When the Giants brought in Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator, plenty of fans greeted the move with a shrug - or worse. But in New York, Nagy is showing a version of himself that Kansas City rarely saw, and the timing lines up with J.J. McCarthy taking over at quarterback.
Since Week 6, the Giants have climbed to ninth in the NFL in offensive EPA per play, according to SumerSports. That surge has come with a clear shift in how the offense is attacking defenses: New York is pushing the ball downfield on 14.3% of its passes, good for fifth in the league, while only 58.8% of its throws are short attempts, the lowest rate in the NFL.
That’s a sharp contrast from Nagy’s 2025 Chiefs, who threw short passes at a top-ten rate of nearly 70%. In fact, Kansas City finished with a top-ten short-pass rate every year from 2023 to 2025.
The difference in New York isn’t just volume, though. Nagy is using formation tricks and matchup manipulation to free up his best weapons.
Against the Arizona Cardinals, he put Cam Skattebo and Isaiah Likely outside of Malik Nabers, sliding Nabers into the slot. That setup left Nabers isolated against a linebacker, and he turned it into a touchdown.
He kept working similar ideas in the win over the Texans, repeatedly lining Likely and Nabers up next to each other. That alignment forced Houston into difficult choices and opened up room for Nabers to find space.
The fit with McCarthy has brought another layer to the offense. Jameis Winston didn’t have the arm to reach every throw Nagy designed, but McCarthy does. In their first full game together, the two looked in sync against Houston, with McCarthy delivering the ball on time and the Giants stacking explosive plays against one of football’s toughest defenses.
Nagy also got the run game moving, which gave the offense a more balanced feel. Even when plays didn’t fully hit, the timing was there.
The end result is an offense that may not be flawless, but it is producing. Under Nagy, the Giants are the only team in the NFL to score 27 or more points in more than four games.
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