The New York Giants fanbase has to be feeling miserable after watching the debacle that took place in Denver on Sunday. After holding a 19-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter and as high as a 26-8 lead, the Giants lost 33-32 to the Broncos at the buzzer. There were plenty of contributing factors to the Giants collapse. The late interception thrown by rookie Jaxson Dart. Jude McAtamney missing two extra point kicks. But the main issue Giants fans targeted was the defense and the play-calling of coordinator Shane Bowen.
The Giants defense was phenomenal in the first three quarters of the game, as they held the Broncos scoreless. But the defense allowed 33 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation. Bowen's play-calling was under fire not just by fans, but players as well. Notably, pass rusher Brian Burns angrily criticized why the team dropped eight players in coverage on the Broncos' game-winning drive. Also, head coach Brian Daboll was spotted screaming at Bowen at the end of the game.
Fans who were already fed up with Bowen felt this was the best chance fort he team to cut ties with him. But that's not happening.
During a press conference on Monday, Daboll was asked if he would be making any changes to his coaching staff or to play-calling duties. Daboll rejected that notion and said that he is keeping his staff intact.
Brian Daboll says he’s not considering any changes to #giants coaching staff/coordinators/play caller.
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) October 20, 2025
“We all got to do a better job. Starts with me, and there's plenty of opportunities to finish that game the way we wanted to. We didn't get the job done.”
Brian Daboll confirms that Shane Bowen will remain as Giants defensive coordinator
This is not the update that most Giants fans wanted. It's no secret that Bowen isn't a fan favorite, considering his track record with the team.
The final drive in Denver will stick with fans for quite some time, but let's not forget that a similar situation happened much earlier in the season. The Giants defense notably allowed the Dallas Cowboys to march down the field for Brandon Aubrey to kick an overtime-forcing 64-yard field goal. Bowen notably called a prevent defense on that drive, much like he did in Denver. Déjà vu all over again.
Yes, the Giants do have a dominant pass rush and defensive line. But overall, Bowen's defense ranks near the bottom of the NFL. Through seven games, the Giants have allowed 376.0 yards per game (fourth-most in NFL), 245.3 passing yards per game (seventh-most), 130.7 rushing yards per game (eighth-most) and 25.3 points per game (10th-most).
The track record for Bowen hasn't been great dating back to his time as Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator. The Giants and Daboll needed a new defensive coordinator after the messy exit of Wink Martindale. Bowen was far from the most inspiring choice, but maybe a change of scenery could work wonders for him. A little over a year, it hasn't.
Even though the players openly criticized the play-calling of Bowen that resulted in, statistically, the worst loss ever, he is still staying put at his position. For now, at least. Until the next loss. Or after the season if John Mara decides on a regime change.