As the Giants continue to blow games on the field, the blame game off the field intensifies.
Interim head coach Mike Kafka fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen on Monday morning following the Giants’ 34-27 overtime loss to the Lions on Sunday in Detroit.
Outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen will serve as the interim defensive coordinator for the remainder of the season.
“We’re going to give Charlie the reins to go and make the corrections that he sees fit for the defense, whether it’s personnel, whether it’s scheme, whether it’s communication, calls,” Kafka said. “He’s going to have to work hand in hand with the with the whole defensive unit to make sure that it’s his vision on how he sees it. And obviously, I’ll have my fingerprint on there as well and be there and try to be an asset for the group.”
Sunday marked the third straight game and the fifth time overall this season that the 2-10 Giants held a fourth-quarter lead and lost. In three of those losses, including Sunday, they led by at least 10 points in the fourth quarter.
The Giants took a 27-17 lead against the Lions with 12:16 remaining and then allowed the Lions to drive 81 yards for a touchdown in only three plays. Detroit later drove 53 yards in 2:26 for a game-tying field goal as time expired, then scored a touchdown on the first play of overtime when Jahmyr Gibbs ran 69 yards untouched up the middle.
Bowen’s firing comes two weeks after Kafka replaced Brian Daboll as the interim head coach. Daboll hired Bowen in February of 2024.
“I just had an opportunity to watch the tape, look back at a few weeks, watch a lot of the defense, watch a lot of what was going on, the communication, and just felt like this was the right time to do it,” Kafka said. “When I got the job, I didn’t want to make a lot of rash decisions and jump to anything really quick. I wanted to have some time to sit back, evaluate it, look at it and kind of figure out what the best thing to do was.”
The Giants’ other blown fourth-quarter leads came in Week 2 at Dallas, Week 7 at Denver, Week 10 at Chicago and Week 11 vs. the Packers.
Bowen began to face heavy scrutiny after the Denver loss in particular as the Giants led 19-0, and yet Broncos became the first team in NFL history to score 33 points in the fourth quarter after being shut out through three quarters.
Critics pointed to the Giants’ soft coverages and lack blitzing in key situations. The Giants also have the third-fewest takeaways (seven) in the NFL, and most of the defensive players are having down seasons.
The unit’s much-hyped pass rush in particular has been disappointing. Brian Burns has career highs in sacks (13) and tackles-for-loss (17), but Dexter Lawrence has only half a sack and seven QB hits after posting nine sacks and 16 QB hits in the same number of games last year. No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter also has only half a sack.
The Giants have also allowed the most rushing yards per game (157.2) and per carry (5.9), and the Lions’ 237-yard output — and without much resistance — was the final straw for Bowen.
“The results just weren’t where we wanted them to be,” Kafka said.
Kafka picked Bullen as the replacement over more experienced options such as defensive line coach Andre Patterson and defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel, who have been defensive coordinators with other teams in the past.
Bullen came to the Giants last year after serving as the outside linebackers coach/pass rush coordinator at the University of Illinois in 2023. Before that, he was an assistant with the Dolphins and Cardinals from 2012-22.
Bullen was once a junior college quarterback who started his coaching career in 2006 as a volunteer assistant at Iowa City High School. He was also an assistant at the University of Iowa from 2007-11.
“I have a lot of faith in Charlie and the things that he’s brought from the pedigree that he brings coming into this defense,” Kafka said. “I think he’s a smart coach. I think he’s detailed, he’s aggressive and his room has had a lot of production, and I think he’s ready for the task.”
Kafka said he consulted with GM Joe Schoen before making the change to Bullen. The Giants have an extra day to prepare for their next game, which is next Monday night at the 10-2 Patriots, and that factored into Kafka’s decision as well.
“He’s got some extra time here on a Monday night to get organized and get with the staff,” Kafka said. “Just felt like this is the right time to do it and give our team the best opportunity to win.”
