Will the Mike Kafka era get off on the right foot?
No, because the 2025 season is pretty much in the trash bin, the team, while technically still alive for a postseason berth according to the math, likely isn’t winning anything other than another draft spot in the top 10–perhaps even the top five at this rate.
Yes, because there’s a new boss at the helm of the team in interim head coach Mike Kafka, who begins a seven-game audition to prove not just to the Giants but to the rest of the league who might be in the market for a head coach after this season that he’s fully capable of handling the responsibilities that come with being the man in charge. Sometimes, when a new head coach/offensive coordinator comes into the picture–tight ends coach Tim Kelly was named the Giants’ offensive coordinator by Kafka–you get a surge of fresh ideas and different philosophies that maybe didn’t exist with the offense before. This isn’t to say that Kafka and Kelly are going to completely throw out the existing system. Still, perhaps each man will incorporate a little more from their experiences, Kafka from his time with Andy Reid in Kansas City and Kelly from his stints as offensive coordinator in Houston and Tennessee, to do just enough to catch the opponent off guard in certain situations. It won’t be easy, as the Giants go into this game missing their starting receiver , running back , and quarterback . But if this offense can continue to function without missing too much of a beat, that will be a pleasant development in the face of adversity. Know what else would be a pleasant development? Seeing the defense close out a game. Kafka, in his “introductory” press briefing on Wednesday, said he had a few ideas that he was passing along to embattled defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, whose unit has blown two-score leads four times this season. While Kafka didn’t get into specifics, hopefully one of the suggestions is to simplify things so that the defense can get back to flying around. What will this week bring? Follow along with our live blog as we bring you play highlights, injury and statistical notes, and more from the Giants’ Week 11 home game against the Green Bay Packers. Could we see defensive lineman Elijah Chatman, who was elevated from the practice squad for this game, get some fullback snaps this week? Curious to see if the Giants implement the screen game a little bit more this week. They have backed off on it in recent weeks after showing signs of a promising screen game attack in the summer. I wouldn’t be shocked if we see a little bit more of Jalin Hyatt in this week’s game plan. Hyatt’s season high in targets came back in Week six when he was targeted five times . I’m also curious to see if the Giants simplify the defense this week. Something the now-former head coach Brian Daboll said last week caught my eye: that defensive coordinator Shane Bowen tried a bunch of different looks and such toward the end of the loss against the Bears. I’ve wondered if having too many coverages and concepts has caused the defense to slow down a bit more, to the point where they’re thinking more than just flying to the ball. Kafka said he had some suggestions he planned to pass along to Bowen, so we’ll see if that makes a difference.The Giants are the only team with four players among the NFL's top 12 in pass rushes this season: Kayvon Thibodeaux , Dexter Lawrence II , Brian Burns , and Abdul Carter . No other team has more than one player in the top 13, and only three other teams have two players in the top 20. In 2024, Jameis Winston's 9.2 air yards per attempt was the third-highest mark in the NFL. He completed just 9 of 30 deep throws of 20+ air yards, but 7 of those nine completions were TDs . The Packers have allowed a 64.7 passer rating on deep attempts, the 10th-lowest in the NFL.According to Next Gen Stats, safety Jevón Holland has a 47.4 completion percentage when targeted this season. Among safeties targeted at least 15 times, it is the third-lowest mark behind Houston’s Calen Bullock and Arizona’s Dadrion Taylor-Demerson . Among defenders targeted at least 40 times, cornerback Cor’Dale Flott has been responsible for five open targets, the fewest in the NFL. He also owns the third-lowest passer rating when targeted . Through 10 games this season, ILB Bobby Okereke has posted 88 tackles , the fifth-most in the NFL. He also has 13 games with 10+ tackles since joining the Giants in 2023, the third-most by a Giant since 1970.PATRICIA TRAINA Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls , the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.
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