He is the precocious apple of the Big Apple’s football eye, No. 1 for nothing.

Malik Nabers had already done wonders for Daniel Jones and prevented the sky from falling on the Giants 2024 season.

Malik Nabers had made play-calling fun again for Brian Daboll.

Malik Nabers had given hope to the restless fan base.

Nabers had made the Giants visible again.

He once again tried to get the Giants past the Big, Bad Cowboys, and he damn near succeeded.

He would finish with 12 catches for 115 yards… and his first NFL concussion.

He stood at his locker talking to Giants senior VP of medical services Robbie Barnes and Jalin Hyatt after Cowboys 20, Giants 15.

“Malik is tough… he’s an idiot,” Jon Runyan Jr. said. “He gives his all on every play, makes tough catches, takes some big hits and comes right back. I like seeing that as a rookie. I think he is one of the leaders of this team because he is so young. Puts everything in, plays very hard, that’s what we like to see. That makes us a little excited when he makes plays with a lot of passion.”

Nabers suffered his first NFL concussion on a fourth-and-6 sideline throw from Jones at the NYG 45 with 3:30 left with Trevon Diggs on his back, which was ruled incomplete. It looked like he had gotten in with both feet and the Giants thought it was a catch.

“From my view, it looked like it,” Jones said. “He had another great game and showed up for us in a big way. Keep trusting him.”

Afterwards, Nabers posted on Instagram with his chin in his hand: “Everything is fine (prayer hands emoji) Thanks for the prayers.”

But you can’t be the hero if your team can’t run the ball and you can’t threaten the entire field and your quarterback can’t get your team into the end zone.

Jones had lost 12 of 13 in prime time, and the Cowboys had used him as a piñata in their 40-0 home opener humiliation in 2023.

He was mercilessly mocked during and after the 2024 home opener.

He had gotten off the mat.

There had been five FGs from Greg Joseph, but no TDs from Jones.

This was his chance to be Danny Dimetime. Danny Primetime.

There had been 11 catches by Wan’Dale Robinson for 71 yards, but no touchdowns by Jones.

So Nabers wasn’t on the field when Jones, from his 49 with 28 seconds left after a rare FG miss by Brandon Aubrey, intercepted a desperation bomb for Hyatt at the Dallas 4.

Daboll had his quarterback’s back. “I thought the quarterback threw the ball where he was supposed to throw it to the guys he was supposed to throw it to,” Daboll said.

Jones (29 of 40, 281 yards) had played flawlessly until the bitter end. He’s made good decisions. He made a lot of little plays, against Robinson, against Nabers.

But no big plays when it really mattered.

No touchdowns.

There were the familiar self-inflicted wounds and missed passes and the bottom line is that Jones must be able to overcome the adversity that often swirls around him.

I asked Jones how frustrating it was for him not to get his team into the end zone.

“Very frustrating,” he said. “Very frustrating. We’re expected to score touchdowns and put points on the board…we moved the ball well and executed a lot of things well, we didn’t execute the red zone stuff, we didn’t punch in, so that’s frustrating.

Nabers will need more help before the Giants can close the gap on the Cowboys and Eagles.

Jones, who got an early free play on third-and-14 in the first half, had a throw intercepted by Darius Slayton.

A long bomb for Nabers was a true Hail Mary in double coverage that was almost intercepted. “You’ve got to hit them and give a guy a chance to make a play,” Jones said.

The Cowboys kept Nabers from torching them deep, but Dak Prescott managed to roast Deonte Banks on a 55-yard catch-and-run TD to CeeDee Lamb.

Nabers picked off passes from Jayden Daniels at LSU as the Cowboys trounced the Giants in a 40-0 humiliation that set a depressing and demoralizing tone last season.

He wowed scouts as Giants fans walked out of WetLife Stadium drenched in despair. When too many Cowboys fans sang in the rain.

“We didn’t do enough to win,” Jones said.

No medals for trying. No medals without touchdowns.