Giants grades for Week 11 loss to Packers: 'C' how Mike Kafka's head coaching debut went

OFFENSE: C

Tyrone Tracy Jr. had 88 rushing yards and Devin Singletary scored two rushing touchdowns for a ground game that had one of its best performances since Cam Skattebo was injured. Throw the two big runs on QB sneaks by Jameis Winston into that pile too, one going for 10 yards and the other a 1-yard TD. Winston’s first start saw him complete 19 of 29 passes to six different receivers including five to newcomer Isaiah Hodgins whom he hadn’t met until this week. Winston had four passes throughout the game that should have been picked off but were dropped – including two on the drive that gave the Giants the 20-19 lead with 7:22 left – but it was a bad route by Jalin Hyatt that wound up resulting in the first actual interception with 36 seconds left.

DEFENSE: D

The numbers weren’t awful – the Packers had 128 rushing yards and 180 passing yards – but when the Giants needed a stop they once again had no one to apply the brakes. The secondary was outmuscled for several passes including the two key ones on a third-and-10 conversion and the touchdown both on the fourth-quarter go-ahead drive. Brian Burns added two sacks to give him a career-best 13 this season. The Giants did force three fumbles but two went out of bounds and the one they recovered was overturned as an incompletion.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C

A chop block penalty against Austin Schlottmann on an extra point negated a good kick by Younghoe Koo who missed the second attempt at it from 48 yards away in very windy conditions. The Giants didn’t try any field goals because of the Meadowlands bluster. Deonte Banks had a 35-yard kickoff return but none of the Giants’ possessions began beyond their own 35 the entire game.

COACHING: C

Mike Kafka’s debut changed little about the Giants as their shortcomings under Brian Daboll were simply inherited by him, including the defensive mess. It was nice to see Kafka be so aggressive on those fourth downs although it’s fair to ask if he would have done so in calmer winds. Kafka wasted no time throwing the challenge flag in the first quarter of his debut but it was in vain as the play he was contesting was upheld.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.