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Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (20) breaks up a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Nabers was carted off the field with an injury after the play. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Malik Nabers' ACL Injury Renews Criticism of MetLife Stadium Playing Surface

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Colin Keane | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The New York Giants may have picked up their first win of the 2025 season on Sunday, but they also suffered a massive loss. An MRI on Monday confirmed Giants fans’ worst fear about Malik Nabers: the star wideout did indeed suffer a torn ACL against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Following the devastating news, Nabers took to social media and shared a brief but heartfelt message with fans: “I’m sorry.”

The silver lining for Nabers and the Giants is that the timing of this injury means that Nabers could be ready to return to action by the start of the 2026 season.

Beyond impacting the Giants’ 2025 outlook, Nabers’ injury reopened the debate among fans, pundits, and players about the concern of MetLife Stadium’s turf and the number of devastating injuries that have befallen athletes on the turf in recent years.

The list of ACL & Achilles injuries occurring on MetLife Stadium’s turf has grown

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

According to Yahoo Fantasy Sports, eight players have suffered either an ACL or Achilles tears at MetLife since 2020.

Notable ACL and Achilles tears suffered on MetLife Stadium's turf since 2020:

· Nick Bosa (2020)
· Solomon Thomas (2020)
· Jabrill Peppers (2021)
· Wan'Dale Robinson (2022)
· Sterling Shepard (2022)
· Kyle Fuller (2022)
· Aaron Rodgers (2023)
· Potentially Malik Nabers (2025)
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) September 28, 2025

In 2023, a new playing surface was installed at MetLife Stadium, one that both the Giants and Jets tested out. The new surface, FieldTurf CORE system, is claimed to offer a lower level of injury-related incidents.

Adding to the discourse, former Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. posted a plea to the NFL to get rid of the articifial turf surfaces.

Dear @NFL , I mean this with the upmost love and respect. We (The NFL) take all The precautions in the world with EVERYthing else when it comes to players “health” and “safety”. PLZ. PLZ. PLZ. GET RID OF THE TURF. Thank You in advance. LUV
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) September 29, 2025

Perhaps even more intriguing than Beckham’s poignant message was a reply to Beckham from X user @sganley, who posted a more expansive list of ACL and Achilles injuries that have happened at MetLife since 2019.

Since 2019, at least 16 players have suffered ACL/Achillies injuries at MetLife, the most in the NFL, based on data compiled via news reports.

Detroit (5), Charlotte (6), Cleveland (6) also have elevated rates. pic.twitter.com/x3wsFKbjNC
— Shaun Ganley (@sganley) September 29, 2025

Eight of the 16 names on Ganley’s list are former or present Giants players, while the Jets, who also play their home games on the same field, have been more fortunate in avoiding the injury bug.

MetLife Stadium plans to install an all-grass field for the 2026 World Cup next summer. While there have been pleas for the stadium operations to keep the grass permanently, given that two professional football teams, college games, and other events are regularly scheduled at the stadium year-round, it’s believed that the cost to maintain a grass field year-round would be astronomical.

This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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