Giants Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka Looking to Spark Struggling Offense

Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka wants the Giants get off to faster starts.

Author:
Andrew Parsaud
Publish date:
Nov 18, 2022 8:00 AM EST

In this story:

The New York Giants are winning, and that’s a good thing. Fans, however, want to see more out of the offense. The Giants highest point total this season was 27 in their comeback win against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5. Otherwise, the Giants are tied for 31st in first-half points scored with 7.4. They’re tied for second in the league in second-half points scored with 13.3.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier from here, which is why offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and head coach Brian Daboll need to find ways to get the offense off to a faster start.

That challenge begins this week when the Giants host the Lions, who have a very explosive offense and have no problem putting up points. The Giants have thus far been lucky to avoid scoring shootouts, but there will eventually come a time when it will be necessary to engage in one.

When that time comes--and it could be this week since the Lions have put up over 30 points in four of their nine games this season--Kafka is confident that the Giants will be ready.

“Those are the adjustments that you have to be prepared for that we talk about it as a staff. Those are things that you have to be ready for in a game to make adjustments on, and I think our guys have done a good job of doing that throughout the season.”

The Giants will certainly be able to put points on the board this week. Detroit’s defense is not very good. The Lions allow almost eight yards per pass attempt and the ninth most passing yards in the league with 2,298. Last week, the Giants faced the 32nd-ranked run defense.

This week, they play the 31st-ranked team. Detroit has allowed 1,448 yards and 5.3 yards per carry, both second most in the league. The Lions have also allowed 15 rushing touchdowns, tied for the second most in the NFL this season. Despite these stats, Detroit has talent across their defensive unit, and Kafka realizes it won’t be easy.

“They do a great job. Up front, they have some good pass rushers. Really, at all three levels – those guys do a really good job," said Kafka.

"They got some skill in the back end that can cover. They’re going to challenge you at the line of scrimmage. We’ve got to be prepared for a variety of things; pass rush, a variety of pressures, and win our one-on-one battles on the perimeter. There’s definitely a big-time test that we must be prepared for, and that’s what we’re going through throughout the week, practicing against those types of situations against those defenses and then going out and putting our best foot forward to go out and execute.”

One of those players is rookie edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who already has 5.5 sacks this season and can pose problems for the Giants offense.

“He’s a talented player,” said Kafka. “I had an opportunity in the draft process to take a peek at him and look at him and his skillset on the edge. He does a good job inside as well. He’s physical, and he has a motor. He does a good job in that defense, and they use him appropriately.”

With the way quarterback, Daniel Jones has been playing, fans want to see the offense opened up even more. The Giants are near the top of the league in rushing but near the bottom in passing. It’s not that Jones is playing badly; it’s more of the Giants choosing not to throw the ball as much.

They don’t have many options anyway. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay has been a disappointment, missed a few games with an injury, and is currently dealing with a hamstring strain. Rookie Wan’Dale Robinson was added to the injury report on Thursday with a hamstring issue, leaving his status for Sunday up in the air as well.

Rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger is still shelved after suffering an eye injury. Kafka and Daboll have had to look to guys like Lawrence Cager, Darius Slayton, and Isaiah Hodgins. Jones has proved to still throw the ball well despite whoever his supporting cast is, and the Giants should see what he can do with this current group on Sunday.

“Every week, we go through that in the game plan with the staff. We go through the run game, the drop-back game, the pass game, movements, and screens and see how we can put our guys in a good spot to execute against the defense.

"Then, you got to match up what the defense does, what they do well, and what they do maybe not so well. You’re always battling between strengths and weaknesses and ensuring your guy is in the right spot. We evaluate that, and that’s where we’re at right now, this week of practice.”

Getting back to Jones and the potential of a shootout, Kafka seems certainly confident that his quarterback can lead the Giants to a victory in that scenario.

“Yeah, we prepare for that each week. We talk about all those scenarios in the passing game, their top coverages, and their top pressures. Talk about how they fit runs and how they will react to certain motions and shifts.

"All that stuff has to be accounted for, especially when you’re thinking about dropping back. We go through our walkthroughs and detail it with the coaches and the receivers, the tight ends, and the running backs. All those little things for the passing game.”

One scenario in which the Giants seem to find success in the passing game is on third and longs. Quarterback Daniel Jones always seems to connect when the Giants are put into what is supposed to be a disadvantage. How are they pulling that off?

“It’s just the execution part of it. Those guys are getting open. We have great protection up front," Kafka said. "Daniel’s done a good job of staying on time and in rhythm with his feet and then, when it’s not there, stepping up and making plays with his legs. I’ve been proud of him for doing that and the guys separating and working in voids. Those are tough situations. Everyone in the building knows you’re dropping back and throwing it. So now, guys have got to step up and execute even more.”

One guy that needs to step up and execute is Golladay if he plays. Golladay is facing his former team this week if he even plays, as he was added to the injury report with a hamstring issue. Golladay has been nothing short of disappointing in his Giants tenure and dug an even deeper hole for himself last week.

Golladay dropped two passes in the first half before being completely benched in the second half for Isaiah Hodgins, who had not been on the team longer than two weeks at that point. The Giants desperately need Golladay to at least give something. Kafka still praises the veteran receiver and ensures he can contribute to this offense.

“Kenny has been a pro. He comes to work every single day. This week’s no different. Yesterday was no different. He came up and had a great day of work. I think it's one of those things, you fight through it, and we tell our guys all the time – have a quick memory about whether it’s good, bad, dealing with adversity. You learn from it, you flush it, and you move on,” Kafka said.

“I think Kenny Golladay is a really good football player. Like I said, he comes to work every day prepared. He goes through the process; studying the tape, studying the opponent, putting the work in on the field, and trying to detail his techniques and fundamentals. This week’s no different.”

Another problem with the Giants offense is failing to score after the defense forced turnovers. The Giants forced a fumble on running back Dameon Pierce and picked off quarterback Davis Mills last week. The result? Zero points and two quick three and outs. The Giants defense has been good at taking away the ball this season; it’s time for the offense to reward them with points.

“I think we kind of stalled out there on the fringe. You also have to do a better job with the execution part and the play calling. We evaluate those things. Sometimes, one guy being a tick off disrupts the play. We got to go back and evaluate it. Were we in the spot? Were our eyes in the right spot? Were our fundamentals and techniques correct? Did we give ourselves a chance to execute this thing? Was the read correct? All those things apply when you’re talking about a play-by-play basis. I think that’s where we kind of stalled in the fringe just outside of that field goal range.”

If Kafka and Brian Daboll want to finally put more points on the board, this week is their chance. The Lions are allowing the most points per game in the league, with 29.3. The Giants will need to score in bunches to capture their eighth win of the year.