The Giants fired Brian Daboll following their Week 10 loss to the Bears.
Entering the 2025 season, we knew this team was going to play the NFL’s #1 toughest schedule.
But this team played much differently than they did in the prior couple of seasons.
As I wrote in my 2025 Preview, the Giants had been losing at halftime in 33 games the last three seasons, the #1 most in the NFL.
The 2025 Giants had to figure out a way to start faster.
But against such a tough schedule, it looked like a daunting assignment.
However, in 2025, the Giants ranked #9 in first quarter points per drive at 2.2 after ranking #32 at 0.7 the prior two years combined.
They ranked #6 in touchdowns per drive at 28% after ranking #32 at 5% the prior two years.
They ranked #5 in percentage of drives to reach the red zone at 40% after ranking #31 at 18% the prior two years.
As a result, the Giants trailed after the first quarter in just three of 10 games this year.
The only teams to trail less than the Giants after the first quarter?
The Eagles, Colts, Packers, and Cardinals.
In the prior two years, the Giants trailed after the first quarter in 22 of 34 games.
So the 2025 Giants improved from a 65% trail rate to 30% this year.
At halftime?
The Giants trailed in 24 of 34 games the last two years, or 71%.
This year, they trailed in five of 10 games, or 50%.
New York did a much better job scripting plays and jumping out to leads this year.
They were shockingly one of the best in the NFL in that department.
What undid them was late-game situations.
They lost eight of 10 games, blowing multiple fourth-quarter leads along the way.
It didn’t help that they found their next potential franchise quarterback in the draft, but he suffered multiple concussions while running with the ball this year.
Dart led all QBs with 25 designed runs.
Daboll knows QB runs are one of the most efficient plays in football, but as we discussed a few weeks back, the Giants had to get Dart to get down before taking so many hits.
Blown leads and QB injury are probably two of the leading factors at play here.
The Giants didn’t have success like they wanted with Daboll and decided after 10 games it was time to move on.
Daboll inherited a terrible team with a horrible offensive line and QB situation, but he surprised everyone by leading the team to the playoffs and a playoff win in his first year on the job.
That earned him a Coach of the Year award.
After that, however, it was downhill.
Looking forward, the Giants job is a more attractive one than the one Daboll inherited.
They might have a franchise QB, and the roster has been improved.
For Daboll, I think he’ll have plenty of opportunities if he wants to return somewhere as an offensive coordinator and get the chance to pick his situation.
He’ll likely have a better QB and OL where he lands than anything he worked with in New York.
