ESPN is reporting that New York Giants' head coach Ben McAdoo may be fired shortly after their game today against the Oakland Raiders. That means the Giants would have a new head coach and uncertainty at quarterback when the Dallas Cowboys come to town in Week 14.
The Giants are the third-worst team in the NFL headed into today's games. Their 2-9 record has them only above the winless Cleveland Browns and the 1-10 San Francisco 49ers. They are ranked 28th on offense and 31st defensively.
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It hasn't all been bad for McAdoo's run, of course. New York went 11-5 last year but were dominated in the Wild Card round of the playoffs by the Green Bay Packers. During the regular season, they swept the 13-3 Cowboys and were the only team to beat Dallas in games that mattered.
2016 wasn't entirely free of embarrassment, though. Following the Week 14 game between Dallas and New York, the NFL had to penalize the Giants for illegal use of walkie-talkies in the game.
This year has been endless disappointment for the proud Giants franchise. Odell Beckham's injuries started things on a bad note and everything collapsed from there. Starting cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins have both been suspended by the team at various points for violating team rules, and many other locker room issues have been hinted at throughout the year.
The fallout this week from McAdoo's decision to bench Eli Manning has greatly increased the attention on the team's problems. It also firmly turned fans and even neutral observers against the coach. Last year's success has been completely forgotten now, and it looks like McAdoo will get to spend Christmas, New Year's, and even all of Hannukah with his family.
Current defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would likely serve as the interim head coach. He has three years of head-coaching experience from 2009-2011 with the St. Louis Rams.
It is possible that McAdoo's firing would be coupled with the return of Eli Manning to the starting lineup. For the Dallas Cowboys, who are trying to stay afloat for the playoffs, that would be an unfortunate turn of events compared to the prospect of facing Geno Smith.
However, given where the Giants are at this point, the quarterback for next week may not matter.
