Giants OC Mike Kafka proves offensive deficiencies weren't his fault

There's a lot of finger-pointing going on, searching for the root cause of the New York Giants' offensive struggles this season. You won't have to look very hard— head coach Brian Daboll shoulders almost all of it. Since Daboll took over as the team's play-caller and removed offensive coordinator Mike Kafka from his duties, the Giants are averaging 14.9 points per game, more than two full points less than any other team in the league this year.

Despite the Giants' offensive struggles throughout the 2023 campaign, Kafka interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs last offseason but ultimately returned to New York. Daboll called the plays throughout training camp and eventually stripped Kafka of his playing-calling duties.

Big Blue hired Kafka in 2022 after five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he served as an offensive quality control coach, quarterbacks coach, and passing game coordinator. He was a crucial part of Patrick Mahomes' development, and the success carried over in his first season with the G-Men as Daniel Jones led the team to a playoff win.

Kafka was retained by New York and has taken on more of an assistant head coach role along with his offensive coordinator position. While this decision may have made sense at the beginning of the year, it has hurt the team significantly more than it's helped: nobody has benefited.

It could cost Daboll his job.

The New York Giants have only Brian Daboll to blame for their putrid offense

While Daboll's seat is undoubtedly hot, John Mara and the Giants organization will likely retain him and general manager Joe Schoen. The two will be tasked with bringing in a new franchise quarterback. It’s worth noting that the Giants’ offensive struggles this season fall on Brian Daboll, who hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations since taking over play-calling duties.

Many expected rookie wideout Malik Nabers to thrive in the slot this year, much like he did at LSU, but that hasn’t been the case. The Giants passed on a quarterback last year to draft Nabers with the No. 6 pick—a decision that has proven to be the right one this season. However, frustrations remain with how the rookie has been used in the slot, with many believing he would have had a better debut season under Kafka’s play-calling.

This offseason will be critical for the New York Giants. Not only will they bring in the new face of the franchise through the NFL Draft and stay active in free agency, but there could also be changes to the coaching staff or front office. The Giants are expected to target either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward with their first-round pick and may look to strengthen the offensive line by pursuing someone like Mekhi Becton in free agency.

If the Giants choose to move on, Bobby Slowik, Joe Brady, or Ben Johnson could be potential candidates to replace Daboll as head coach. Still, Mike Kafka shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for the team’s struggles. You could even argue that he deserves another chance as offensive coordinator, with an opportunity to take back play-calling duties.

Whatever way the offseason decision winds blow, one thing is for certain: replacing Kafka as the offensive playcaller hasn't yielded better results. Honestly, it's proven to be an indictment of Daboll's abilities, and it looks worse and worse by the week.

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