Why did Giants fire Brian Daboll? New York parts way with head coach after blowing another 4th quarter lead

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Why did Giants fire Brian Daboll? New York parts way with head coach after blowing another 4th quarter lead image

The New York Giants are getting a head start on their offseason.

After another blown fourth-quarter lead on Sunday, the Giants have fired Brian Daboll midway through his fourth season with the team, according to multiple reports. Daboll went 9-7-1 and made the playoffs in his first season, but has since gone 11-33 as a head coach since the beginning of the 2023 season.

New York made the move official on Monday afternoon.

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of the season. Kafka has been the offensive coordinator for the entirety of Daboll's tenure in New York.

Here's a breakdown of why the Giants made the move to fire Daboll.

MORE: Ranking best Giants coaching candidates to replace Brian Daboll

Why did Giants fire Brian Daboll?

Despite hope that the team could return to the playoffs, the Giants are 2-8 this year and one of three teams with eight losses. New York has had many opportunities to win games, but it's been a bad fourth-quarter team, blowing four double-digit leads on the road.

Additionally, quarterback Jaxson Dart is now in concussion protocol amid a slew of injuries.

The Giants season this year has been marred by those fourth-quarter collapses. New York had double-digit leads against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, New Orleans Saints in Week 5, Denver Broncos in Week 7 and Chicago Bears in Week 10, but lost all four of those games. If New York even won half of those games, they'd be 4-6 but in position for a potential playoff push.

New York's game against Denver in particular was devastating, as the Giants blew an 18-point lead with less than five minutes left in the game. If 

Who is Giants interim head coach?

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will take over as the Giants interim head coach for the rest of the season. Kafka has been the Giants offensive coordinator since Daboll was hired in 2022, and has interviewed for head coach openings throughout the league.

The 38-year-old is a former journeyman quarterback who was part of seven teams between 2010 and 2015. After retiring, Kafka coached at Northwestern for a year before joining the Kansas City Chiefs, where he would serve as an offensive quality control coach, quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator from 2017 to 2021.

Brian Daboll record with Giants

Daboll went 20-40-1 with the Giants over parts of four seasons. The tenure started strong, as he went 9-7-1 in 2022 and made the playoffs as a wild card team, but has since gone just 11-33 overall, including 5-22 since the start of the 2024 season.

Did Brian Daboll win Coach of the Year?

Daboll was named the 2022 Coach of the Year for leading the Giants to a five-win turnaround and a playoff win. That season was the Giants' only winning season since 2017, which is largely why Daboll won the award.

Brian Daboll contract

Daboll initially signed a five-year deal when joining the Giants in 2022, so he had a year-and-a-half left on his contract. The same goes for general manager Joe Schoen, who was hired by the Giants the same year as Daboll.

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