Giants Blow Another 4th Quarter Lead
Unfortunately for Mike Kafka, his first game as New York Giants head coach ended the same way former head coach Brian Daboll’s games often did — with a loss. Big Blue fell to Green Bay 27–20, blowing yet another late fourth-quarter lead and dropping its record to 2–9.
Kafka did make some changes throughout the week, such as adjusting meeting times to help the team prepare better and finally installing a bit of accountability by benching rookie Abdul Carter for the first defensive series due to an undisclosed infraction. While Kafka wouldn’t specify what happened, saying it would be kept “in-house,” it’s clear that the days of zero accountability from the Daboll era are over.
While the team as a whole seemed to play with renewed energy, the outcome was still the same largely due to a defense that continues to collapse late in games. But it wasn’t all bad. There were a few positives worth noting:
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Isaiah Hodgins had a solid game, leaving fans to wonder why he was cut in the first place. He certainly could’ve helped weeks ago.
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The offensive line is finally coming together and showing improvement week after week, allowing the offense to stabilize the run game while doing a good job of protecting quarterback Jameis Winston. It’s been over a decade since we’ve seen consistent line play from the Giants, so this is a big deal. (If anything, keep Carmen Bricillo.)
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Winning the coin toss and taking the ball instead of deferring set the tone early, as the Giants marched down the field and scored the first touchdown of the game.
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Winston’s downfield shots and his signature high-risk, high-reward style felt almost Eli Manning-esque. In more ways than one.
New York has some positives to build on, and hopefully, they can put it all together next week when they travel to Detroit to take on the 6–3 Lions, who are looking to keep pace with Chicago in the NFC North.
I can’t wait to see what the over/under will be for that game.
