There’s a certain patch of turf at MetLife Stadium that feels cursed. On Sunday, Giants star receiver Malik Nabers had to go through it. The win against the Chargers felt good for a minute, but the cost might gut the entire season.

Odell Beckham Jr. watched another explosive talent get swallowed by that field and took to X with a message that was less a request and more a demand. “Dear @NFL,” Beckham wrote, his words laced with a desperate sincerity. “I mean this with the upmost love and respect…PLZ. PLZ. PLZ. GET RID OF THE TURF.”

It was a plea from a player who’s had his own career altered by torn ligaments, a painful echo bouncing from his Super Bowl LVI injury right back to the turf that haunts his former team. His heart, he added in another post, “hurts for ya 1!!!!”

OBJ followed up with a second tweet that acknowledged the nuance. “Respect and u kno I loveeeee the giants,” he wrote, “but DeathLife has taken too many talented players away from the game. I know it’s not ALL the turfs fault but at least maybe it to where we’ve gotten all research done to if TURF has to stay it’s at the HIGHEST of quality possible. At least can we start the discussion .”

His message struck a nerve. Turf-related injuries have long been a point of debate in the NFL, and Beckham’s words added urgency to the conversation.

And while the debate around turf safety continues off the field, the Giants were busy making a statement on it.

The hosts pulled off a gritty 21-18 win. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart managed the game with a tough, if unspectacular, performance, 111 yards passing and 54 rushing. He kept things steady while the defense took over.
Their pass rush was dominant.

Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux combined for 20 pressures, making life miserable for Justin Herbert. They forced two crucial interceptions, one of which Dexter Lawrence nearly returned for a touchdown.
“We got ballers,” Lawrence said afterward.

Dart spoke emotionally after the game, reacting to a teammate’s injury and the playbook he is now running.
“It’s really hard seeing one of your best friends go down,” a somber Dart told reporters, referring to his take on Brian Daboll’s old playbook.

The curse of MetLife Stadium

Back in 2020, the 49ers saw both Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas tear their ACLs in the same game. Coach Kyle Shanahan was livid, noting his players talked all game “just how sticky the turf was.”  The list goes on and on: Sterling Shepard (twice), A-Rod, Jabrill Peppers, and now, Nabers. 

 NFLPA has been on this for years, presenting data that shows a higher rate of non-contact injuries on artificial surfaces. The logic is simple: grass gives way. It rips, it tears, it creates divots. Turf doesn’t. 

MetLife installed a new “softer” surface in 2023, but to futility since Rodgers went down on it 4 plays into his Jets career, OBJ further acknowledged the nuance, conceding it’s not all the turf’s fault. But he pressed for a real commitment to making the surface as safe as humanly possible if it must remain. “DeathLife has taken too many talented players away from the game,” he wrote.

For the Giants, the 1-3 start suddenly feels secondary. And as another star’s season hangs in the balance, Odell’s plea for change hangs in the air, a question the NFL can no longer afford to ignore.