# 1991 New York Giants season

The 1991 New York Giants season was the franchise's 67th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Giants entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champion but failed to qualify for the playoffs. They were the eighth team in NFL history to enter a season as the defending Super Bowl champion and miss the playoffs, and became the first organization in NFL history to do so twice (the Giants missed out on the playoffs a season after winning Super Bowl XXI as well).
The 1991 season marked the first season that the Mara family did not have total ownership of the Giants. Wellington Mara's nephew Tim, who had inherited the half-stake in the team that his grandfather and namesake had given to Tim's father Jack, decided that he no longer wanted to be involved with the team after twenty-six years, most of which had been spent feuding with his uncle over the team's operations. On February 2, 1991, shortly after Super Bowl XXV, Tim Mara announced he had sold his family's stake in the team to businessman Bob Tisch, the co-founder of Loews Corporation and former United States Postmaster General. Tisch did not take an active role in the operations of the team, instead choosing to focus on the team's finances; this enabled the Maras to keep control of the football side of the team and allowed Wellington Mara's son John to take a more active role with the Giants.
The 1991 season also saw major changes to the Giants' coaching staff. Defensive Coordinator Bill Belichick left the team to become the Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns shortly after the Super Bowl. Head Coach Bill Parcells retired in May and was replaced by the team's former Running Backs Coach Ray Handley.
During the Giants' previous season Phil Simms entered the year as the starter and started the first fourteen games of the season. In the course of that fourteenth game, where the Giants hosted the Buffalo Bills, Simms suffered a severe foot injury and backup Jeff Hostetler took over and led the Giants through the playoffs and to their Super Bowl victory over those same Bills.
Simms did recover from his injury and was expected to regain his starting position, but Handley decided to make Simms and Hostetler compete for the position. Handley made his decision prior to the Giants' week one matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football and gave the starting job to Hostetler amid some controversy. Hostetler led the Giants to 6 wins in his eleven starts, but broke his back during a week 13 win against Tampa Bay. Simms returned to finish the game, but went 2–3 as Giants starter the remainder of the year and the Giants fell out of the playoffs.

## Offseason

After the 1990 season, in which the Giants won the Super Bowl, the Giants lost several members of their coaching staff. In addition to Parcells and Belichick, wide receivers coach Tom Coughlin took the head coaching position Boston College; he was said to have been the first choice to replace Parcells and would have done so had he not left the Giants.

### NFL Draft

1991 New York Giants draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 27 | Jarrod Bunch | RB | Michigan |
| 2 | 55 | Kanavis McGhee | LB | Colorado |
| 3 | 83 | Ed McCaffrey * | WR | Stanford |
| 4 | 111 | Clarence Jones | T | Maryland |
| 5 | 139 | Anthony Moss | LB | Florida State |
| 6 | 167 | Corey Miller | LB | South Carolina |
| 7 | 195 | Simmie Carter | DB | Southern Miss |
| 8 | 223 | Lamar McGriggs | DB | Western Illinois |
| 9 | 250 | Jerry Bouldin | WR | Mississippi State |
| 10 | 278 | Luis Cristobal | G | Miami |
| 11 | 306 | Ted Popson | TE | Portland State |
| 12 | 334 | Larry Wanke | QB | John Carroll |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue |
| 1 | August 5 | Buffalo Bills | W 23–17 | 1–0 | Giants Stadium |
| 2 | August 10 | at Cleveland Browns | L 10–16 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium |
| 3 | August 17 | New York Jets | W 24–10 | 2–1 | Giants Stadium |
| 4 | August 24 | at New England Patriots | L 3–24 | 2–2 | Foxboro Stadium |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 2 | San Francisco 49ers | W 16–14 | 1–0 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 8 | Los Angeles Rams | L 13–19 | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 15 | at Chicago Bears | L 17–20 | 1–2 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 4 | September 22 | Cleveland Browns | W 13–10 | 2–2 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | September 29 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 16–21 | 2–3 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 6 | Phoenix Cardinals | W 20–9 | 3–3 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 14 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 23–20 | 4–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 9 | October 27 | Washington Redskins | L 13–17 | 4–4 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 4 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 7–30 | 4–5 | Veterans Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 10 | at Phoenix Cardinals | W 21–14 | 5–5 | Sun Devil Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 17 | Dallas Cowboys | W 22–9 | 6–5 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 24 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 21–14 | 7–5 | Tampa Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 1 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 24–27 | 7–6 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 8 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–19 | 7–7 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 15 | at Washington Redskins | L 17–34 | 7–8 | RFK Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 21 | Houston Oilers | W 24–20 | 8–8 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Giants | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Clear, 65 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 76,319
* Referee: Dale Hamer
* TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 35-yard field goal, 6:46. Giants 3–0.
SF – Jerry Rice 73-yard pass from Steve Young (Mike Cofer kick), 2:44. 49ers 7–3.
Second quarter
NYG – Ottis Anderson 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 10:05. Giants 10–7.
NYG – Matt Bahr 28-yard field goal, 0:00. Giants 13–7.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
SF – Steve Young 5-yard run (Mike Cofer kick), 13:37. 49ers 14–13.
NYG – Matt Bahr 35-yard field goal, 0:05. Giants 16–14.
Top passers
SF – Steve Young – 12/22, 162 yards, TD, INT
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 17/31, 228 yards
Top rushers
SF – Keith Henderson – 10 rushes, 46 yards
NYG – Ottis Anderson – 15 rushes, 45 yards, TD
Top receivers
SF – Jerry Rice – 1 reception, 73 yards, TD
NYG – Mark Ingram – 6 receptions, 76 yards :

#### Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Rams

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rams | 0 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| Giants | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: September 8
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Scattered clouds, 78 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 76,541
* Referee: Johnny Grier
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and John Madden
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
LA – Tony Zendejas 29-yard field goal, 14:48. Rams 3–0.
NYG – Matt Bahr 46-yard field goal, 9:18. Tied 3–3.
LA – Robert Delpino 1-yard run (Tony Zendejas kick), 3:58. Rams 10–3.
NYG – Matt Bahr 40-yard field goal, 0:07. Rams 10–6.
Third quarter
LA – Tony Zendejas 50-yard field goal, 9:29. Rams 13–6.
Fourth quarter
LA – Tony Zendejas 32-yard field goal, 10:37. Rams 16–6.
LA – Tony Zendejas 33-yard field goal, 3:08. Rams 19–6.
NYG – Dave Meggett 1-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (Matt Bahr kick), 1:52. Rams 19–13.
Top passers
LA – Jim Everett – 7/16, 83 yards
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 17/32, 187 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
LA – Robert Delpino – 27 rushes, 116 yards, TD
NYG – Lewis Tillman – 8 rushes, 42 yards
Top receivers
LA – Damone Johnson – 1 reception, 18 yards
NYG – Odessa Turner – 3 receptions, 47 yards :

#### Week 3: at Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| Bears | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
* Date: September 15
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 64,829
* Referee: Dick Hantak
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
CHI – Kevin Butler 46-yard field goal, 6:54. Bears 3–0.
CHI – Wendell Davis 75-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh (Kevin Butler kick), 0:55. Bears 10–0.
CHI – Kevin Butler 20-yard field goal, 0:00. Bears 13–0.
Third quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 35-yard field goal, 13:23. Bears 13–3.
NYG – Rodney Hampton 6-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 1:17. Bears 13–10.
Fourth quarter
NYG – Rodney Hampton 3-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 10:09. Giants 17–13.
CHI – Neal Anderson 42-yard run (Kevin Butler kick), 6:39. Bears 20–17.
Top passers
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 25/35, 209 yards, INT
CHI – Jim Harbaugh – 15/25, 221 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 15 rushes, 61 yards, 2 TD
CHI – Neal Anderson – 8 rushes, 57 yards, TD
Top receivers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 6 receptions, 46 yards
CHI – Wendell Davis – 2 receptions, 88 yards, TD :

#### Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Giants | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: September 22
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Scattered clouds, 61 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 75,891
* Referee: Tom White
* TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Todd Christensen
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 44-yard field goal, 1:04. Giants 3–0.
Second quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 48-yard field goal, 11:10. Giants 6–0.
NYG – Rodney Hampton 28-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 3:33. Giants 13–0.
Third quarter
CLE – Matt Stover 30-yard field goal, 4:13. Giants 13–3.
Fourth quarter
CLE – Kevin Mack 7-yard pass from Bernie Kosar (Matt Stover kick), 14:55. Giants 13–10.
Top passers
CLE – Bernie Kosar – 13/22, 107 yards, TD
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 9/15, 65 yards
Top rushers
CLE – Kevin Mack – 20 rushes, 71 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 17 rushes, 104 yards, TD
Top receivers
CLE – Webster Slaughter – 3 receptions, 41 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 4 receptions, 21 yards :

#### Week 5: at Dallas Cowboys

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 16 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: September 29
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 64,010
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 43-yard field goal, 5:43. Giants 3–0.
DAL – Emmitt Smith 3-yard run (Ken Willis kick), 1:13. Cowboys 7–3.
Third quarter
DAL – Ray Horton 20-yard fumble return (Ken Willis kick), 14:42. Cowboys 14–3.
NYG – Matt Bahr 29-yard field goal, 9:12. Cowboys 14–6.
Fourth quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 25-yard field goal, 11:12. Cowboys 14–9.
NYG – Stephen Baker 19-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (Matt Bahr kick), 5:41. Giants 16–14.
DAL – Michael Irvin 23-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Ken Willis kick), 2:13. Cowboys 21–16.
Top passers
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 28/34, 368 yards, TD, INT
DAL – Troy Aikman – 20/27, 277 yards, TD
Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 11 rushes, 46 yards
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 18 rushes, 67 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
NYG – Mark Ingram – 6 receptions, 142 yards
DAL – Michael Irvin – 6 receptions, 91 yards :

#### Week 6: vs. Phoenix Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Giants | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: October 6
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Light rain, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 75,891
* Referee: Bob McElwee
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Rodney Hampton 12-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 10:42. Giants 7–0.
PHO – Greg Davis 52-yard field goal, 6:20. Giants 7–3.
NYG – Zeke Mowatt 7-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (Matt Bahr kick), 0:52. Giants 14–3.
Second quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 42-yard field goal, 4:19. Giants 17–3.
Third quarter
PHO – Greg Davis 40-yard field goal, 11:32. Giants 17–6.
PHO – Greg Davis 29-yard field goal, 2:09. Giants 17–9.
Fourth quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 27-yard field goal, 10:40. Giants 20–9.
Top passers
PHO – Tom Tupa – 23/40, 230 yards, 2 INT
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 14/18, 200 yards, TD
Top rushers
PHO – Johnny Johnson – 14 rushes, 73 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 22 rushes, 137 yards, TD
Top receivers
PHO – Randal Hill – 6 receptions, 65 yards
NYG – Odessa Turner – 3 receptions, 46 yards :

#### Week 7: at Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 20 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 14
* Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
* Game attendance: 57,608
* Referee: Red Cashion
* TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Howard Cross 12-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (Matt Bahr kick) kick), 3:59. Giants 7–0.
Second quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 45-yard field goal, 13:41. Giants 10–0.
NYG – Matt Bahr 40-yard field goal, 9:01. Giants 13–0.
Third quarter
NYG – Dave Meggett 30-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 7:13. Giants 20–0.
PIT – Gary Anderson 26-yard field goal, 3:06. Giants 20–3.
Fourth quarter
PIT – Gary Anderson 39-yard field goal, 10:19. Giants 20–6.
PIT – Louis Lipps 16-yard pass from Neil O'Donnell (Gary Anderson kick), 4:37. Giants 20–13.
PIT – Eric Green 5-yard pass from Neil O'Donnell (Gary Anderson kick), 0:50. Tied 20–20.
NYG – Matt Bahr 44-yard field goal, 0:04. Giants 23–20.
Top passers
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 14/25, 116 yards, TD
PIT – Neil O'Donnell – 11/21, 152 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 25 rushes, 96 yards
PIT – Merrill Hoge – 8 rushes, 73 yards
Top receivers
NYG – Dave Meggett – 4 receptions, 34 yards
PIT – Dwight Stone – 2 receptions, 78 yards :

#### Week 9: vs. Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
| Giants | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: October 27
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Scattered clouds, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 76,627
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Raúl Allegre 23-yard field goal, 8:35. Giants 3–0.
NYG – Rodney Hampton 1-yard run (Raúl Allegre kick), 1:20. Giants 10–0.
Second quarter
NYG – Raúl Allegre 36-yard field goal, 1:40. Giants 13–0.
Third quarter
WAS – Gary Clark 7-yard pass from Mark Rypien (Chip Lohmiller kick), 0:42. Giants 13–7.
Fourth quarter
WAS – Gary Clark 54-yard pass from Mark Rypien (Chip Lohmiller kick), 12:50. Redskins 14–13.
WAS – Chip Lohmiller 35-yard field goal, 0:51. Redskins 17–13.
Top passers
WAS – Mark Rypien – 12/25, 159 yards, 2 TD, INT
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 14/21, 137 yards, INT
Top rushers
WAS – Ricky Ervins – 20 rushes, 82 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 21 rushes, 83 yards, TD
Top receivers
WAS – Gary Clark – 3 receptions, 70 yards, 2 TD
NYG – Stephen Baker – 3 receptions, 77 yards :

#### Week 10: at Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Eagles | 0 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: November 4
* Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 42 °F (6 °C)
* Game attendance: 65,816
* Referee: Johnny Grier
* TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
PHI – Roger Ruzek 38-yard field goal, 14:09. Eagles 3–0.
PHI – Keith Jackson 73-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Roger Ruzek kick), 7:23. Eagles 10–0.
PHI – Roger Ruzek 36-yard field goal, 4:26. Eagles 13–0.
Third quarter
PHI – James Joseph 11-yard run (Roger Ruzek kick), 4:04. Eagles 20–0.
NYG – Rodney Hampton 1-yard run (Raúl Allegre kick), 2:21. Eagles 20–7.
Fourth quarter
PHI – Roger Ruzek 25-yard field goal, 8:13. Eagles 23–7.
PHI – James Joseph 1-yard run (Roger Ruzek kick), 3:19. Eagles 30–7.
Top passers
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 9/17, 142 yards
PHI – Jim McMahon – 16/26, 229 yards, TD
Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 11 rushes, 54 yards, TD
PHI – James Joseph – 18 rushes, 68 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
NYG – Odessa Turner – 1 reception, 55 yards
PHI – Keith Jackson – 4 receptions, 88 yards, TD :

#### Week 11: at Phoenix Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
* Date: November 10
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: Overcast, 74 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 50,048
* Referee: Gerry Austin
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Merlin Olsen
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Jeff Hostetler 47-yard run (Raúl Allegre kick), 1:34. Giants 7–0.
Second quarter
NYG – Rodney Hampton 1-yard run (Raúl Allegre kick), 12:50. Giants 14–0.
PHO – Johnny Johnson 3-yard run (Greg Davis kick), 3:12. Giants 14–7.
Third quarter
NYG – Jeff Hostetler 4-yard run (Raúl Allegre kick), 3:46. Giants 21–7.
Fourth quarter
PHO – Ricky Proehl 34-yard pass from Stan Gelbaugh (Greg Davis kick), 2:34. Giants 21–14.
Top passers
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 12/21, 124 yards
PHO – Tom Tupa – 15/25, 175 yards, INT
Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 24 rushes, 99 yards, TD
PHO – Johnny Johnson – 14 rushes, 37 yards, TD
Top receivers
NYG – Mark Ingram – 3 receptions, 46 yards
PHO – Ernie Jones – 5 receptions, 99 yards :

#### Week 12: vs. Dallas Cowboys

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Giants | 6 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 22 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: November 17
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Partly sunny, 41 °F (5 °C)
* Game attendance: 76,410
* Referee: Gordon McCarter
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 27-yard field goal, 4:15. Giants 3–0.
NYG – Matt Bahr 37-yard field goal, 2:15. Giants 6–0.
Second quarter
DAL – Ken Willis 22-yard field goal, 10:07. Giants 6–3.
NYG – Rodney Hampton 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 3:30. Giants 13–3.
NYG – Matt Bahr 22-yard field goal, 0:39. Giants 16–3.
Third quarter
DAL – Ken Willis 31-yard field goal, 8:41. Giants 16–6.
DAL – Ken Willis 18-yard field goal, 1:15. Giants 16–9.
Fourth quarter
NYG – Mark Ingram 35-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (kick failed), 10:08. Giants 22–9.
Top passers
DAL – Troy Aikman – 16/25, 150 yards
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 14/22, 182 yards, TD
Top rushers
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 17 rushes, 97 yards
NYG – Lewis Tillman – 12 rushes, 63 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Michael Irvin – 3 receptions, 48 yards
NYG – Stephen Baker – 4 receptions, 64 yards :

#### Week 13: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida
* Date: November 24
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 63,698
* Referee: Dale Hamer
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Dave Meggett 70-yard punt return (Matt Bahr kick), 10:10. Giants 7–0.
Second quarter
TB – Reggie Cobb 27-yard run (Steve Christie kick), 14:53. Tied 7–7.
Third quarter
NYG – Rodney Hampton 5-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 8:50. Giants 14–7.
Fourth quarter
TB – Willie Drewrey 19-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Steve Christie kick), 5:59. Tied 14–14.
NYG – Stephen Baker 30-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 0:16. Giants 21–14.
Top passers
NYG – Phil Simms – 10/14, 100 yards, TD
TB – Vinny Testaverde – 16/27, 122 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 15 rushes, 44 yards, TD
TB – Reggie Cobb – 22 rushes, 110 yards, TD
Top receivers
NYG – Mark Ingram – 3 receptions, 56 yards
TB – Willie Drewrey – 5 receptions, 57 yards, TD :

#### Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Bengals | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 27 |
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: December 1
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Overcast, 39 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 45,063
* Referee: Howard Roe
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Stephen Baker 15-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 5:55. Giants 7–0.
CIN – Tim McGee 41-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick), 0:36. Tied 7–7.
Second quarter
NYG – Stephen Baker 13-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 12:49. Giants 14–7.
Third quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 37-yard field goal, 10:12. Giants 17–7.
CIN – Jim Breech 35-yard field goal, 4:55. Giants 17–10.
Fourth quarter
CIN – Harold Green 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick), 11:15. Tied 17–17.
CIN – Jim Breech 35-yard field goal, 7:10. Bengals 20–17.
CIN – Mitchell Price 78-yard punt return (Jim Breech kick), 4:17. Bengals 27–17.
NYG – Mark Ingram 19-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 1:02. Bengals 27–24.
Top passers
NYG – Phil Simms – 26/44, 296 yards, 3 TD
CIN – Boomer Esiason – 17/30, 204 yards, TD
Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 16 rushes, 33 yards
CIN – Craig Taylor – 5 rushes, 31 yards
Top receivers
NYG – Mark Ingram – 7 receptions, 116 yards, TD
CIN – Eddie Brown – 4 receptions, 95 yards :

#### Week 15: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| Giants | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: December 8
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Overcast, 52 °F (11 °C)
* Game attendance: 76,099
* Referee: Tom White
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Dave Meggett 8-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 6:18. Giants 7–0.
Second quarter
PHI – Roger Ruzek 46-yard field goal, 9:49. Giants 7–3.
NYG – Dave Meggett 14-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 5:29. Giants 14–3.
PHI – Calvin Williams 8-yard pass from Jeff Kemp (Roger Ruzek kick), 0:42. Giants 14–10.
Third quarter
PHI – Roger Ruzek 21-yard field goal, 3:04. Giants 14–13.
Fourth quarter
PHI – Roger Ruzek 51-yard field goal, 14:05. Eagles 16–14.
PHI – Roger Ruzek 36-yard field goal, 1:53. Eagles 19–14.
Top passers
PHI – Jeff Kemp – 10/19, 146 yards, TD, 2 INT
NYG – Phil Simms – 7/23, 100 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
PHI – Keith Byars – 12 rushes, 65 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 15 rushes, 47 yards
Top receivers
PHI – Fred Barnett – 2 receptions, 68 yards
NYG – Mark Ingram – 2 receptions, 37 yards :

#### Week 16: at Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Redskins | 7 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
at RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.
* Date: December 15
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 54,722
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 36-yard field goal, 7:39. Giants 3–0.
WAS – Gary Clark 65-yard pass from Mark Rypien (Chip Lohmiller kick), 7:22. Redskins 7–3.
Second quarter
NYG – Phil Simms 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 13:34. Giants 10–7.
WAS – Gerald Riggs 1-yard run (Chip Lohmiller kick), 9:16. Redskins 14–10.
WAS – Terry Orr 22-yard pass from Mark Rypien (Chip Lohmiller kick), 6:31. Redskins 21–10.
WAS – Chip Lohmiller 36-yard field goal, 1:02. Redskins 24–10.
Third quarter
WAS – Chip Lohmiller 36-yard field goal, 4:42. Redskins 27–10.
NYG – Mark Ingram 18-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 1:40. Redskins 27–17.
Fourth quarter
WAS – Gary Clark 50-yard pass from Mark Rypien (Chip Lohmiller kick), 14:52. Redskins 34–17.
Top passers
NYG – Phil Simms – 23/41, 288 yards, TD, 2 INT
WAS – Mark Rypien – 9/19, 230 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 16 rushes, 67 yards
WAS – Ricky Ervins – 13 rushes, 85 yards
Top receivers
NYG – Mark Ingram – 6 receptions, 88 yards, TD
WAS – Gary Clark – 3 receptions, 129 yards, 2 TD :

#### Week 17: vs. Houston Oilers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
| Giants | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: December 21
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 39 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 63,421
* Referee: Larry Nemmers
* TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Paul Maguire
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Rodney Hampton 2-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 5:39. Giants 7–0.
Second quarter
HOU – Al Del Greco 37-yard field goal, 13:46. Giants 7–3.
NYG – Howard Cross 12-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 7:40. Giants 14–3.
NYG – Matt Bahr 54-yard field goal, 1:20. Giants 17–3.
HOU – Al Del Greco 34-yard field goal, 0:03. Giants 17–6.
Third quarter
NYG – Lewis Tillman 4-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 9:04. Giants 24–6.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Warren Moon 6-yard run (Al Del Greco kick), 6:06. Giants 24–13.
HOU – Ernest Givins 5-yard pass from Warren Moon (Al Del Greco kick), 1:28. Giants 24–20.
Top passers
HOU – Warren Moon – 22/36, 236 yards, TD
NYG – Phil Simms – 15/17, 200 yards, TD
Top rushers
HOU – Lorenzo White – 10 rushes, 82 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 28 rushes, 140 yards, TD
Top receivers
HOU – Ernest Givins – 6 receptions, 87 yards, TD
NYG – Howard Cross – 4 receptions, 51 yards, TD :

### Standings

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(1)}$ Washington Redskins | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 6–2 | 10–2 | 485 | 224 | L1 |
| $^{(5)}$ Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 342 | 310 | W5 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 6–6 | 285 | 244 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 281 | 297 | W1 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–7 | 3–11 | 196 | 344 | L8 |