# 1941 New York Giants season

The 1941 New York Giants season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League.

## Season recap

The Giants managed to put together quite a respectable team this year. Ed Danowski was lured out of retirement, Tuffy Leemans' back healed, and Mel Hein was talked out of a potential retirement. The Giants sailed through their first five games—only the Washington Redskins came within a touchdown of them as they outscored their first five opponents, 122–27. But the Brooklyn Dodgers, coached by Jock Sutherland and guided on the field by All-Pro Ace Parker, proved the Giants' most formidable opponents, dealing them two of their three defeats this year.
The Giants clinched the Eastern Division title weeks in advance of the regular season finale, but no NFL players could have been prepared for the Attack on Pearl Harbor to occur less than fifteen minutes before kickoff of week 14; the three games that day were not interrupted, but a bye week was observed before proceeding to the championship game.

## Schedule

| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 13 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–0 | 1–0 | Philadelphia Municipal Stadium | 25,478 | Recap |
| — | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 2 | September 28 | at Washington Redskins | W 17–10 | 2–0 | Griffith Stadium | 35,677 | Recap |
| 3 | October 5 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 37–10 | 3–0 | Forbes Field | 13,458 | Recap |
| 4 | October 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 16–0 | 4–0 | Polo Grounds | 30,842 | Recap |
| 5 | October 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 28–7 | 5–0 | Polo Grounds | 34,604 | Recap |
| 6 | October 26 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | L 13–16 | 5–1 | Ebbets Field | 28,675 | Recap |
| 7 | November 2 | Chicago Cardinals | L 7–10 | 5–2 | Polo Grounds | 29,289 | Recap |
| 8 | November 9 | Detroit Lions | W 20–13 | 6–2 | Polo Grounds | 27,875 | Recap |
| 9 | November 16 | Cleveland Rams | W 49–14 | 7–2 | Polo Grounds | 32,740 | Recap |
| 10 | November 23 | Washington Redskins | W 20–13 | 8–2 | Polo Grounds | 49,317 | Recap |
| — | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 11 | December 7 | Brooklyn Dodgers | L 7–21 | 8–3 | Polo Grounds | 55,051 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. • September 13: Saturday night game |||||||||

## Game summaries
### Game 1: at Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 13
* Game attendance: 25,478

### Game 2: at Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
* Date: September 28
* Game attendance: 35,677

### Game 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 3 | 0 | 14 | 20 | 37 |
| Steelers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 5
* Game attendance: 13,458

### Game 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Giants | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
* Date: October 12
* Game attendance: 30,842

### Game 5: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
* Date: October 19
* Game attendance: 34,604

### Game 6: at Brooklyn Dodgers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Dodgers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York
* Date: October 26
* Game attendance: 28,675

### Game 7: vs. Chicago Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
* Date: November 2
* Game attendance: 29,829

### Game 8: vs. Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Giants | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
* Date: November 9
* Game attendance: 27,875

### Game 9: vs. Cleveland Rams

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rams | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Giants | 14 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
* Date: November 16
* Game attendance: 32,740

### Game 10: vs. Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
* Date: November 23
* Game attendance: 49,317

### Game 11: vs. Brooklyn Dodgers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dodgers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
* Date: December 7
* Game attendance: 55,051

## Playoffs

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources |
| Championship | December 21 | at Chicago Bears | L 9–37 | Wrigley Field | 13,341 | Recap | |

### 1941 NFL Championship: at Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Bears | 3 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 37 |
at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
* Date: December 21
* Game attendance: 13,341

## Standings

NFL Eastern Division :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK |
| New York Giants | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 6–2 | 238 | 114 | L1 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | 6–2 | 158 | 127 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | 5–3 | 176 | 174 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 8 | 1 | .200 | 1–6–1 | 119 | 218 | L3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 | 9 | 1 | .100 | 1–6–1 | 103 | 276 | L2 |
    Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Western Division :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK |
| Chicago Bears | 10 | 1 | 0 | .909 | 7–1 | 396 | 147 | W5 |
| Green Bay Packers | 10 | 1 | 0 | .909 | 7–1 | 258 | 120 | W8 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 6 | 1 | .400 | 3–4–1 | 121 | 195 | W1 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 3 | 7 | 1 | .300 | 1–6–1 | 127 | 197 | L2 |
| Cleveland Rams | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 1–7 | 116 | 244 | L9 |
    Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.