An NFC fight looms at MetLife Stadium as the New York Giants host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon in East Rutherford, NJ.
The Giants — now led by interim head coach Mike Kafka after Brian Daboll was relieved of his duties Monday — enter looking for their first win in a month, while the Packers have lost consecutive games for the first time since the end of the 2024 campaign.
While the Giants aren’t bound for the playoffs with a 2-8 record, New York could certainly impact how that NFC postseason bracket looks with upcoming games against playoff hopefuls such as Detroit, Washington, Minnesota, and Dallas over the final seven games, in addition to Sunday’s matchup against Green Bay.
Jameis Winston given starting opportunity in Week 11
Russell Wilson started the first three games for the Giants this season. There were glimpses of the previous version of Wilson during the 40-37 overtime thriller against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. The 36-year-old turned back the clock with a 30-completion, 450-yard afternoon in a quarterback duel against Dak Prescott.
Wilson entered in relief during the fourth-quarter of last weekend’s loss to Chicago when Jaxon Dart entered concussion protocol. He completed three passes for 45 yards, but was also sacked twice for a loss of 13 yards. Those results were not enough to get him the starting nod from Kafka. Jameis Winston, 31, receives his first starting opportunity since December 2024 with the Cleveland Browns organization.
Green Bay’s passing defense ranks in the top half of the NFL and the Packers are one of seven squads to keep opponents under 20 points per game this season. Kafka will need a vintage Winston performance to stun the Packers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Packers offense struggling for consistency in 2025
The Packers have the offensive talent to be a Super Bowl contender, but Adam Stenavich’s offensive unit hasn’t put all of the pieces together yet. Jordan Love has led Green Bay to a top-10 passing unit this season, but that has only translated into a middle-of-the-pack scoring rate. The Packers’ run game has provided little help as a bottom-third-ranked unit in the NFL.
Green Bay’s offense has stalled over the last two weeks. They scored 13 points in a loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 before managing only a fourth-quarter touchdown in a tight 10-7 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. Now, the Packers have to travel to the East Coast and play the Giants on short rest with extremely limited practice time to iron out their offensive miscommunications.
Tracy Jr. takeover for the Giants rushing offense
Tyrone Tracy Jr. showed some encouraging signs for New York’s rushing offense following 71 yards on 14 carries in the loss to the Bears. It nearly doubled his highest rushing output this season and is his highest total since last season’s 103-yard performance against Carolina at the NFL’s Munich Game in Germany.
The 2024 fifth-round pick finished with 839 yards on 192 carries during his rookie season. With a limited role in his sophomore campaign, the 25-year-old running back has gained 248 yards on 64 carries. The Packers defensive unit has allowed less than 92 yards per game since adding Micah Parsons to the group ahead of the season, so Tracy Jr. (and the Giants offense in general) faces a tough challenge on the ground against Green Bay.
Still, New York will likely want to lean on the ground game as their crew of backup offensive players takes the reins against Green Bay. Sometimes, that plan works out due to chemistry achieved during practice time throughout the season. It would certainly be a special way for coach Kafka to earn his first win as an NFL head coach in New York.
For more about the Giants and the NFL, visit AMNY.com.
