The New York Giants’ season may be slipping away, but the tension inside the building is only rising. After blowing their fourth fourth-quarter lead in a 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the team dropped to 2-9. And while the collapse felt familiar, interim head coach Mike Kafka made sure the frustration was felt throughout the locker room.

During his recent presser, Kafka was pressed about changes on the defensive side. The question was simple. Would there be a new playcaller or coordinator? He did not dodge.

“We’ll evaluate everything,” the interim coach replied.

Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen may not be far behind Brian Daboll in exiting the Giants’ coaching staff, according to recent reports.

While Bowen remained in place after Daboll was fired following the Week 10 loss to the Bears, his retention was never a vote of confidence, and insiders suggest his time is running short.

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According to SNY, the decision was more about structure. Kafka had limited interaction with the defensive unit before stepping into the interim role, so firing a coordinator he barely knew wouldn’t have made sense.

The Giants bought themselves time. They wanted interim head coach Mike Kafka to oversee the entire operation for a week, to sit in defensive meetings, observe the staff, learn the system, and make an informed decision.

But the truth is simple: at this point, it hardly matters who replaces Bowen. The defense is broken. The team needs a full reset.

The Giants continue to unravel defensively. They’re surrendering the fourth-most yards per game in the NFL at 383.0, and rank 28th in points allowed, giving up 27.3 per contest.

The run defense has been even more porous, 31st in the league, allowing 152.1 rushing yards per game and a staggering 5.5 yards per carry, even before the Chiefs-Broncos matchup.

However, another big talking point was the Giants benching Abdul Carter.

Mike Kafka benched Abdul Carter for unspecified reasons

Abdul Carter was benched for the first six defensive snaps in the Giants’ 27-20 loss to the Packers, a consequence of a midweek issue that remains unexplained. After that brief punishment, he played every remaining snap. Yet the silence surrounding the incident made the story bigger than the benching itself.

Mike Kafka later offered a brief explanation, calling it a “coach’s decision.” He also made a point to protect his player, avoiding specifics and keeping the matter in-house.

“I love Abdul and what he brings to this team. The skill set he has, this guy loves ball. I’m excited to watch him attack this week of practice and continue to work and grow and be the great player that I think he is.”

Even Carter owned it. He did not hide.

“I made a mistake during the week that was detrimental to the team. That was the consequence of it. Got to live with it.”

He was supposed to replace Kayvon Thibodeaux. Instead, Tomon Fox opened the game. One drive later, Carter was back on the field.

Afterward, veteran Brian Burns tried to calm things down. The veteran said he spoke with Carter. He told him to stay locked in.

So now the question moves to next week.