Can the New York Giants, in their first game under the direction of interim head coach Mike Kafka, upset the Green Bay Packers? See how the Big Blue View staff feels about that question and the rest of the NFL Week 11 slate below.
Chris Pflum
Season record: 83-49-1 (63.0%)
I’ll be honest: I have no clue what to expect in this game. There’s some things I think I think I’m going to see, like the West Coast quick game and levels concepts that worked well for the Giants back in 2022. I also expect to see some banished players like Jalin Hyatt get some looks from Jameis Winston. But will Daboll being fired serve as a wake-up call to some players who haven’t been performing up to expectations? No clue.
On the flip side, I don’t think Packers have a clue what to expect, either. I don’t expect the foundations of the Giants’ offensive and defensive schemes to change — this is Week 11, not OTAs. But nobody knows what Jameis Winston playing in the Giants’ full offense, executing a Mike Kafka game plan would look like. So while the Packers can prepare for the general shape of what they’ll see on Sunday, this is almost like preparing for a Week 1 game from their perspective.
I’ve been going back and forth on this one, and I actually picked the Packers for our Tallysight prediction… But I’m going to flip and go for the Giants. They’ve been giving favored teams all they can handle this year, and the element of surprise could be a deciding factor here.
Pick: Giants
Tony DelGenio
Season record: 92-56-1 (62.0%)
There are so many unpredictable aspects to this game. Will the Giants players react positively to the firing of Brian Daboll and rally around Mike Kafka to give a spirited performance, or will they just go down meekly after another crushing late game collapse? Did Kafka talk to Shane Bowen about being more aggressive in his play-calling? Will the Packers’ surprisingly inept offense in recent games (13 and 7 points scored at home the past two weeks) wake up against yet another passive Bowen game plan? Will the Giants’ pass rush finally start to get home against Jordan Love, who completely wilts under pressure (0 TDs, 2 INTs, 39.8% completion rate, 4.7 YPA in 93 pressured dropbacks)? Will Jameis Winston provide a spark to the Giants’ offense with his fearless approach, or will Xavier McKinney, who hasn’t been quite as good this season as last, pick him off a couple of times in his return to MetLife?
There is, unfortunately, one certain thing: Micah Parsons. Parsons has been every bit as disruptive in green and gold as he was in blue and silver, with 50 pressures (3rd in the NFL) and 7 sacks. Parsons leads an overall strong Packers defense, and with Winston being a fairly immobile QB, things could get ugly for the Giants offense. Packers DC Jeff Hafley is a possible 2026 Giants head coach candidate, and what better way to impress Giants’ ownership than to shut down their offense in convincing fashion? There’s a path to a Giants victory if the OL holds up against Parsons and we get good Jameis rather than bad Jameis, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Pick: Packers
Nick Falato
Season record: 68-33-1 (67.0%)
It’s a new era in New York Giants football with Mike Kafka assuming head coaching responsibilities. Kafka begins with the entertaining Jameis Winston behind center against a Green Bay Packers team that dropped their last two games. Green Bay is desperate — they need a win! Although their defense is playing well, their offense is sputtering. Jordan Love does not look comfortable, and their receiving options are beat up. Still, Josh Jacobs is one of the better rushers in the league, and the Giants are shaky against the run. I can see a path where the Giants defeat the Packers and win this game, energized by the changes, but I have the Packers winning this game.
Pick: Packers
James Hickey
Season record: 82-66-1 (55.0%)
This is what the Giants season has come to: The Mike Kafka Era begins with Jameis Winston probably starting at quarterback against a team whose defensive coordinator is a top three candidate on most lists who will interview to be the head coach for Big Blue next year.
Before we move on to a prediction—that’s right, there is a home game this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers— I think amid all the finger pointing this week about how the Giants got to this point, the one group that is most responsible that has been overlooked are the players. Outside of Brian Burns and Andrew Thomas, the veteran leaders of this team have under underperformed and, excluding this year’s draft class, not one of the the Joe Schoen drafted players have made that jump. You can put it on coaching but at some point those on the field have to look in the mirror to realize they are the reason this franchise is at a crossroads yet again.
As for the game, the Giants are facing a team that comes in going through it own struggles. Their defense has been stout—thus the Jeff Hafley head coaching speculation— but the offense has been sputtering the last few weeks. While I expect a motivated effort from the Giants, this feels like a game where Green Bay’s offense does just enough to win.
Pick: Green Bay 17, Giants 13
David Hartman
Season record: 67-48-1 (58.0%)
The Giants open a new chapter on Sunday, but will we see anything different with Mike Kafka in as interim HC? The team sits at 2-8 after 10 games for the third straight season, and will be without Jaxson Dart as he progresses through the league’s concussion protocol.
I have no idea what to expect from Jameis Winston this week, but at least he gives the team a chance to push the ball downfield, which isn’t the case with Russell Wilson. That’ll be easier if Darius Slayton (hamstring) plays.
The Packers come in ripe for the picking. They just dropped back-to-back home games to the Panthers and Eagles, and only scored 20 points, total, in the process. Their pass-catching group is decimated with injuries and their quarterback is struggling to sustain and finish drives. Their kicker is shaky.
They do bring in a solid defense though, and that unit could be enough to decide this game. They also have Josh Jacobs, and I think they’ll use that hammer over and over against a defense that hasn’t been able to stop the run for most of the season.
Matt Lafleur isn’t exactly on the hot seat, but Green Bay needs this game. On the other sideline, Kafka is looking to make the case that he should be in consideration for the HC job this coming off-season.
I can’t pick the Giants to win. Winston is too mistake-prone and Green Bay needs the game too badly. But at this point nothing about this Giants team would surprise me.
Pick: Packers by 6
Valentine’s View
Season record: 96-52-1 (65.0%)
Sunday could go a lot of different ways for the Giants. It could be sensational. It could go sideways. It could do both in a three-hour time period.
The Giants might put together an inspired effort and win. The Packers, losers of two straight games with a struggling offense, might have a get healthy game.
All I know is the Giants are 2-8 and the safe bet is to pick against them.
Pick: Packers
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