The New York Giants (2-8) and Green Bay Packers (5-3-1) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 11 matchup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Opening the week, the Giants were listed as 7.5-point home underdogs, but that spread has softened slightly, with Green Bay now at -7 as of this writing.

With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Packers Wire managing editor Zach Kruse.

This week will take on a different tone for the Giants as their head coaching search begins. Tell fans a bit about Jeff Hafley, who has already been linked to Big Blue.

Kruse: Hafley is an excellent communicator, an endlessly smart defensive mind, and a positive mindset motivator. His experience as a head coach at Boston College checks another box. He’s going to be an increasingly popular candidate in the head coaching cycle this offseason and possibly one of the most coveted options. Hiring a defensive playcaller as a head coach has dangers, and Hafley would need to nail his offensive coordinator pick, but he’s been a very impressive assistant for over a year and a half in Green Bay. The growing assumption is that Hafley will leave for a head coaching job in 2026.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!There are rumors and speculation that Matt LeFleur might be on the hot seat. Is there any merit to that, and what does he bring as a head coach?

The offense has struggled in back-to-back games, and LaFleur doesn’t currently have a long-term contract (expires after the 2026 season), but I’d be shocked if he’s actually on the hot seat. Would he be in trouble if the Packers limped to the finish line and missed the playoffs? Maybe. New team president Ed Policy would have a big decision to make in that scenario. But LaFleur is a terrific designer of offense and now has a long track record of success, both with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love at quarterback and both with experienced and inexperienced supporting casts. He needs to get this season back on track, but I would guess he’s far closer to a contract extension after 2025 than a firing. Any decision on his future is best served for after the season, anyway.

What has contributed to the Packers’ sudden offensive slide after a month of putting up big numbers?

A cycle keeps repeating. Teams have leaned heavily on two-deep coverage shells to take away the Packers’ downfield passing game, and the Packers have struggled to consistently run the football even against light fronts. Then, the offense lost tight end Tucker Kraft, the team’s best yards-after-catch weapon, which severely damaged the passing game’s ability to successfully move the ball in the quick game. Throw in an inconsistent offensive line, and the Packers are struggling to find answers to a formula that defenses keep using over and over. We’ll see if the Giants can replicate it on Sunday.

How has ex-Giant Xavier McKinney been for the Packers, and how will they plan to utilize him against Jameis Winston’s “air it out’ style of football?

McKinney has been excellent. He picked off eight passes and was an All-Pro in 2024 when teams actually tested the Packers’ coverage down the field. McKinney has only two picks in nine games this season, but teams just aren’t putting the ball in danger down the field. Maybe that changes this week with Winston at quarterback. Even when not being tested, McKinney is still an excellent tackler, and he’s emerged as one of the team’s top leaders. He’ll wear the captain’s “C” on his uniform on Sunday.

Is this a get-right game for the Packers? Who wins on Sunday, and what’s the final score?

This has to be a get-right game for the Packers. The Giants are missing so many key players, and the matchup actually lines up really nicely for where the Packers are struggling. New York’s run defense is bad, and the Packers must run the ball to break down the coverages that have locked up the offense in recent weeks. And the guess here is Winston is going to let it rip, and a Packers defense that has been praying for turnover opportunities finally gets a few on Sunday. It might be ugly at times, but I do expect the Packers to bounce back in a big way. I’ll go Packers 31, Giants 13. But I do see a scenario where the Packers don’t run it well, the Giants’ pass-rush is consistently impactful on the money downs, and we get a low-scoring, one-score type of game deep into the second half.