Mike Kafka makes controversial fourth-down call that costs Giants the game, even the President has something to say about it

New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka is learning that every choice he makes gets judged by everyone. The attention got so big that even President Donald Trump commented on Kafka’s risky fourth-down decision that led to an overtime loss against the Detroit Lions.

This is what happens when you coach the Giants. Every move you make, especially the ones that lose games, gets picked apart by everyone from your family members to the President himself. The big mistake came on Sunday against the Lions.

According to OutKick, Kafka decided to go for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the six-yard line instead of kicking an easy field goal. If he had taken the safe points, the Giants would have gone up by six points, forcing the Lions to score a touchdown in the final 2:54 to win.

The call that got the President talking

The Giants failed on fourth down. That meant the Lions only needed a field goal to tie the game and send it to overtime, which they did before winning. It was a terrible game management decision for a team that’s already having a terrible season. The Giants became the first team knocked out of playoff contention this year.

The decision was so bad that President Trump posted about it on Truth Social. “That’s weird,” the President wrote about Kafka’s choice. When the President calls your play “weird,” you know you messed up big time.

Kafka took over after Brian Daboll was fired. He was asked about the President’s criticism. Instead of getting defensive like many NFL coaches would, Kafka seemed excited about the attention. He actually sounded happy that the Oval Office was talking about his work.

“This is one of the coolest things that, I mean just for me, being in this position, you get the opportunity to make tough calls,” Kafka said. He loves being the person who has to make the hard decision at the end of the game. “For me, that’s awesome. I love it.”

Kafka knows that everyone will have an opinion when you’re in charge. He said he heard criticism from everyone in his life after the game. “Whoever it was, a player, a coach, my aunt and uncle, my dad, like I heard it from everybody,” he said. He respects that people can share their thoughts. Some Giants players have criticized coaching decisions from the sideline after recent losses.

Kafka is focused on doing what he thinks is best for the team, no matter what fans, family, or the President say. He wants to build an aggressive, winning attitude in the struggling team. He wants them to be ready when it’s “nut-cutting time” at the end of games. “I want our guys thinking that way,” he said. “I don’t want our guys thinking like, hey, we shouldn’t do this or do that. Like, let’s go win it.”

That attitude sounds great. But if it doesn’t work in big moments like fourth-and-goal, Kafka will keep hearing about it. And it won’t just be from fans. He might get more comments from President Trump too.