An upset of Patriots is Mike Kafka’s last, best hope to earn Giants’ coaching job for 2026

As interim coach of the New York Giants, Mike Kafka got a special moment in last Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.

A two-touchdown underdog in his second game since replacing Brian Daboll, Kafka had his team on the Detroit 6-yard line with three minutes remaining. Ahead by three points, Kafka could play it safe on fourth-and-goal, kick a field goal to take the lead to six points and then hope that his weak defense would prevent the Lions from advancing.

But Kafka did not want to leave any doubt. Aiming to take a two-point lead, which would have sealed the win, he went for the touchdown. However, quarterback Jameis Winston’s pass to Theo Johnson fell incomplete and the Lions kicked a field goal, sending the game into overtime. The Lions scored in the first game of the extra session and won 34–27.

Kafka’s unsuccessful gamble began to be criticized everywhere. President Donald Trump described bypassing field goals as “crazy” and “weird.” Giants wide receiver Malik Nabors was so appalled by Kafka’s lack of “football common sense” that the injured star questioned in a since-deleted post on social media whether the Giants were intentionally trying to make him lose.

Kafka’s confidence in his decision has not wavered.

Kafka said a few days later, “All I know is that I really liked the call.” “I stand by it. I have no regrets about it. I thought we were aggressive to try to win the game.”

That aggressive mentality has been the hallmark of Kafka in the two games since Daboll took over, who was fired after a 2-8 start in his fourth season.

“I’ll try to do the best for the team,” Kafka said. “Whether it’s winning the game on the last play of the game, being aggressive, going for two when we get a chance – no matter what that situation is, that’s where we’ve got to step up, and that’s where we’ve got to turn the tables in terms of our team, when it’s (crunch) time, when time runs out at the end of the game, when we’ve got a play to make, we’re going to be aggressive in making the plays to win it.”

The problem for Kafka is that the new mindset hasn’t changed the results. The Giants have squandered fourth-quarter leads in each of Kafka’s two games, including a 10-point lead over the Lions in the fourth quarter.

With five games remaining, Monday’s showdown with the 10-2 Patriots on the national stage is Kafka’s last chance to get the kind of meaningful win that can reassure ownership that the best long-term option is already in the building.

The Giants have a bye next week and then play four teams with a combined record of 15–32–1 to finish the season. Similarly, even a few wins over backward franchises won’t move the needle.

Kafka is a legitimate head-coaching candidate, interviewing for openings with eight teams over the past three offseasons. But the deck is stacked against him to secure a full-time job with the Giants.

Kafka arrived in New York with Daboll in 2022, serving as the play-caller during some weak offensive seasons. It will be tough to sell the fan base while retaining general manager Joe Schoen. And A coach who has been in a leading role during this miserable four-year period.

It’s always an uphill climb for an interim coach because, by the nature of the job, the season is already underway and not going well. Kafka certainly had a vision for how he would overhaul a program while interviewing for head-coaching vacancies with a quarter of the league over the past three years. But there’s only so much that can be adjusted when capturing midstream.

Kafka’s plate has been full after firing defensive coordinator Shane Bowen following the loss against the Lions. Kafka hired outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen, who had never called a play at any level, to replace Bowen.

With the new role came increased responsibilities, with Kafka selecting first-round pick Abdul Carter for a series after missing a walk-through before Kafka’s first game as head coach. But while Kafka bizarrely claimed that he had not seen Nabors’s critical tweet, it did not give the impression that he would rule with an iron fist.

In-season head coaching hires have been fired 49 times since 2000, not including Daboll and Tennessee’s Brian Callahan this year. In 11 of these cases, the interim coach has been appointed as the full-time coach.

Here’s a review of how those 11 coaches performed in their interim seasons and after becoming full-time head coaches:

Although Garrett’s tenure in Dallas was overshadowed by a lack of playoff success, he is the only interim coach in the last 25 years to have consistent success after being hired full-time. Mularkey posted a 9–7 record in each of his two full seasons with the Titans and won a playoff game in his second season, but the two sides parted ways by mutual consent after two years. Marrone went 10–6 and reached the AFC Championship Game in his first full season with the Jaguars, but the remainder of his tenure was disappointing. Tice finished .500 or better in three of his four seasons with the Vikings, but his contract was not renewed by new owner Ziggy Wilf after missing the playoffs with a 9–7 record in 2005.

Interim appointments as permanent head coaches have become more rare in recent years. Of the 19 in-season firings since 2017, only former Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce received a full-time appointment. Pierce took over the reins of the Raiders in 2024 after going 5-4 as interim replacement for Josh McDaniel during the 2023 season. Pierce was fired after going 4–13 in his lone season as full-time coach.

Kafka is the Giants’ second interim coach in the last nine seasons. The Giants did not hire Steve Spagnuolo, who had a four-game interim stint after replacing Ben McAdoo during the 2017 season.

Kafka has created the same history in the last five games of this season. If he plans to make ownership seriously consider him as the permanent coach, a win on Monday night could go a long way in changing perceptions.