text: history of the new york giants the history of the new york giants , an american football team which currently plays in the nfl 's national football conference , comprises more than 80 seasons . the giants were founded in 1925 by tim mara in the then five - year - old nfl . mara owned the team until his death in 1959 , when it was passed on to his sons , wellington and jack . during their history , the giants have won eight nfl championships , four of which came in super bowls . in just its third season , the team finished with the best record in the league at 11 – 1 – 1 and was awarded the nfl title . in a 14 - year span beginning in 1933 , new york qualified to play in the nfl championship game eight times , winning twice ( 1934 and 1938 ) . they did not win another championship until 1956 , aided by several future hall of fame players such as running back frank gifford , linebacker sam huff , and offensive tackle roosevelt brown . from 1958 to 1963 , the giants played in the nfl championship game five times , but failed to win . the 1958 nfl championship game , in which they lost 23 – 17 in overtime to the baltimore colts , is credited with increasing the popularity of the nfl in the united states . the giants registered just two winning seasons from 1964 to 1980 and were unable to advance to the playoffs . from 1981 to 1990 , the team qualified for the postseason seven times and won super bowls xxi and xxv . the team 's success during the 1980s was aided by head coach bill parcells , quarterback phil simms and hall of fame linebackers lawrence taylor and harry carson . new york struggled throughout much of the 1990s as parcells left the team , and players such as simms and taylor declined and eventually retired . they returned to the super bowl in 2000 , but lost to the baltimore ravens in super bowl xxxv . the giants upset the heavily favored new england patriots in super bowls xlii and xlvi . timeline season by season timeline of the new york giants franchise including the team name , changes of home field , postseason championships seasons , and coaches throughout the years . birth and success : 1925 – 1930 the giants were founded in 1925 by original owner tim mara with an investment of $ 500 . legally named " new york football giants " ( which they still are to this day ) to distinguish themselves from the baseball team of the same name , they became one of the first teams in the then five - year - old national football league . in 1919 , charles stoneham , the owner of the new york giants baseball team , had organized and promoted a professional football team to be called the new york giants . the team folded before its first game . the new york football giants played their first game against all new britain in new britain , connecticut on october 5 , 1925 . although the giants were successful on the field in their first season , going 8 – 4 , their financial status was a different story . overshadowed by baseball , boxing , and college football , professional football was not a popular sport in 1925 . they were in dire financial straits until the eleventh game of the season , when red grange and the chicago bears came to town , attracting over 73 , 000 fans . this gave the giants a much needed influx of revenue , and perhaps altered the history of the franchise . new york finished 11 – 1 – 1 in 1927 . their league - best defense posted 10 shutouts in 13 games . new coach earl led the team into a late - season game against chicago with first place on the line . new york won 13 – 7 in what lineman steve owen called " the toughest , roughest football game i ever played . " then they won their final two regular season games to secure their first championship . following a disappointing 4 – 7 – 2 season the next year , was replaced by leroy andrews . before the 1929 season , mara purchased the entire squad of the detroit wolverines , including star quarterback benny friedman . the wolverines had finished in third place the year before . led by friedman , new york 's record soared to 13 – 1 – 1 . however , their lone loss was a 20 – 6 setback in november to the green bay packers , and by virtue of this win , and their 12 – 0 – 1 record , won the nfl title . following the season , mara transferred ownership over to his two sons to insulate the team from creditors . at the time , jack was just 22 , and wellington only 14 . in 1930 , the quality of the professional game was still in question , with many claiming the college " amateurs " played with more intensity . in december 1930 , the giants played a team of notre dame all - stars at the polo grounds to raise money for the unemployed of new york city . it was also an opportunity to establish the superiority of the pro game . knute rockne reassembled his four horsemen along with other notre dame legends , and told them to score early , then defend . but from the beginning , it was a one - sided contest , with benny friedman running for two giants touchdowns and hap moran passing for another . notre dame failed to score . when it was over , rockne told his team , ' " [ t ] hat was the greatest football machine i ever saw . i am glad none of you got hurt . " the game raised $ 115 , 183 for the homeless , and is often credited with establishing the legitimacy of the professional game . steve owen era : 1931 – 1953 the giants hired all - pro offensive tackle steve owen to be their new player - head coach prior to the 1931 season . he coached the team for the next 23 years , including two nfl championships , and was inducted into the pro football hall of fame in 1966 . owen never had a contract with the mara family ; he coached his entire tenure on a handshake basis . before the 1931 season , new york acquired center mel hein , who also played the linebacker position . he would go on to a fifteen - year nfl career in which , as a center , he became an all - nfl first team selection eight times , and the only offensive lineman ever named league mvp . friedman quit the team following the season when mara denied him an ownership stake , telling him " i 'm sorry ... but the giants are for my sons . " new york struggled in 1931 and 1932 , finishing with a combined record of 11 – 12 – 3 . the giants acquired university of michigan all - american quarterback harry newman and versatile free agent halfback ken strong before the 1933 season . new york finished 11 – 3 , first in the new eastern division . newman led the nfl in passes completed ( 53 ) , passing yards ( 973 ) , touchdown passes ( 11 ) , and longest pass completion ( 78 yards ) , with his passing yardage total setting an nfl record . new york 's resurgence was led by some of the league 's best linemen , such as ray flaherty and future hall of famers red , and hein . they advanced to play in the league 's first official championship game in chicago 's wrigley field versus the bears , where they lost 23 – 21 in a game which had six lead changes . in the 1934 nfl championship game , the giants defeated previously unbeaten chicago 30 – 13 at the polo grounds on an icy field with temperatures peaking at 25 degrees . before the game , team treasurer john mara talked with owen and team captain flaherty about the field conditions . flaherty suggested the giants wear sneakers on the frozen field , as he had played in a game under similar circumstances at gonzaga , and the sneakers proved to be effective . mara dispatched equipment manager abe cohen to get as many sneakers as he could get . due to traffic and the inability to find any athletic goods stores open on sunday , cohen was unable to return before the game started , and the giants , wearing conventional footwear , trailed 10 – 3 at the end of the first half . realizing time was short , cohen went to manhattan college — where he had a key to the equipment and locker rooms — and returned to the polo grounds at halftime with nine pairs of basketball sneakers , saying that " nine pairs was all i could get . " players donned the sneakers and new york , after allowing chicago another field goal late in the 3rd quarter , responded with 27 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to win their first nfl championship game . the game would come to be known as " the sneakers game " , and the 27 points the giants scored in the 4th quarter set a single – quarter championship game scoring record that stood for decades . after the game , offensive tackle len grant expressed his sincere gratitude by stating " god bless abe cohen . " the giants were unable to repeat as champions in 1935 , as they fell to the detroit lions 26 – 7 in the nfl championship game . the lion staked a 13 – 0 lead before the giants were able to cut the lead to 13 – 7 in the 3rd quarter . however , the lions defense helped their team score two late touchdowns with a blocked punt and an interception . the giants were so successful from the latter half of the 1930s until the united states ' entry into world war ii , that according to one publication , " [ f ] rom 1936 to 1941 the new york giants annually fielded a collection of nfl all - stars . " they added their third nfl championship in 1938 with a 23 – 17 win over green bay . the giants blocked two green bay punts to establish an early advantage before the packers came back to take a 17 – 16 lead . however , in the 4th quarter , ed danowski threw a 23 - yard touchdown pass to hank soar , and the giants defense held the packers scoreless . the giants made the championship game again the next year , but lost in a rematch to the packers , 31 – 16 . they also advanced to the championship game in 1941 , losing to the bears 37 – 9 . both games were close early before their respective opponents went on an offensive surge to break the game open late . in 1944 , the giants reached the championship game , where they faced the green bay packers for the third time in ten seasons . they lost again , this time 14 – 7 as ted fritsch scored two touchdowns , and the packers defense was able to hold on to the lead despite a 4th - quarter touchdown by the giants . by 1946 , mara had given over complete control of the team to his two sons . jack controlled the business aspects , while wellington controlled the on - field operations . in 1946 , the giants again reached the championship game , for the eighth time in 14 seasons . however , they were beaten by the sid luckman - led bears , 24 – 14 . before the 1948 season , the giants signed defensive back emlen , the first african american player in team history , and later the first african american inducted into the hall of fame . they struggled from 1947 to 1949 , never finishing above .500 , but came back with a solid 10 – 2 record in 1950 . however , they lost to the cleveland browns , who they had beaten twice in the regular season , 8 – 3 in the 1950 divisional playoff game . in 1949 , halfback gene " choo - choo " roberts scored a league high 17 touchdowns , and in 1950 , he set a team record that would stand for over 50 years , when he rushed for 218 yards on november 12 . jim lee howell and the hall of famers : 1954 – 1958 following the 1953 season , an important transition in giants history occurred . after being the team 's coach for 23 years , steve owen was fired by wellington and jack mara , and replaced by jim lee howell . wellington later described the move by calling it " the hardest decision i 'd ever made " . new york went 7 – 5 in 1954 under howell . in their 31st and final season playing their home games at the polo grounds in 1955 , they went 5 – 1 – 1 over their final seven games to finish 6 – 5 – 1 . they were led by rejuvenated running back frank gifford , who played the entire season solely on offense for the first time in several years . the giants won their fourth nfl championship in 1956 . playing their home games at yankee stadium for the first time , new york won the eastern division with an 8 – 3 – 1 record . in the nfl championship game on an icy field against the chicago bears , the giants wore sneakers as they had 22 years previous . they dominated the bears , winning 47 – 7 . the 1956 giants featured a number of future hall of fame players , including gifford , sam huff , and roosevelt brown . equally notable , the team featured as its coordinators future hall of fame head coaches tom landry ( defense ) and vince lombardi ( offense ) . the greatest game ever played : 1958 the giants had another successful year in 1958 . they tied for the eastern division regular season title with a 9 – 3 record by defeating the cleveland browns 13 – 10 on the last day of the regular season . they beat the browns again a week later in a one - game playoff to determine the division winner . they advanced to play the baltimore colts in the nfl championship game . this game , which would become known as " the greatest game ever played " , is considered a watershed moment in league history , and marked the beginning of the rise of professional football into the dominant sport in the american market . the game was competitive . the giants got off to an early 3 – 0 lead , then the colts scored two touchdowns to take a 14 – 3 halftime lead . in the 3rd quarter , new york 's defense made a goal line stand , which became a turning point in the game . new york , who had trouble mounting drives to that point , then had a 95 - yard drive which culminated in a touchdown , making the score 14 – 10 . they drove again in the 4th quarter , with quarterback charlie conerly throwing a 15 - yard touchdown pass to frank gifford to take the lead , 17 – 14 . the colts put together one last drive with less than two minutes left . the standout player was receiver raymond berry , who caught three passes for 62 yards , the last one for 22 yards to the new york 13 - yard line . with seven seconds left in regulation , steve kicked a 20 - yard field goal to tie the score 17 – 17 , sending a game to overtime for the first time in nfl history . after winning the coin toss and receiving the ball , the giants offense stalled and was forced to punt . from their own 20 , the colts drove the ball to the new york 1 - yard line , where alan ameche ran for a touchdown to give the colts the championship , 23 – 17 . more success : 1959 – 1963 new york 's success continued in the 1960s . they finished 9 – 3 in 1959 and faced the colts in a championship game rematch . they lost again , this time in a far less dramatic game , 31 – 16 . led by quarterback y.a. tittle and head coach allie sherman , the giants won three consecutive eastern division titles from 1961 – 1963 . in 1961 , they were beaten 37 – 0 by the packers . in 1962 , they went into the championship game with a league - best 12 – 2 record and a nine – game winning streak , but they lost to the packers again , 16 – 7 . the giants finished with an 11 – 3 record in 1963 and faced the bears in the nfl championship game . on an icy field in chicago , the giants ' defense played well , but the bears newly invented zone defense intercepted tittle five times and battered him throughout the game . sherman resisted calls from players such as linebacker sam huff to replace the struggling tittle . the giants defense held the bears in check , but they lost 14 – 10 , their third straight nfl championship game defeat . the giants ' run of championship game appearances combined with their large market location translated into financial success . by the early 1960s , the giants were receiving $ 175 , 000 a game under the nfl 's television contract with cbs — four times as much as small - market green bay , which was one of the most successful teams of the era . however , in the league 's new contract , the maras convinced the other owners that it would be in the best interest of the nfl to share television revenue equally , a practice which is still current , and is credited with strengthening the league . wilderness years begin : 1964 – 1972 after the 1963 season , the team fell apart . a roster filled with mostly older veterans plus some bad personnel moves ( e.g. the dispatching of rosey grier , sam huff , and don chandler ) lead to a quick exit from the top of the standings . the giants finished 2 – 10 – 2 in 1964 , beginning an 18 - season playoff drought . the seasons of 1964 through 1980 in team history have often been referred to as " the wilderness years " for several reasons : 1 ) the franchise lost its status as an elite nfl team by posting only two winning seasons , against twelve losing and three .500 seasons during this span ; 2 ) the giants became a " team of nomads , " calling four different stadiums home in the 1970s ( yankee stadium , the yale bowl , shea stadium , and finally giants stadium in 1976 ) ; 3 ) new york tried several head coach and quarterback combinations during this period , but with almost no success ( from 1964 to 1983 , no coach or starting quarterback could boast even a .500 record ) . the team rebounded with a 7 – 7 record in 1965 , ( mostly due to the acquisition of quarterback earl morrall during the offseason ) before compiling a league - worst 1 – 12 – 1 record and allowing over 500 points on defense in 1966 . this season also included a 72 – 41 loss to the rival washington redskins at d.c. stadium in the highest - scoring game in league history . interest in the team was waning , especially with the rapid rise of the new york jets , with their wide - open style of play and charismatic quarterback joe namath . the giants acquired quarterback fran tarkenton from the minnesota vikings before the 1967 season in exchange for their and 2nd - round draft picks , and showed improvement . they finished 7 – 7 in 1967 and were 7 – 3 through ten games in 1968 . leaving them one game behind capitol division leader dallas . however , new york dropped its final four games to again finish 7 – 7 . notably , in 1968 , one of tarkenton 's favorite targets , wide receiver homer jones made the pro bowl ; it wasn 't until 2010 that another giants receiver , ( steve smith ) , would make the pro bowl . through the 2007 season , no other giants receiver has been selected for the pro bowl . jones ' average of 22 . 3 yards per reception for his career is still an nfl record . during the 1969 preseason , the giants lost their first meeting with the jets , 37 – 14 at the yale bowl in new haven , connecticut . following the game , wellington mara fired coach allie sherman and replaced him with former giants fullback alex webster . on opening day of the 1969 regular season , tarkenton led new york to a 24 – 23 victory over his former team , the vikings , by throwing two touchdown passes in the 4th quarter . the giants went 6 – 8 that season . they showed marked improvement in 1970 ; after an 0 – 3 start , they rebounded to finish 9 – 5 , narrowly missing the playoffs by losing their final game to the los angeles rams . tarkenton had one of his best seasons as a giant and made his fourth straight pro bowl . running back ron johnson was also selected to the pro bowl ; the halfback ran for 1 , 027 yards , becoming the first giant to gain 1 , 000 yards rushing in a season . in 1971 , johnson missed most of the season with a knee injury , and new york dropped to 4 – 10 , resulting in tarkenton being traded back to the vikings . the giants rallied somewhat in 1972 to finish 8 – 6 . journeyman quarterback norm snead ( acquired in the trade for tarkenton ) led the league in completion percentage and had his best season . other standouts and pro bowl selections that year were running back johnson , who rushed for 1 , 182 yards ( breaking his own team record ) and caught 45 passes , tight end bob tucker , who followed up his 1971 nfc - leading 59 - catch season with 55 in 1972 , and defensive stars jack gregory and john mendenhall . the giants boasted the top offense in the nfc and after a season - finishing 23 – 3 win at dallas to secure their second winning campaign in three years , the future looked bright . however , after the 1972 season , new york would endure one of the worst periods in its history . leaving new york : 1973 – 1978 desiring their own home stadium , in 1973 , the giants reached an agreement with the new jersey sports and exposition authority to play their home games at a new , state - of - the - art , dedicated football stadium . later named giants stadium , it was to be built at a new sports complex in east rutherford , new jersey . as the complex was being built , and their current home at yankee stadium was being renovated , they would be without a home for three years , and dubbed " the orphans of the nfl . " their final full season at yankee stadium was 1972 . after playing their first two games there in 1973 , the giants played the rest of their home games in 1973 , as well as all of their home games in 1974 , at the yale bowl in new haven , connecticut . this was done out of a desire to have their own home field , as opposed to having to share shea stadium with the jets . however , between access problems , neighborhood issues , the fact that the yale bowl was not ideally suited for pro football ( the stadium did not have lights , nor does it today ) , the age of the stadium ( built in 1914 ) , and the lack of modern amenities , the giants reconsidered their decision and agreed to share shea stadium with the jets in 1975 . new york left the yale bowl after losing all seven home games played there in 1974 and compiling a home record of 1 – 11 over that two - year stretch . one of the bright spots in this era was tight end bob tucker . from 1970 through 1977 , tucker was one of the top tight ends in the nfl . he amassed 327 receptions , 4 , 376 yards , and 22 touchdowns during his years as a giant . despite their new home and heightened fan interest , new york still played subpar football in 1976 and 1977 . in 1978 , the giants started the year 5 – 6 and on november 19 , 1978 , played the philadelphia eagles at home with a chance to solidify their playoff prospects . however , the season imploded in one of the most improbable finishes in nfl history . the giants led 17 – 12 and had possession of the ball with only 30 seconds left . they had to just kneel the ball to end the game , as the eagles had no time outs . however , instead of kneeling the ball , offensive coordinator bob gibson ordered new york quarterback joe to hand the ball off to fullback larry csonka . csonka was unprepared to receive the handoff , and the ball rolled off his hip and bounced free . eagles safety herman edwards picked up the loose ball and ran , untouched , for a score , giving the eagles an improbable 19 – 17 victory . this play is referred to as " the miracle in the meadowlands " among eagles fans , and " the fumble " among giants fans . in the aftermath of the defeat , gibson was fired , and the giants lost three out of their last four games to finish out of the playoffs for the 15th straight season , leading them to let coach john mcvay go as well . however , following the 1978 season came the steps that would , in time , return new york to the pinnacle of the nfl . building a champion : 1979 – 1985 new york decided to hire a general manager for the first time in franchise history following the 1978 season . the search grew contentious and fractured the relationship between owners wellington and tim mara . finally , the maras asked nfl commissioner pete rozelle to step in with a recommendation . rozelle recommended george young , who worked in personnel for the miami dolphins and had been an assistant coach for the baltimore colts . young was hired , but the rift between the maras lasted for several years . young hired san diego chargers assistant ray perkins as head coach and drafted unknown quarterback phil simms from morehead state to the surprise of many . new york continued to struggle , finishing 6 – 10 in 1979 and 4 – 12 in 1980 . with the 2nd overall pick in the 1981 draft , the giants selected linebacker lawrence taylor . the impact that taylor had on the giants ' defense was immediate . he was named the nfl defensive rookie of the year and nfl defensive player of the year , becoming , to date , the only rookie to ever win the nfl defensive player of the year award . his arrival raised the giants linebacking corps — which already included future hall of famer harry carson and pro bowler brad van pelt — into one of the nfl 's best . it also predicated new york 's transformation from allowing 425 points in 1980 to 257 in 1981 . they went 9 – 7 and defeated the eagles in the first round of the playoffs , 27 – 21 , then lost to the eventual super bowl champion san francisco 49ers 38 – 24 in the divisional playoffs . in the strike - shortened 1982 season , the giants lost their first two games before the strike , and their first game upon returning . they won their next three games to even their record at 3 – 3 . perkins then announced that he was leaving to take the head coaching job at alabama after the season , and the team lost the next two games , effectively eliminating them from the playoffs ( despite defeating the eagles in the season finale to go 4 – 5 ) . taylor remained a bright spot , repeating as the league 's defensive player of the year . young chose bill parcells , the giants ' defensive coordinator , as the team 's new head coach . parcells first year proved difficult . in his first major decision , he named scott brunner as his starting quarterback over phil simms . at first , it appeared his decision was justified , especially after a 27 – 3 monday night victory over green bay gave new york a 2 – 2 record . but then they lost 10 of their final 12 games . parcells ignored fans ' protests and stuck with brunner for most of the year , although jeff rutledge saw considerable late - season action . simms finally played in a week six game against the eagles , only to suffer a season – ending thumb injury . simms won the starting job back in 1984 , and brunner was traded . the giants had a resurgent season , highlighted by a second - half stretch where they won five of six games . despite losing their last two to finish 9 – 7 , they still made the playoffs . in the first round , they defeated the highly favored los angeles rams 16 – 13 on the road before losing 21 – 10 to the eventual super bowl champion san francisco 49ers . simms threw for 4 , 044 yards , making him the first giant to pass for 4 , 000 yards in a season . the giants success continued in 1985 by going 10 – 6 . the defense carried the team and led the nfl in sacks with 68 . they won their first - round playoff game , 17 – 3 over the defending champion 49ers . it was new york 's first postseason win at home since 1958 , and their first ever at giants stadium . in the divisional playoffs , they lost 21 – 0 to the eventual super bowl champion chicago bears . many of the players that would play key roles on new york 's super bowl teams emerged in 1985 . joe morris became the feature back , running for 1 , 338 yards , scoring 21 touchdowns , and making the pro bowl . second - year receiver lionel manuel led the giants with 49 receptions , and rookie tight end mark bavaro had 37 catches . simms threw every pass for new york for the second consecutive season , and passed for over 3 , 800 yards . defensive end leonard marshall recorded 15 . 5 sacks , and taylor added 13 . back on top : 1986 – 1990 1986 : super bowl champions new york entered the 1986 season as one of the favorites to win the super bowl . they had their first test in a monday night game against the defending nfc east champion dallas cowboys . they lost at texas stadium , 31 – 28 . however , they won their next five in a row and 14 of their last 15 , to finish the season with a 14 – 2 record . one of the signature plays of the season occurred during a monday night game in december . here is a description of the play taken from a monday night football broadcast in 2005 : " on december 1st , 1986 ... with the giants trailing , ( mark ) bavaro catches an innocent pass from phil simms over the middle . it takes nearly seven 49ers defenders to finally drag him down , some of which are carried for almost 20 yards , including future hall of famer ronnie lott . bavaro ’ s inspiring play jump starts the giants , who win the game and eventually the super bowl . " new york 's defense allowed 236 points during the season , second fewest in the nfl , and taylor set a team record with 20 . 5 sacks . he won a record third defensive player of the year award , and was named league mvp . the giants defeated san francisco 49 – 3 in the nfc divisional playoffs , then washington 17 – 0 in the nfc championship game . the giants advanced to play the denver broncos in super bowl xxi in front of 101 , 063 fans at the rose bowl . after falling behind 10 – 9 at halftime , they came back to beat the broncos 39 – 20 . simms was named the game 's mvp after completing 22 of 25 ( 88 % ) of his passes — a super bowl record . 1987 – 1989 in 1987 , the giants lost their first two games before the players strike . unlike the players strike five years previous , nfl owners made a decision to use replacement players , but still lost all three replacement games , putting them at 0 – 5 when the strike ended . though the giants went 6 – 4 over their final 10 games , they finished out of the playoffs at 6 – 9 . bright spots for the season included tight end mark bavaro , who led the team in catches with 55 , and three new york 's linebackers making the pro bowl — taylor , carson , and carl banks . new york 's 1988 season got off to a turbulent start due an offseason scandal involving taylor . taylor had abused cocaine , violating the nfl 's substance abuse policy and was suspended for the first four games of the season . taylor 's over - the - edge lifestyle was becoming an increasing concern for fans and team officials . after his return , however , taylor recorded 15 . 5 sacks in 12 games . the intense worry and scrutiny would prove to be for naught as for the rest of his career taylor would pass his drug tests . predictably , the giants struggled to start the season . they were 2 – 2 when taylor returned from his suspension . with taylor back and playing well , however , they won six out of their next eight games . after two straight losses , the giants won their next three contests to set up a win - or - go - home game against the jets in the season finale . the jets defeated the giants 27 – 21 . when the eagles beat the cowboys , and the 49ers lost to the rams later that night , the eagles won the nfc east and the rams clinched the final wild card berth . the giants finished on the outside looking in despite a 10 – 6 record , because in the tiebreakers , they were swept in the season series by philadelphia and had a worse conference record than the rams . the giants ' 12 – 4 record in 1989 was the nfc 's second - best ( only to san francisco 's 14 – 2 record ) they lost their divisional playoff game in overtime to the rams , 19 – 13 . the highlight of the game was wide receiver flipper anderson 's catch of the game winning touchdown pass . after catching the ball , anderson made a long run to the end zone , silencing the crowd in attendance . in 1989 , free - agent acquisition ottis anderson ran for 1 , 023 yards and caught 28 passes . rookie dave meggett also emerged as a threat on third downs and special teams , catching 34 passes for 531 yards , and making the pro bowl . 1990 : champions again the giants won their first 10 games of the 1990 season , setting a record for the best start in the team 's history . the san francisco 49ers also got off to a strong start , matching new york with their own 10 – 0 start . although both teams lost their next game , their week 13 matchup was still eagerly anticipated . the giants held the 49ers ' vaunted offense to seven points , but scored just three themselves . new york won the following week against minnesota before facing the buffalo bills in their regular season home finale . despite holding a significant advantage in time of possession , they lost 17 – 13 , for their third loss in four games . to compound new york 's problems , phil simms went down with an injury that would sideline him for the rest of the year . his replacement , jeff hostetler , was an unproven career backup , who had thrown a mere 68 passes coming into the season . the giants won their final two games to secure a 13 – 3 record and a first - round playoff bye as the nfc 's # 2 seed . they defeated chicago 31 – 3 in the divisional playoffs , setting up a rematch with the 49ers in san francisco for the nfc championship . as they had in week 13 , the giants ' defense held san francisco 's offense in check . in the game 's waning moments , nose tackle erik howard caused a roger craig fumble , and taylor recovered it . new york drove downfield into san francisco territory , and on the game 's last play , kicker matt bahr hit a 42 - yard field goal to defeat the 49ers , 15 – 13 . the win set up another rematch , this time in the super bowl against the buffalo bills . super bowl xxv super bowl xxv took place amidst a background of war and patriotism . the persian gulf war had begun less than two weeks previous , and the nation rallied around the super bowl as a symbol of america . the giants got off to a quick 3 – 0 lead ; however , the bills scored the next 12 points . the giants responded by running a nearly eight - minute drive , which culminated in a 14 - yard touchdown pass from hostetler to stephen baker . the giants received the second - half kickoff and mounted a record - setting drive . the opening drive ran for over nine minutes ( a super bowl record ) and culminated in a 1 - yard touchdown run by ottis anderson , giving the giants a 17 – 12 lead . on the first play of the 4th quarter , the bills ' thurman thomas ran for a 31 - yard touchdown that put buffalo back in front , 19 – 17 . on the ensuing possession , the giants drove down to the buffalo 4 - yard line , and bahr made a 21 - yard field goal , which gave the giants a 20 – 19 lead . both teams exchanged possessions before the bills began one final drive , driving down to the giants 29 - yard line to set up what would be a potential game - winning 47 - yard field goal attempt by scott norwood . in what would become the game 's signature moment , norwood 's attempt missed wide right , and the giants won their second super bowl , 20 – 19 . the giants set a super bowl record for time of possession with a mark of 40 : 33 , and ottis anderson was named mvp of the game after rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown . end of an era the 1990 season marked the end of an era . after the super bowl , defensive coordinator bill belichick left to become head coach of the cleveland browns . parcells also decided to leave the giants in the spring of 1991 to pursue a career in broadcasting . in addition , there was an ownership change in what had been one of the most stable front offices in professional sports . in february 1991 , tim mara was diagnosed with cancer , and he sold his 50 % interest in the team to bob tisch for a reported $ 80 million . this marked the first time since their inception in 1925 that the giants had not been wholly owned and controlled by the mara family . after parcells – the handley era : 1991 – 1992 following the departure of parcells and belichick — who many people saw as the likely successor to parcells — the surprise choice as head coach was running backs coach ray handley . handley , however , was a somewhat reluctant coach , whose approach stood in stark contrast to the passionate and emotional style employed by parcells . as with parcells eight years previous , one of handley 's first major decisions involved replacing phil simms as starting quarterback . jeff hostetler was named the team 's starter . though the giants won their opening game in an nfc championship game rematch against the 49ers , 16 – 14 , they lost three out of their next four games to drop to 2 – 3 . though they rallied to finish the season 8 – 8 , and simms reclaimed his starting job later in the year , the excitement that surrounded the giants the previous year was gone . one of the few promising young players to emerge on the team was second – year running back rodney hampton , who led the giants in rushing with 1 , 059 yards . through the 1991 season , it was clear that the team 's core players on defense had aged quickly . this deterioration continued in 1992 , when lawrence taylor ruptured his achilles tendon in the team 's tenth game , and the giants promptly lost six out of their last seven games to finish the year 6 – 10 . the defense continued its descent , finishing 26th in the league in points allowed after leading the league in that category in 1990 . handley , who had become unpopular with both players and fans , was fired after the end of the regular season . dan reeves takes over : 1993 – 96 handley was replaced by former denver broncos head coach dan reeves , who led the broncos to three super bowls in four years , one against the giants . after his dismissal from the broncos , reeves took the unusual step of lobbying for the job . after being rebuffed by a number of candidates , george young was pleased that someone with reeves 's credentials wanted the job . reeves ' impact was immediate . as parcells had done in 1984 , reeves named simms his starting quarterback . the defense returned to form , and allowed more than 20 points once all season . with two regular season games left , the giants were 11 – 3 and appeared poised for a first - round playoff bye . they were upset by a phoenix cardinals team , who came into the game with just five wins , 17 – 6 , in the next - to - last week of the season , setting up a winner – take – all contest against dallas in the final regular season game . though the giants played well , it was emmitt smith 's memorable performance with a separated shoulder that led the cowboys to a 16 – 13 overtime win , giving the cowboys a sweep of the season series and home - field advantage throughout the nfc playoffs . despite the loss , the giants made the playoffs as a wild card and won their first - round game , 17 – 10 over the vikings . however , they were defeated by the san francisco 49ers 44 – 3 in the divisional playoffs . simms played in all 16 games , completing nearly 62 % of his passes , and threw for over 3 , 000 yards and 15 touchdowns . simms , hampton , offensive linemen jumbo elliot and center bart oates made the pro bowl , and reeves was named coach of the year by the associated press . after the season , lawrence taylor and phil simms , the two biggest figures of the late 1980s and early 1990s giants teams , retired . before the 1994 season , reeves named dave brown , who had been a # 1 supplemental draft choice in 1992 , the giants starting quarterback . though brown led the giants to wins in their first three games , they lost their next seven . the giants recovered to win their last six games of the season , but missed the playoffs . during the winning streak , they never allowed more than 20 points in a game . the giants regressed to a 5 – 11 record in 1995 . much of the blame for the giants ' poor performance was placed on brown . he put up lackluster numbers for the second straight year . though the giants defense still played well , and young players like michael strahan and jessie armstead began to emerge , the giants inspired tepid interest league - wide and sent no players to the pro bowl for the second straight year . the giants had another losing season in 1996 , finishing 6 – 10 . though brown again started every game for the giants , he turned in one of the worst seasons of any starting quarterback in the nfl , throwing for just 12 touchdowns against 20 interceptions . the giants ' offense was one of the worst in the nfl and , unlike in previous years , the defense was unable to carry the team . after missing the playoffs for three consecutive seasons , reeves was fired . jim fassel era 1997 – 1999 the giants hired former arizona cardinals offensive coordinator jim fassel as their head coach before the 1997 season . with the team 's offense floundering once again and a 2 – 3 record after five games , fassel turned to inexperienced danny kanell as the starting quarterback over dave brown . the giants experienced a resurgent season , finishing 10 – 5 – 1 and winning the nfc east . they hosted a first – round playoff game against the minnesota vikings . the giants led the vikings for most of the game , including 22 – 13 in the 4th quarter , but following a muffed onside kick , the vikings booted a last - second field goal to win 23 – 22 . following the season , george young left the giants . he was replaced by ernie accorsi , a veteran general manager who had successful stints building the baltimore colts and cleveland browns . the giants regressed to an 8 – 8 record in 1998 . the strength of the team during the season was their defense , which featured two pro bowlers in armstead and strahan . however , the offense continued to struggle . dave brown had been released before the season and replaced by kanell and kent graham . however , neither quarterback provided pro bowl - caliber play . before the 1999 season , the giants signed quarterback kerry collins . collins had been the first – ever draft choice of the carolina panthers , and in his second season , led them to the nfc championship game . however , problems with alcohol abuse , conflicts with his teammates , and questions about his character led to his release from the panthers . although many people questioned the wisdom of accorsi and the giants giving collins a $ 16 . 9 million contract , accorsi was confident in collins ' abilities . in 1999 , tiki barber emerged as a solid pass – catching running back , catching 66 passes . wide receiver amani toomer also had a breakout season , accumulating over 1 , 100 yards receiving and six touchdowns , and ike hilliard finished just shy of 1 , 000 yards receiving . the defense rebounded , ranking 11th in the league , and armstead and strahan again were selected to the pro bowl . though the giants stood at 7 – 6 and poised for a playoff berth , they lost their final three games to miss the playoffs . 2000 : super bowl season the 2000 season was considered a make - or - break year for fassel . the conventional wisdom was that fassel needed to have a strong year and a playoff appearance to save his job . after back - to - back losses at home against the st. louis rams and detroit lions , the giants fell to 7 – 4 , and their playoff prospects were in question . at a press conference following the loss to detroit , fassel guaranteed that " [ t ] his team is going to the playoffs . " the giants responded , winning the next week 's game against arizona and the rest of their regular season games to finish the season 12 – 4 and earn a bye and home - field advantage as the nfc 's top seed . the giants won their first playoff game against the eagles , 20 – 10 , and then defeated the vikings 41 – 0 in the nfc championship game . they advanced to play the baltimore ravens in super bowl xxxv . though the giants kept the game close early and went into halftime down only 10 – 0 , the ravens dominated the second half . the ravens ' defense harassed kerry collins all game long , and he had one of the worst games in super bowl history . collins completed only 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards and four interceptions , and the ravens won the game , 34 – 7 . the giants ' only score came on a ron dixon 97 - yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the 3rd quarter . on the ensuing kickoff , the ravens ' jermaine lewis scored a touchdown on an 84 - yard return . 2001 – 2003 the giants were unable to build on their super bowl appearance . they ended the 2001 season 7 – 9 and out of the playoffs for the third time in four seasons . collins continued his success as the team 's quarterback , throwing for over 3 , 700 yards and 19 touchdowns , and strahan broke the nfl record by recording 22 . 5 sacks in 2002 , collins had one of the best seasons of his career , throwing for over 4 , 000 yards , and barber rushed for 1 , 386 yards and caught 69 passes for 597 yards . rookie tight end jeremy shockey caught 74 passes for a total of 894 yards . the team started 6 – 6 , but made the playoffs as a wild card by winning their last four regular season games . in the wild card playoffs , the giants built a 38 – 14 3rd - quarter lead against san francisco . however , the 49ers rallied , scoring a field goal , and three touchdowns to take a 39 – 38 lead with a minute left in the game . collins then drove the giants down to the 49ers 23 - yard line with six seconds left , setting up a potential game winning 41 - yard field goal attempt for matt bryant . on the final play of the game , 40 - year - old long snapper trey junkin — who had just been signed for this playoff game — snapped the ball low , and punter matt allen could not spot the ball properly for the attempt . allen picked the ball up and threw an unsuccessful pass downfield to offensive lineman rich seubert as time expired , and the giants lost 39 – 38 . the giants started the 2003 season 4 – 4 , but lost their final eight games . with two games remaining in the season , jim fassel requested a meeting with team management , and asked , if he was to be fired , that they do so now rather than wait until the end of the season . management complied with his request , formally firing fassel on ( or around ) december 17 , 2003 , but allowing him to coach the team 's final two games . eli manning and tom coughlin era : 2004 – present 2004 – 2006 after a brief search , ernie accorsi hired former jacksonville jaguars coach tom coughlin to be the giants ' head coach . coughlin was considered a disciplinarian , in contrast to the departed fassel , whose lenient style was criticized in his final years with the club . accorsi coveted quarterback eli manning , brother of peyton and son of archie , in the 2004 nfl draft . manning had indicated before the draft that he did not want to play for the san diego chargers , who held the top pick . the chargers drafted him nonetheless , and then traded him to the giants for their first round picks in 2004 and 2005 . the giants released kerry collins , who was unhappy with a backup role , and signed veteran quarterback kurt warner . the plan was for warner to be the starter , while the team groomed manning to ultimately take over the job . after losing to the eagles in the 2004 season opener , the giants , with warner at quarterback , won five of their next six games , making them 5 – 2 . after losing two close games , to the bears and cardinals , to drop to 5 – 4 , coughlin announced that manning would start the rest of the season . manning struggled , and the giants did not score more than 14 points in their next four games . he performed better later in the season , but the giants finished the season 6 – 10 . barber established a career high in rushing with 1 , 518 yards . he also had 52 catches and a total of 15 touchdowns . the giants started 4 – 2 in 2005 . then , on october 25 , patriarch wellington mara died after a brief illness at the age of 89 . mara had been involved with the giants since he was nine years old , when he worked for them as a ball boy . except a tour of duty in the military during world war ii , mara spent his entire adult life with the team . he was beloved by many of the players , and was noted for making an effort to get to know each of them . the giants dedicated their next game to mara , and defeated the redskins 36 – 0 . just twenty days after mara 's death , on november 15 , the other giants executive officer , bob tisch , died at the age of 79 . the giants honored tisch by defeating the eagles 27 – 17 in their next game . barber set a new team single - game rushing record with 220 yards , and the team 's single - season record with 1 , 860 yards in a victory over the kansas city chiefs . the giants finished 11 – 5 and hosted the carolina panthers in the wild card playoffs , but lost 23 – 0 . the giants regressed to an 8 – 8 record in 2006 . the season was characterized by inconsistent play , criticism of the coaching by the media and players , and manning 's struggles . they won five straight following a 1 – 2 start , giving them a two - game lead in the nfc east , but they lost six of their last seven games , and the players publicly clashed with coughlin . one of the team 's worst losses was a 24 – 21 defeat to tennessee , in which the team surrendered a 21 - point 4th - quarter lead . following a season - ending win at washington , the giants made the playoffs as a wild card in spite of their record , but were defeated 23 – 20 by philadelphia . barber led the giants with 1 , 662 yards rushing and over 2 , 000 yards from scrimmage , manning threw for 3 , 244 yards and 24 touchdowns , and jeremy shockey led the team in receptions . defensively , the team struggled against the pass ( 28th in the league ) and gaining a consistent pass rush ( tied for 23rd in the league in sacks ) . 2007 : third super bowl championship in 2007 , the giants made the playoffs for the third consecutive season . in a september game against the eagles , they tied the nfl record for most sacks in a game by sacking philadelphia quarterback donovan mcnabb 12 times , with osi umenyiora recording six of those sacks . they became the third nfl franchise to win 600 games when they defeated the atlanta falcons 31 – 10 in october . that same month , they also played in the nfl 's first regular season game outside of north america , in london 's wembley stadium , where they beat miami 13 – 10 . they ended the regular season 10 – 6 and defeated tampa bay 24 – 14 in the first round of the playoffs , earning manning and coughlin their first playoff victories with the giants . the next week , the giants won their ninth consecutive road game by beating the top - seeded dallas cowboys 21 – 17 . in the nfc championship game , lawrence tynes kicked an overtime field goal to give them a 23 – 20 road victory over the green bay packers . in super bowl xlii , the giants defeated the previously unbeaten new england patriots 17 – 14 . the signature play of the game came on a 3rd - and - 5 , with the giants on their own 44 - yard line , down 14 – 10 , and 1 : 15 remaining in the 4th quarter . manning dropped back to pass , but was surrounded by new england pass rushers . escaping three tackles , he threw a long pass to david tyree , who caught the ball against his own helmet , while being covered by patriots safety rodney harrison . four plays later , manning threw the game - winning touchdown pass to plaxico burress with 35 seconds left . manning won the game 's mvp award by completing 19 of 34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns . the giants ' win is considered one of the biggest upsets in super bowl history . michael strahan retired after the game as the team 's all - time leader in sacks . 2008 – 2015 the giants ' 12 – 4 record in 2008 earned them a first - round bye in the playoffs . they won 11 of their first 12 games before stumbling to lose four of their last five , including a 23 – 11 loss to the eagles in the nfc divisional playoffs . manning threw for 3 , 238 yards , 21 touchdowns , and 10 interceptions , and was named to the pro bowl after the season . other standouts included brandon jacobs and derrick ward who both rushed for 1 , 000 yards ( who helped the giants lead the nfl in rushing yards ) ; justin tuck , who led the team with 12 sacks ; and antonio pierce , who was the team 's leading tackler . the giants featured a balanced offense with no receiver topping 600 receiving yards . the giants won their first five games in 2009 , but lost their next four . after beating the atlanta falcons in overtime , they lost badly to denver on thanksgiving . they defeated dallas 31 – 24 in week 13 , then lost 45 – 38 to philadelphia the next week . at 8 – 6 , they still had a chance to make the playoffs , but losses to carolina and minnesota to finish the season left them out of the playoffs at 8 – 8 . in the spring of 2010 , construction on the new meadowlands stadium ( now metlife stadium ) was completed , and the giants and jets opened it in august with their annual preseason game . in the regular season , they won their home opener against carolina , 31 – 18 , avenging their late - season loss from the previous year . they went on the road to play indianapolis in the second " manning bowl " in week 2 . peyton outplayed eli ( who threw for just 161 yards ) in a 38 – 14 colts victory . discipline became a growing problem for the giants during the season . in the colts game , jacobs threw his helmet into the stands , and in the next game , offensive tackle david diehl ripped off the helmet of tennessee titans cornerback cortland finnegan . during the 2011 preseason , the giants lost tight end kevin boss , wide receiver steve smith , guard rich seubert , linebacker keith bulluck , wide receiver derek hagan , and pro bowl center shaun o 'hara to free agency . however , the 2011 season also saw the emerging of second - year wide receiver victor cruz and second - year tight end jake ballard . the giants opened the season against the washington redskins on the 10th anniversary of the september 11th attacks , with both new york city and washington being a target of the attacks . the redskins beat the giants 28 – 14 , but the giants won their next three games , against the rams , eagles , and cardinals . after a loss against the seattle seahawks because of an eli manning interception , they went on another three - game winning streak . a key victory was an upset of the new england patriots 24 – 20 at gillette stadium . the victory ended the patriots ' nfl record home - game winning streak , after a touchdown pass from manning to ballard with 15 seconds left . however , the giants seemed to hit a wall after the midpoint of the season . by inconsistent game play , questionable play - calling , and injuries , the team struggled and lost their next three games . the giants broke their losing streak and regained their position atop the nfc east with a tightly contested 37 – 34 victory over the dallas cowboys on december 11 . soon after , the giants lost to the redskins again , but they avenged their defeat by beating their cross - town rival new york jets , also knocking the philadelphia eagles out of playoff contention , leaving them with a tiebreaker versus the cowboys . on a cold night in new jersey , the giants defeated the cowboys 31 – 14 in week 17 to clinch the nfc east and thus their nfl record 31st playoff appearance , breaking their tie with the cowboys at 30 . in the first round of the playoffs , the giants defeated the atlanta falcons 24 – 2 . after giving up an early safety in the first half , eli manning threw three consecutive touchdowns . running backs ahmad bradshaw and brandon jacobs combined for 172 yards rushing , a season - high for the giants . with the victory , the giants advanced to the second round against the top - seeded green bay packers . the following week , the giants defeated the packers 37 – 20 . manning threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns , two of them to wide receiver hakeem nicks . this earned the giants a spot in the nfc championship game against the san francisco 49ers . they won that game in overtime , 20 – 17 with lawrence tynes scoring the game - winning field goal as he did four years earlier in the same game against the green bay packers . the new york giants won super bowl xlvi against the new england patriots by a score of 21 – 17 . the winning touchdown drive began with a 38 - yard reception by receiver mario manningham . as in super bowl xlii , eli manning was the game 's mvp , defeating tom brady for a second time in the super bowl . 2012 – present despite winning 2 super bowl championships in 5 years , the 2012 ( 9 - 7 ) , 2013 ( 7 - 9 ) , and 2014 ( 6 - 10 ) seasons saw the giants missing the playoffs 3 years in a row . a bright spot of the 2014 season was rookie odell beckham jr . , who burst onto the scene catching 91 passes on 132 targets , for 1 , 305 yards and 12 touchdowns , and in doing so winning offensive rookie of the year . the giants struggled in 2015 , finishing 6 - 10 again and third in the nfc east . quarterback eli manning threw for a career high 35 touchdown passes and also set career highs in attempts and completions . after the season , head coach tom coughlin resigned after 12 seasons .