The Exact Moment the NY Giants' 2025 Season Went Off the Rails

The Giants had several missteps that derailed their 2025 season, but none bigger than this one.

Former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll looks on in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. The Giants suffered one of the biggest meltdowns by a team in years. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Many critics forecasted a grim season for the 2025 New York Giants, and although they were obviously right in their assessment, this team had the potential to prove them wrong.

The Giants could have made considerable headway in their rebuild and stayed in the NFC Wild Card race past Halloween, but poor play-calling and a lack of on-field discipline kept them shrouded in ignominy.

The day that hope unofficially turned back into despair was October 19, also known as the "Mile High Meltdown."

How the NY Giants imploded

New York entered the fourth quarter of its Week 7 road game versus the Denver Broncos with a 19-0 lead. The home team quickly got on the scoreboard, but tight end Theo Johnson scored on a 41-yard reception to put Big Blue up 26-8 with 10:14 left on the clock. Victory seemed certain.

What followed was one of the most unfathomable collapses in recent NFL history. Denver's previously silent offense continued to build momentum, mounting a five-minute, 13-play touchdown drive to apply pressure on the Giants.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart then threw an interception that led to another Broncos touchdown, and suddenly, Empower Field was teeming with new life.

New York promptly punted, and after two big pass plays and an 18-yard Bo Nix rushing score, Denver had inexplicably taken its first lead. Dart and the offense responded admirably, drew a couple of huge penalties, and jumped back in front after the rookie quarterback forced his way into the end zone.

But in true Giants fashion, the thrilling moment was quickly followed by an unsuspecting dagger to the heart. Kicker Jude McAtamney missed his second extra point of the game. Nix connected with Marvin Mims Jr. and Courtland Sutton for 20-plus-yard receptions, and Wil Lutz completed the 33-32 stunner with a 39-yard field goal.

The Giants have suffered their share of heartbreakers over the last decade, but this loss was the summit on a mountain of Big Blue humiliation.

They were on the verge of securing a signature road win and improving to 3-4 on the season. The catastrophic loss derailed any momentum this squad had gained after upsetting the Philadelphia Eagles a week and a half earlier. It also provided incontrovertible proof that significant changes were needed.

The Giants' defense never really recovered

Former New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen failed to get the most out of the talent given to him on his unit and it cost him his job. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York (2-11) has dropped six more games since that fiasco and is currently slated to pick No. 1 in the 2026 NFL Draft. There is still a plethora of optimism surrounding Dart, but one has to wonder what a win over the first-place Broncos could have done for the team's confidence, not to mention the defense's.

Shane Bowen, the now-fired defensive coordinator, had the Giants line up in drop-eight coverage and chose not to send sufficient pressure against Nix.

Yes, the players still needed to execute, but they also needed to be put in the best position to succeed.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who was also fired, continued to have faith in Bowen even after this devastating defeat, and everyone involved paid a price for that decision.

Make no mistake: the entire organization deserves blame for the fourth-quarter implosion, for it exposed the ongoing flaws that produce one miserable season after another.

New York blew other chances to earn a morale-boosting win later in the year, but the Denver loss essentially sealed its fate.

All fans can hope for now is that this monumental embarrassment will be the wake-up call the Giants desperately require.

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