Mostly, what we came away with is simple: the Giants still look like a team that hasn’t figured out how to win football games.
Heading into the season, if there was one matchup I expected the 2025 New York Giants to lose from the start, it was this road trip to Detroit. The Lions entered the year stacked, physical, and widely predicted to contend for a Super Bowl appearance. They pushed the Giants around the last time they met in 2022. Yes, Detroit lost both coordinators during the offseason, and yes, they’ve been hovering around the playoff bubble at 6–4, but even then the Giants—missing Jaxson Dart and fielding what was essentially a jayvee-level secondary and linebacking corps—looked like an easy target.
But football doesn’t care about predictions. Instead of the expected blowout, fans got a competitive game. And yet, nothing about the ending surprised anyone: another double-digit fourth-quarter lead evaporated, and another loss added to the column. If the Giants are anything this season, they are consistent. So, what exactly did we learn from their 34–27 overtime loss to the Lions?
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Is the Giants’ next head coach already on the sideline?
The general feeling around the league is that Mike Kafka isn’t considered a frontrunner to take over as the Giants’ next full-time head coach after the season. But here’s the twist: the other candidates aren’t exactly helping their own cases. Last week, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley had a chance to showcase his scheme against a depleted Giants offense—no starting quarterback, no WR1—and still saw New York move the ball well despite harsh winds. The Giants nearly pulled off the upset. So, onto the next candidate.
This week, former Giant Kelvin Sheppard had his opportunity as Detroit’s defensive coordinator. Under calm conditions and with Detroit’s defense supposedly back on track, the Giants put up 399 passing yards and 122 on the ground. Once again… next!
Kafka isn’t flawless as a play caller. The offensive line struggles to generate push in the run game, and Kafka often leans heavily on early-down runs when backed deep in his own territory. This regularly forces third-and-long situations. But to his credit, the Giants often wear down defenses and run more effectively after halftime.
Aside from those tendencies, Kafka generally calls an aggressive game. Even without his top offensive threats, he pulled out some imaginative designs—including the never-before-seen Jameis-Winston-handoff-to-Gunner-Olszewski-pass-back-to-Winston touchdown that had fans buzzing. It almost overshadowed the earlier toss-to-Devin-Singletary-pitch-back-to-Winston 39-yard touchdown strike to Wan’Dale Robinson.
You can debate his late-game decision on fourth-and-goal from the six, when the Giants chose to go for the touchdown instead of taking the field goal to go up six points. The “right” choice isn’t clear-cut—especially since two analytics models (Ben Baldwin’s and ESPN’s) contradicted one another on the optimal call.
But looking beyond in-game decisions, Kafka appears to have this team playing hard long after its playoff hopes died. His sideline presence is calm, organized, and markedly different from the previous regime. Despite missing their top skill players, the Giants are consistently putting up points on tough defenses. Inside the locker room, you can sense an emphasis on accountability and attitude shifts. Defensively, there’s more experimentation—even if it hasn’t produced better results yet.
Kafka still needs wins. That’s non-negotiable. But if he doesn’t remain in New York, someone else might be willing to give him a head-coaching shot.
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Take my rushing defense—please
For the third time this season, the Giants allowed an opponent to rush for more than 200 yards. The Lions ran wild for 237. Earlier in the year, Washington and Philadelphia did the same. In fact, the Giants have held an opponent under 100 rushing yards only twice all season.
Jahmyr Gibbs alone gashed them for 219 yards, including a 49-yard score in the fourth quarter and a 69-yard walk-off touchdown in overtime.
The pattern has become painfully predictable. No defender touched Gibbs on that 69-yard game-winner up the gut. On his 49-yard touchdown, he sliced through the defensive line untouched, Dane Belton took a poor angle, Cor’Dale Flott couldn’t disengage from his block, and Jevon Holland barely laid a hand on him. As for the off-ball linebackers? They weren’t in the same zip code.
Here’s a challenge: name the last time a Giants linebacker made a truly standout play. Hard to recall, right?
Back to the fourth-and-6 decision—both fourth-down models agreed on one thing: the Giants still had at least a 67% chance of winning no matter what they chose. Baldwin’s model even believed they had over a 50% chance to win even if they failed the fourth-down try. But neither model accounts for two realities: the Giants’ run defense is disastrous, and the football gods seem to guarantee that opposing kickers always hit improbable, last-minute field goals against New York.
Let’s be clear: the defense—and especially the run defense—is the primary reason this team is 2–10. You can point to defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s predictability, though he did mix in more zone coverage and more blitzes this week. You can point to a battered secondary. You can point to injuries.
But nothing has hurt this team more than its inability to stop the run. It is the single biggest reason they’re 2–10 instead of a competitive 7–5 squad. Blame whoever you want, but it’s well past time Joe Schoen starts treating linebacker as a premium position.
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Sign Jameis Winston to a long-term deal
If the Giants can’t win, at least they can entertain. And Jameis Winston delivers entertainment on every snap.
Winston has always been one of the NFL’s most exciting quarterbacks to watch. Teammates love him. Coaches praise his competitiveness. And while he does throw interceptions—yes, he threw one today—he also drives an offense with energy, confidence, and fearlessness.
Against a Detroit defense ranked third in the league in passing yards allowed entering the week, Winston threw for 366 yards. And he did it without a true WR1 available. He connected for plays of 30-plus yards with four different receivers—Wan’Dale Robinson, Theo Johnson, Tyrone Tracy, and Isaiah Hodgins—and even caught a 33-yard touchdown himself.
Winston rarely gets the respect he deserves. And these last two losses? They aren’t on him. He gave the team every chance to win.
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Theo Johnson and Darius Alexander are emerging
Theo Johnson has taken heat this season for dropped passes—and some of that criticism was fair. His early-season drop in Philadelphia on a crucial third down helped swing that game’s momentum. Entering this matchup, his four drops were tied for fifth among NFL tight ends. But among the players ahead of him were Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce, and rookie sensation Tyler Warren—not bad company.
And Johnson’s upside is showing. His five touchdowns tied him for fifth among tight ends alongside George Kittle and Mark Andrews. Against Detroit, he hauled in three catches for 77 yards—real impact production. Over his past three games, he’s caught 13 of 17 targets for 188 yards. He’s beginning to look like the player the Giants hoped he would become.
Rookie Darius Alexander also deserves recognition. While his run defense still needs improvement, his pass-rush development is noticeable. Alexander had two sacks in the game, bringing his season total to 2.5. Only two other rookie interior defenders had reached at least three sacks entering the week. Coming from the MAC, Alexander didn’t face elite competition in college, so adjusting to NFL lineme
n is a major leap. But the Giants may have found something in him.
Beyond the Scoreline: What the Giants’ Loss Truly Revealed
