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Storylines to follow in Week 11 vs. Packers

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Things will look a bit different this weekend when the Giants take the field at MetLife Stadium for their Week 11 matchup against the Packers.

Following last week's loss to the Bears, the Giants parted ways with coach Brian Daboll after dropping to 2-8 on the season. Assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was named the interim head coach.

Kafka then made his first significant decision on Wednesday in terms of the quarterback position, but more on that later.

It's a short week for the Packers, who dropped back-to-back home games over the last two weeks, first to the Panthers and then to the Eagles this past Monday night.

Here are five storylines to follow in Week 11.

Kafka takes over

The decision to make a change at head coach was made after the Giants lost their fourth consecutive game. Kafka will serve as the interim head coach with seven games remaining on the schedule.

Over the last few offseasons, Kafka has been interviewed several times for head coach openings across the NFL. He has also been a head coach at a few collegiate all-star games, including the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl and the 2025 Senior Bowl. But Sunday's game will be his first chance to serve as head coach in the NFL, an opportunity he is excited for, despite the circumstances that led to it.

"This is a league of incredibly difficult situations, decisions, and I just have the utmost respect for Dabs and what he's done for me, not only as a friend but as a coach," Kafka said to the media Wednesday. "Giving me an opportunity here to be an offensive coordinator. My thoughts are with him and his family, and I just appreciate the things he's done for me, and I've learned a lot from him.

"In terms of where we're at right now, I'm excited to lead this group. Focusing each day, taking kind of just one step at a time with the players and the coaches and getting organized. But I'm excited and looking forward to the challenge."

Kafka later added, "The best head coaches I've been around are guys that are confident, poised, have a direction, have a plan, and then go execute the plan. If something goes just a little bit differently, then you go back and you adjust. You have flexibility to adjust. Accountability, holding guys accountable to the highest standard. If it's not right, fix it, don't wait and let things just kind of trickle and snowball. You want to be able to do that. Guys that empower players to be their best. Those are things that I've learned over my past that I think are great qualities in a head coach and things that I try to mirror."

The interim head coach also announced that he will continue to call plays on offense, but tight end coach Tim Kelly will serve as the team's offensive coordinator moving forward.

"Really smart coach to help us tie in the run game and the pass game," the interim head coach said about Kelly. "Does a great job with a lot of good experiences to bank on."

See the top photos from practice as the Giants prepare for their Week 11 matchup against the Packers.

Winston to start in Week 11

Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a concussion in the second half of Sunday's loss in Chicago. Russell Wilson filled in for Dart in the fourth quarter and completed three of seven passes for 45 yards in addition to two rushes for 12 yards. Wilson was sacked twice in the final frame, while 41 of his 45 passing yards came on a screen pass to Devin Singletary.

Kafka made his first significant decision as interim head coach Wednesday when he announced that Jameis Winston would start at quarterback this week with Dart in concussion protocol, while Wilson will serve as the backup.

"Jameis has done a great job since he's been here," Kafka told reporters. "Just like all our quarterback room, I've got a lot of trust in that room, being in there all the time, pretty much every single day since we've been here. But I've got a good feel for those guys, and I think Jameis will do a heck of a job. He's a great leader. He has a lot of production in this league, and I think he's going to do a great job leading that group."

Winston has yet to appear in a game for the Giants this season as he's served as the emergency third quarterback each week, but the veteran has plenty of NFL experience. Coming into the season, Winston has appeared in 105 games (87 starts) and has thrown for 24,225 yards, 154 touchdowns and 111 interceptions across 10 seasons. The 31-year-old played in 12 games with seven starts for the Browns last season and finished with 2,121 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

"In times like this it's just action," Winston said after practice Wednesday. "Who's going to focus on being the solution? Who's going to focus on doing all that they can do to be the solution for this team? And me, I'm just taking it one day at a time, one play at a time, and I'm encouraging everyone else, just do your best. That's all the fans want. The fans just want us to come out there and do our very best. And when we come out and execute and do our very best, we're a tough team to beat."

Stepping up on defense

The defense has struggled during the four-game losing streak. Since holding the Eagles to 17 points in Week 6, the Giants have allowed an average of 32.3 points per game over their last four outings. The yardage hasn't been good, either, as the unit has allowed no fewer than 380 total yards of offense during that same span after holding each of their opponents from Weeks 4-6 to under 340 yards of offense.

Two areas of the defense stand out in particular during the last four games, starting with the red zone. Going back to Week 7 in Denver, the Giants have allowed their last four opponents to score a touchdown on 14 of 17 trips inside the 20-yard line. The Giants are now allowing a touchdown on 70.6 percent of opponents trips inside the red zone, which ranks 31st in the league.

The other area is the run defense, which seemed to get on track after limiting the Saints and Eagles to a total of 161 yards on the ground in Weeks 5-6. But from Weeks 7-10, the Giants have surrendered no fewer than 142 yards on the ground in a game, with an average of 187 rushing yards allowed per game during that stretch.

After totaling 135 rushing yards or more in three of their first five games, the Packers haven't found as much success on the ground over the last four weeks. During that span, Green Bay has not rushed for more than 104 yards in any game, with two games of just 94 total yards on the ground. The Packers come into this game ranking 26th in the league in rushing yards per attempt. However, they are scoring touchdowns on 63.9 percent of their trips inside the red zone, the 11th-highest mark in the league.

Injury updates

Kafka announced that Winston would start at quarterback this Sunday while Jaxson Dart progresses through the concussion protocol. While the rookie will miss his first game of the season on Sunday, the interim head coach said Dart is "right on track."

"He's in the middle of it," Kafka said of Dart in the concussion protocol. "And to be honest with you, I have a lot of trust in our medical staff and our medical team, and they're taking great care of him. So, each day I get a little bit of an update, he's right on track and right on pace in the program."

Dart was one of 10 players to not participate in Wednesday's practice. The others include kicker Graham Gano (neck), defensive lineman Chauncey Golston (neck), linebacker Neville Hewitt (foot), guard Evan Neal (hamstring), safety Tyler Nubin (neck), defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches (toe), linebacker Bobby Okereke (shoulder), wide receiver Darius Slayton (hamstring) and outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeux (shoulder).

Gano was later placed on injured reserve due to his neck injury.

The Giants did get some positive injury news, as well, with cornerback Paulson Adebo returning to practice as a limited participant. Adebo has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in the Week 7 loss in Denver, with Wednesday being the first time the veteran has made it back onto the practice field. It remains to be seen if he'll be fully cleared by Sunday, but returning to practice is certainly a step in the right direction.

Scouting the Packers

The Packers have leaned on the defense in helping them jump out to their 5-3-1 start. The unit ranks seventh in points and fifth in yards allowed, led by their run defense that ranks sixth in yards and yards per attempt allowed. The Green Bay defense has held its opponents to under 20 points in six of nine games, with the Eagles and Panthers combing for a total of 26 points over the last two weeks.

Green Bay made a big splash right before the season started when they traded for Micah Parsons. The talented defensive lineman ranks third in the NFL with 50 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, while his 14 quarterback hits are the most on the Packers. He's also tied with defensive lineman Rashan Gary with a team-high seven tackles for loss, while Gary's 7.5 sacks on the season are one more than Parsons (6.5).

The Packers have immense talent on all three levels of the defense, including their linebacker duo of Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper, who rank first and second on the team, respectively, in total tackles. Cornerback Keisean Nixon leads the unit in passes defensed by a wide margin with 12, while former Giant safety Xavier McKinney is tied with Walker for the second-most with four pass breakups. McKinney also has two interceptions, one forced fumble and one sack on the season.

"It's a great unit," Kafka said about the Packers defense. "Really, all three phases, they have talented players everywhere. Micah particularly, Gary. Those guys stand out because of their sack production, but their defense, they're well coached. They're very aggressive, and they know how to rush the passer. It's a tough crew. I think it's a great challenge for us and our offensive staff. It will be a great challenge for our special teams unit and our defensive unit as well. I know our coaches are doing a hell of a job prepping for this and getting our guys ready."

Moving over to the offense, quarterback Jordan Love is putting together a solid campaign. Love has completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 2,247 yards, 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions for a 103.0 passer rating. But the quarterback recently lost his favorite target, tight end Tucker Kraft, to a season-ending knee injury. Kraft had caught 32 passes for a team-high 489 yards and six touchdowns through the first eight games of the season.

Wide receiver Romeo Doubs, Love's other top target, got banged up in the Packers' loss to the Eagles on Monday. Doubs suffered a chest injury in the defeat, so his status for this Sunday will have to be monitored. The wideout leads the Packers with 35 receptions, while his 446 yards and four touchdowns rank second behind Kraft.

The focal point of the Green Bay offense is running back Josh Jacobs, who is already up to 11 rushing touchdowns through nine games. Jacobs has seen his efficiency take a bit of a hit this year, down to 3.8 yards per carry compared to his 4.4 avg. last year. But the talented running back has still found a way to make a major impact for the Packers offense. In addition to his 608 rushing yards, Jacobs has also caught 28 passes for 237 yards, with his 845 total yards from scrimmage ranking 10th in the NFL.

View photos of the history between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers.

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