Another late-game collapse finally forced New York’s hand. Hours after blowing a double-digit fourth-quarter lead to Chicago, the organization dismissed head coach Brian Daboll, ending a tenure that opened with promise but devolved into repeat 2-8 starts and a battered rookie quarterback in Jaxson Dart.

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka steps in with the interim tag and an immediate mandate: stabilize the offense, protect the rookie, and stop the weekly avalanches that have defined this autumn.

No other staff changes are expected at this time, per Dianna Russini. General manager Joe Schoen and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will remain in their roles for now, while Kafka replaces Daboll on the headset.

That continuity up top signals the front office wants to evaluate players, not shuffle titles, over the season’s final stretch.

The Bears' loss distilled everything that’s gone wrong. A 20-10 cushion evaporated, protection faltered, and the passing game tightened into checkdowns and contested sideline throws. When Dart exited after another head blow, Russell Wilson couldn’t rescue the night.

New York’s injury sheet is heavy, but the operational issues run much deeper with situational management, third-down design, and late-game poise.

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Kafka inherits a roster with talent at the skill spots when healthy, but immediate fixes must be pragmatic. Expect heavier run-action on early downs, quicker perimeter answers to ease pressure on a thin tackle group, and a cleaner red-zone menu built around Malik Nabers’ leverage routes.

Defensively, Bowen’s unit has produced stretches of sturdy play; complementary football, not schematic overhauls, is the ask.

The quarterback question hovers over all of it. Four concussion evaluations for Dart this year make availability and long-term care the only sane north star. If the rookie clears protocol, the decision shifts from medical to organizational: is the marginal growth from live reps worth the risk in a season already off the rails, or should Kafka ride a veteran bridge while the rookie resets?

Public pressure is intensifying. Bill Simmons argued Daboll’s handling of Dart’s health was a fireable offense, saying rookies must be protected from themselves and that New York repeatedly failed that test. With the coaching change made, the metric now becomes whether the interim staff can flip that script and put the player first.

For the moment, ownership is choosing steadiness over a full purge. Kafka holds the whistle, Schoen keeps the keys, Bowen runs the defense. The next nine weeks will tell the rest.