If you felt your brain break somewhere between the 19-0 lead and the last-second 39-yard field goal that sank the New York Giants in Denver, you weren’t alone.
Whatever you want to call that fourth quarter — implosion, collapse, historical footnote — the result was the same: a 33-32 loss that won’t go away anytime soon. It’s the kind of loss that forces ugly questions out into the open, not because someone decided to stir the pot, but because the guys who are supposed to fix it look like they’re the ones breaking it.
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This wasn’t one of those “we just got outplayed” games. This was a “what the heck are we even doing?” kind of finish. And no one illustrated that better than Brian Burns, who didn’t hold back after the game. After putting up two sacks, three tackles for loss, and a reminder that he’s one of the only things working on the defensive side of the ball, the 27-year-old turned his frustration toward the coaching staff.
Specifically, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s decision to rush three and drop eight with the game on the line. It was so much more than the wrong play call. It cost the G-Men the game. And Burns wasn’t having it.
Brian Burns just gave clearest sign yet Giants' coaching staff is on thin ice
By the time Broncos quarterback Bo Nix dropped back and found Marvin Mims wide open on a 29-yard sideline throw, it was already obvious Big Blue was handing Denver the game.
No pressure. No adjustment. Just soft coverage and the same tired script. Two plays later, the Broncos kicked the game-winning field goal. And Burns made sure everyone knew exactly what he thought of the play call while heading back to the locker room:
"That stupid a** s**t. Dropping 8 in coverage."Brian Burns
The Giants’ best defensive player going scorched earth on the team’s strategy is not nothing. And he wasn't alone. Head coach Brian Daboll, who was already melting down on the sideline mid-drive, reportedly took out a locker room chair in the aftermath.
#Giants HC Brian Daboll just broke a chair in the locker room. Things are heated in here. Not good.
— Wesley Steinberg (@WesSteinberg) October 19, 2025
When the coaching staff is melting down on the sideline and your best pass rusher is calling out the game plan before he’s even out of his cleats, it’s not just irritation, it’s a sign things are completely off the rails.
Games like this don’t happen by bad luck. And when the star players are saying the quiet part out loud in NSFW postgame rants, it usually means the change is on the way. The frustration’s boiling over with Bowen, and the Giants need to act swiftly to salvage rest of the locker room while they still can.