The New York Giants and interim head coach Mike Kafka had the chance to show the rest of the NFL that things would be different with Brian Daboll gone by either competing with or possibly upsetting (dare we dream?) the 10-2 New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. To put it mildly, that didn't happen.
The Giants went into halftime of their first game without recently fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen down 30-7, though many of those points came via special teams blunders. Marcus Jones had a long punt return touchdown, and the Giants handed New England a free possession by fumbling on a kickoff.
The coup de grace was kicker Younghoe Koo just missing the ball entirely on a field goal attempt, which led to punter Jamie Gillan getting smacked and the Giants ending their drive with zero points. After a performance like this, Kafka has some hard decisions to make.
Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial, who is playing for a spot with either Kafka's first full staff as permanent head coach or someone new entirely, put together just about the worst possible performance. It remains hard to envision how he will be a part of the team in 2026.
Giants may need to fire special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial after MNF disaster
Ghobrial got his start in the NFL as an assistant coach with the New York Jets under well-respected coordinator Brant Boyer (who is now with the 49ers). Ghobrial was given the Giants' special teams coordinator job before the 2024 season, and he hasn't exactly shown himself to be a golden boy in that era.
Ghobrial has shown to be halfway decent in terms of creating some solid kick coverage units before this game, but that isn't going to be enough to keep him in place if the Giants hire someone who isn't Kafka. Kicking has been a problem all season long. Even if Kafka stays, Ghobrial might not have a strong case for sticking around.
Sometimes, one extremely embarrassing loss on national television can create indelible narratives that will never go away. The special teams handing a win to a Patriots team that did not need any extra help might be the nail in the coffin that seals Ghobrial's fate.