was a must-win,” Gibbs said to ESPN.

Despite the Giants holding three separate 10-point leads, Detroit clawed back through aggressive play-calling by head coach Dan Campbell.

“That very easily — a number of times — could’ve gone the other way, but it didn’t,” Campbell said. “We made the plays we had to make.”

The loss marked the fifth time this season the Giants have squandered a fourth-quarter lead, including an 18-point collapse against the Denver Broncos.

“We need to find a way to finish them off, and I really believe our players can do that,” Kafka said.