The New York Giants had one assignment: protect a fourth-quarter lead. But in their first outing after former head coach Brian Daboll’s firing, the secondary failed. Again. And now, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen might be on the chopping block soon, per SNY’s Connor Hughes.

“What the Giants wanted to do was have [Mike] Kafka spend the entire week at this team’s head coach, be in defensive meetings, see how everyone operates, including Bowen, and then decide if you want to make a change of coordinator,” noted Hughes. “If this game against the Packers is any indication, probably time to move on from Bowen.”

For the fourth time this season, New York surrendered a game-winning drive in crunch time. Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love orchestrated a 7-play, 65-yard drive downfield and hit Christian Watson for the go-ahead score with 4:02 left. Final score: Packers 27, Giants 20. Season record: 2-9 and sinking fast. And now, the odds favor Bowen getting axed Monday.

The only reason Bowen survived last week’s purge alongside Brian Daboll? Strategy, not confidence. The Giants didn’t want to handicap interim head coach Mike Kafka by forcing him to fire a coordinator without evaluating what he can do for the team. So they gave Kafka a week: Attend defensive meetings. Watch Bowen operate. Make your call. But that week’s over now. What Kafka saw couldn’t have inspired much faith.

When Kafka was asked about Bowen’s future post-game, his answer was ice cold.

“We’ll evaluate everything.” Translation: start packing, no one is safe.

The numbers tell a brutal story. The Giants rank 27th in points allowed as per FOX’s rankings, giving up 27.3 points on average. They’re fourth-worst in total yards surrendered at 383 per contest. Against Green Bay, they allowed 7-11 third-down conversions, and the Packers walked away with a 4-4 red zone efficiency. That’s not defense. That’s surrender.

You could feel the momentum shift. The defense looked flat when it mattered the most. What hurt the most was seeing the Giants follow the same collapse pattern they’ve shown this season.

Repeated failures are closing in on Shane Bowen

The formula’s predictable now. Build a lead. Watch it evaporate in the fourth quarter and lose devastatingly. Earlier this season, they surrendered 33 points in the fourth quarter to the Denver Broncos after dominating for three quarters. In Week two, they blew a lead to the Dallas Cowboys that forced overtime, then lost. In Week 10, the Chicago Bears marched downfield for a late score to seal another Giants defeat.

Shane Bowen’s rush defense, the one Brian Daboll was all-in for on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’, ranks 31st, allowing 152.1 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry. That’s historically terrible. To be fair, Bowen’s taken accountability. After the Broncos’ collapse, he tapped his chest and said,

“I have to do a better job getting these guys in positions to make plays in the fourth quarter.”

But there has been no improvement. And now his seat is getting unbearably hot. Individual regression has made it even worse. As Connor Hughes assessed the situation, the Giants’ roster hasn’t helped Bowen’s case at all.

“It’s hard to find any player on defense, aside from Brian Burns, who has 13 sacks, who’s exceeding expectations underneath the tutelage of Bowen,” Hughes noted. “Dexter Lawrence hasn’t had a sack in 16 games. Abdul Carter, the star rookie, has just a half sack this season. Jevon Holland, the big-ticket free agent, has done nothing to justify that big ticket that the Giants used to get him here from Miami.”

In Week 11, the Giants led 7-0 early. They reclaimed a 20-19 advantage in the fourth quarter. Then Jordan Love torched them. On third-and-10 during the game-winning drive, Love found rookie Savion Williams for 33 yards. No pressure. No coverage.

Bowen’s message isn’t getting through. His schemes aren’t working, and when the fourth quarter hits, his defense disappears. And Kafka has shown he’s willing to make tough calls.

He’s not Brian Daboll, and he won’t sit on his hands while the defense hemorrhages. The Giants need answers. They need accountability that translates to results. Monday morning might bring clarity. For Shane Bowen, it could also bring unemployment.