Dec. 16, 2025, 7:03 a.m. ET

New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka addressed two scrutinized decisions from Sunday’s game during his postgame and Monday press conferences, emphasizing the importance of trust, effective roster management, and strategic flexibility.

On using safety Jevon Holland as the punt returner, despite the primary returner, Gunner Olszewski, being in concussion protocol, Kafka explained that the choice stemmed from late-week roster constraints.

“Yeah, we definitely had those conversations just late in the week where we had some other groups, other position groups that we were talking about, the D-line where we had some sicknesses and things like that,” Kafka said Sunday night. “So, we got a lot of trust in Holland to go back there and fair catch it. He actually had a couple nice returns for us. But it was certainly one of the discussion points that we had in the week.”

Kafka reiterated Monday that the staff had “a lot of confidence in Holland to go back there and just really catch the punts, even if it was just a fair catch,” prioritizing depth elsewhere while noting Holland “did a nice job.”

Regarding the late-game extra point kick after scoring to make it 29-20 with 3:43 left—instead of going for two—Kafka detailed the calculated approach.

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“There was definitely a discussion to whether or not to kick it or go for two. We just decided to kick it and then go get another touchdown and go for two at that point,” he said. “That’s kind of just — and sometimes you’re in the heat of it, you’re going, it’s a 50-50, there’s really not a sway either way. So, we just decided to take it right there and make sure when we go score the next touchdown, now we know we’ve got to go for two, and it wasn’t going to be a two-score game.

“So, we were just really banking, make it a one-score game, let’s go score one more time, then go for two to tie it. Versus, alright, you roll the dice, if you go for two there and you don’t get it, now you’ve still got to get another touchdown and then a field goal. So, we were just trying to keep it a one-score game.”

It’s not the same aggression Kafka showed over his first two games, and the result wasn’t what he was hoping for. While none of those decisions necessarily doomed him in Week 15, the Giants are still 0-4 under Kafka’s interim leadership.