The New York Giants had a historic game against the Denver Broncos. Not the kind of history anyone outside of Denver wanted to see, but historic none the less. I don’t need to go over the gory details;
there have been, and will be, plenty of other pieces diving into it in excruciating detail.
But I also couldn’t not take the opportunity to dust off my infrequently-used opinion piece.
I’m going to start with the most obvious possible observation: You don’t give up 33 points in 15 minutes of football without having some significant problems. A defense with as much talent as the Giants boast doesn’t have three collapses in six weeks without having issues that need to be addressed.
I know, I know. I said I wasn’t going to dig into the gory details of the Giants’ fourth-quarter collapse. But it’s also true that the first step of solving problems is identifying the problem. The Giants have several right now, but there are also some reasons for hope.
Placekicker
Some of the problems are pretty obvious, like Jude McAtamney. I’m not going to pile on the kid, but he can’t remain the Giants’ kicker after missing three extra points in two weeks. We shouldn’t forget that the two competed for the starting job and McAtamney beat out the veteran Younghoe Koo — at least in practice. However, there’s no way to simulate the psychological pressure of a game in practice, and McAtamney seems to be more pressure-sensitive than an NFL kicker can be.
The Giants will likely turn to Koo this week, though he may not be a great option, either. He lost his job in Atlanta for a reason, but he’s at least been a good NFL kicker before. Even if he’s diminished and doesn’t have great range, he’s only missed three extra points in the last three complete seasons — as opposed to the same number in the last two games.
The more permanent solution will likely be for the Giants to pursue a real successor to Graham Gano this off-season. That doesn’t help them this week against the Eagles, but it has to be done.
Shane Bowen
I want to couch this by saying that I actually admire the transformation Bowen has gone through over the last year. He wants to win with a four-man rush while dropping seven into a quarters coverage. That’s the defense he built in Tennessee and was pretty successful doing so. But that isn’t what the Giants’ defense is built to do, and that’s not the type of team Brian Daboll wants to run.
The Giants want to run an aggressive, attacking defense that uses man or press-man coverage and versatile defenders to create confusion or scheme additional pressure.
And credit to Bowen for adapting. He’s played far more man coverage, and blitzed far more, over the last year than he did before. He’s willing to do what he has to in order to try and build a defense that works. But we’ve also seen that he reverts to his comfort zone in pressure situations, and it’s cost the Giants two games so far.
Watching the Giants’ defense this year I’m reminded of Perry Fewell’s defense in 2011 and 2012. Fewell grew up in a Cover-2/Tampa-2 defense and wanted to run that with the Giants. However, they were built for Steve Spagnuolo’s aggressive blitzing defense. Fewell adapted and used something much more akin to Spags’ scheme in the second half of 2011 out of necessity. The Giants were rewarded with a Super Bowl, but Fewell then reverted in 2012 and 2013.
(Seeing fans and other writers clamoring for more size along the Giants’ defensive line has also reminded me of Fewell’s “Bigger Butts” defense from 2013.)
That seems to be the same dynamic as we’re seeing with Bowen. Part of the Giants’ defensive struggles comes down to the fact that they aren’t built for the type of defense their coordinator grew up running. And given that the team has an incredible amount of resources sunk into their defensive roster, the best answer is to find a coordinator who fits the roster.
For now, that means firing Bowen. I don’t take any joy in saying that, but I really don’t see how he survives the losses to the Cowboys, Saints, and Broncos. I thought the Giants should have fired Bowen after 2024, but I can understand them keeping him in the hopes that he could evolve with the defense. He’s tried, but this just doesn’t appear to be a good fit.
At least as of right now, Brian Daboll says that he isn’t considering any changes to the coaching staff. But things change, and they can change quickly in the NFL.
Defensive line coach Andre Patterson was the Minnesota Vikings’ co-defensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021. Defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel was Atlanta Falcons’ defensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018. They seem like the most likely interim options.
I don’t know who would be in consideration to replace Bowen long term, but that’s also a question for January.
The passing game
The other big stone the Giants could move this year is upgrading their passing attack. Cam Skattebo has been a revelation for the Giants, and he provides an great dynamic with Tyrone Tracy, but the Giants need more through the air.
Wan’Dale Robinson and Daniel Bellinger are very dependable, but the Giants need another receiving option to convert first downs and extend drives. The defense was obviously gassed by the end of the game in Denver (aided by the thin air) because the Giants simply couldn’t control the clock on offense. Having another receiving option might have prevented Dart’s interception, as well as allowed them to pick up a vital first down in their four-minute drill.
The Giants need to continue to lean into their two TE and two RB sets. I’d add that Daniel Bellinger should probably be the Giants’ TE-1 at this point. While he isn’t as sudden an athlete as Theo Johnson, he’s still a very good athlete and a much more dependable blocker and receiver. With respect to the 21-personnel (two running backs) package, Tyrone Tracy is a former receiver and presents a solid option out of the backfield or motioning out wide. He and Skattebo are both capable pass catchers, and the Giants need to lean into the versatility of their skill position players.
All that said, I do believe the team needs to add as close to a “Number One” receiver as they can during the season. That, of course, means a trade. Ideally, the Giants would add a player like Chris Olave or Jaylen Waddle, who can be dependable and dynamic. Doing so would allow Wan’Dale Robinson to play his more natural role of WR2, and either would be a very good “WR 1b” when Nabers comes back next year.
Both are also in their prime and could be with the team as Dart continues to develop over the coming years.
Either would be expensive, and likely more expensive than Joe Schoen would prefer. The Giants don’t have a third round pick at the moment and would likely need to use a second round pick to acquire Olave or Waddle if they’re even available. That said, either receiver is likely better than any player the Giants would be able to get in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, would help immediately, and wouldn’t need any development time.
It might not be ideal, but it’s something that should be seriously considered and really could help to unlock the Giants’ offense in 2026 and beyond.
Final thoughts
Now, here’s the thing: I’m not down and I don’t have a Pez dispenser full of black pills. I’m actually excited for this team.
Lost in the doomerism regarding the Giants’ fourth-quarter collapse is this: The Giants hung what should have been 35 points on a Top 2 defense in the NFL, their second such offensive effort in two weeks, while missing Nabers and relying on Dart and Skattebo.
If I told you at the beginning of the season that the Giants would score 10 touchdowns in two weeks against the second and third-best defenses from the 2024 season — without Nabers — you would think I was utterly insane.
The Giants have had three 30+ point games in the first seven games of 2025. They accomplished that feat five times (six counting the playoffs) in the previous five season combined.
At the same time, the Giants’ defense has flashed true dominance. They suffocated the Los Angeles Chargers, shut down the New Orleans Saints until the offense turned the ball over five times, contained the Philadelphia Eagles, and shut out the Broncos for most of the game. Even with all their holes and issues, the Giants are becoming the team I thought they might before the season started. Prior to the season starting I said that I wasn’t expecting a winning season, but at the same time I believed they could become a team that nobody wants to face down the stretch. They might not make the playoffs, but they could be a team that knocks others out of the playoffs.
The Giants are starting a rookie quarterback, missing their star receiver, and getting almost a quarter of their offensive production from a fourth-round rookie running back. And yet, they’re going toe-to-toe with playoff teams and giving them everything they can handle.
On one hand, the fact that they’re so close to being a legitimately good team makes the collapse against the Chargers that much more frustrating. But the fact that they were in that position in the first place is a good thing and reason to be excited. If the Giants are able to plug the hole at receiver this year, hire a defensive coordinator who truly fits the team vision, and continue to build on their young core, the future is bright.
The foundation could be there for this team to be a legitimate contender in 2026 with the return of Malik Nabers. It’s possible, perhaps even likely, that the Giants go into 2026 with a franchise quarterback (Jaxson Dart), a star receiver (Nabers) with a high-end 1b (hopefully added by trade), a dynamic tight end duo, a smash-mouth running game with Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy. Combine that with a defensive coordinator who’s aggressive because he wants to be and not because he feels like he has to be, and the Giants are suddenly scary.
This might be more hope than some fans want to read right now. But Sunday’s game against Denver wouldn’t have been a heartbreaker if the Giants weren’t in position to win a game in which they were expected to be blown out.
