Will the Giants fire Brian Daboll? Why New York coach is on hot seat after loss, questionable 4th-down calls in Week 6 | Sporting News

The Giants are going into Week 7 with a 2-4 record after dropping a close game to the Bengals in Week 6’s “Sunday Night Football.” While the defense shut down the Cincy offense, the Giants’ offense couldn’t take advantage of their opportunities in the 17-7 loss.

The first touchdown that the Giants allowed was a career-long 47-yard touchdown run by Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow in the first quarter. Running back Chase Brown scored on a 30-yard scamper just after the two-minute warning to ice the game. In between, New York allowed just a single field goal.

Still, Daniel Jones and the offense couldn’t keep up. New York finally scored an offensive touchdown at home this season but could not capitalize on other red-zone trips. 

Head coach Brian Daboll made some questionable decisions throughout the night. On the Giants’ first drive in the second half, he went for it on fourth-and-two at their own 38. They didn’t get it, and the defense stepped up and forced a fumble to limit the damage.

That started a run of several fourth-down attempts for New York, and while the majority paid off, it didn’t translate to a win on a night when the defense was playing its finest game of the season.

At 2-4 with games against the Eagles, Steelers, and Commanders on the horizon, will New York look to turn the page from its embattled coach?

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Will the Giants fire Brian Daboll?

Daboll had a risky game. New York consistently went for it on fourth down including that first drive of the second half where it came up short. The Giants finished the game 3-for-5 on fourth-down attempts, but the last miss was costly, as New York failed to convert a 4th-and-3 from the Bengals 36 with 3:05 remaining. With the Bengals ahead just 10-7, some might argue New York should have attempted a game-tying 54-yard field goal.

However, on New York’s third drive of the second half, the Giants got into field-goal range before Greg Joseph missed a 47-yard attempt. Joseph missed a 45-yard attempt with 51 seconds left, and the game was over. It’s tough to blame Daboll for going for it when he clearly had no reason to trust his kicker.

Daboll likely isn’t getting fired…yet. He was dealt a tough hand in a season where New York was basically auditioning quarterback Daniel Jones to be the starting quarterback long-term. The Giants front office also decided to replace Saquon Barkley with Devin Singletary, which is an obvious downgrade. New York’s defense has played sneakily well, but they don’t get much help from the offense. In his postgame press conference, Daboll took the blame for the lack of offense. 

Brian Daboll says the defense played “winning football.” The offense didn’t score enough.

Daboll says that’s “on me.” #Giants pic.twitter.com/E9HKuG24PU

— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) October 14, 2024

There are plenty of fingers of blame to point around the Giants, and one of them certainly should land on Daboll. With the Bengals only having 10 points until the two-minute warning, a competent offense should have been able to at least tie the game. The missed field goals are tough to come back from and not Daboll’s fault directly, but if the losses keep mounting, the Giants head into their Week 11 bye with a 3-7 record (factoring in potential losses to Philly, Pittsburgh, and Washington and a win against the Panthers), New York could have a new coach by Week 12. 

What is Brian Daboll’s record with the Giants?

Daboll is only in his third season as head coach of the Giants. He made a great first impression, taking them to a 9-7-1 record in 2022 after New York finished 4-13 in 2021. Daboll won the NFL’s Coach of the Year Award that season and even led New York to a first-round playoff win. 

He returned to Earth in 2023 as the injury bug went through the Giants’ offense, taking out Barkley and Jones for several weeks. New York finished 6-11 but, despite rebuilding and evaluating Jones, had hopes of getting closer to .500 in 2024. 

Brian Daboll contract

Daboll reportedly signed a five-year deal with the Giants before the 2022 season. While head coach salaries are not made public, he is estimated to make somewhere between $2 million and $4 million a season.