The New York Giants have taken a lot of heat over the past few years, and rightfully so. The product on the field has been objectively terrible. Fans literally flew banners over MetLife asking owner John Mara to fire everyone. So yeah, definitely not the best.
While there were a lot of problems, arguably the biggest was the offense and its aversion to the end zone. This is a team that hasn’t averaged more than 17 points per game since 2022. They haven’t had a quarterback throw for more than 10 touchdowns in a season since 2022, either. Something had to give.
As the offseason progressed, head coach Brian Daboll made the decision to hand playcalling duties back to offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. You know, the guy who helped turn Patrick Mahomes into the best quarterback in football. After three straight preseason games of 30-plus points, it’s only fair to give credit where credit is due... and Dabs deserves a lot of credit for pushing his ego to the side.
Brian Daboll handing playcalling duties to Mike Kafka was genius
In September of 2024, the 50-year-old head coach ripped playcalling responsibilities from Kafka, with the intent to elevate the offense. Safe to say that failed. Well, with his job firmly on the line, Dabs has taken a more team-friendly approach to 2025, and it already seems to be paying off in spades.
Giving the headset back to the 38-year-old OC has proved to be one of, if not the smartest, decisions of the offseason. Against the Bills, Jets, and Patriots, the G-Men outscored them 107-47. That’s no easy feat. Below is the offensive breakdown of each game:
Bills | Jets | Patriots | |
|---|---|---|---|
Total yards | 396 | 478 | 431 |
Yards per play | 5.2 | 7.8 | 6.6 |
Total points | 34 | 31 | 42 |
For reference, that’s 1,305 total yards and 107 total points. Not too shabby. This is also with mostly backups and a dumbed-down offense. Think about how much better it could look with Malik Nabers getting involved. The sky is the limit.
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For the first time in forever, the team was moving the ball down the field, generating chunk plays, utilizing both the passing and ground games, and just looking like an efficient offense — a far cry from what fans have had to sit through for years.
Rookie quarterback sensation Jaxson Dart looked to be the biggest winner of Kafka’s gameplanning. He finished the preseason 32-of-47 for 372 yards, three passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown. If Dart’s and the Giants’ production are any indication of what’s to come, this team is set up incredibly well for 2025... and beyond.
Who would have thought letting the offensive coordinator do their job would actually lead to success? Pretty wild, right? After years of pain, Giants fans finally have something real to believe in — and it all started with a coach getting out of his own way. Keep the headset in Kafka’s hands, and this team might just take off.