1990 New York Giants season The 1990 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise ' s history . The Giants , who play in the National Football Conference ( NFC ) of the National Football League ( NFL ) , won their sixth championship — and second Super Bowl — in franchise history during the season . Led by linebacker Lawrence Taylor and quarterback s Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler , the Giants posted a 13 – 3 record and defeated the Chicago Bears and defending Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC playoffs . In Super Bowl XXV they defeated the Buffalo Bills 20 – 19 in Tampa Stadium , against a patriotic backdrop inspired by the recently started Gulf War . The story of the season is the subject of a recent book , " When the Cheering Stops " , by defensive end Leonard Marshall and CBSsports . com co - writer William Bendetson . After making the playoffs in 1989 , the Giants entered the 1990 season as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl . They began the season with a 27 – 20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles , then won their next nine games before losing a rematch to Philadelphia 31 – 13 in week 12 . The Giants also lost close games to the 49ers on the road and Bills at home in the regular season , before defeating both teams in playoff rematches . During the Buffalo game , Simms was lost for the season with a broken foot , and replaced by Hostetler . The Giants defense led the NFL in fewest points allowed ( 211 ) , and the team set an NFL record by committing only 14 turnovers in the regular season , which was broken by the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins in 2008 with 13 , and then again by the New England Patriots in 2010 , with only 10 . After the season , six Giants were selected to the Pro Bowl . Off - season . NFL Draft . The Giants had 11 selections in the 12 round 1990 NFL Draft , as opposed to the normal 12 , and took running back Rodney Hampton in the first round with the # 24 overall selection . They took defensive end Mike Fox out of West Virginia University in the second round ( # 51 overall ) and linebacker Greg Mark ( # 79 overall ) out of the University of Miami in the third round . Regular season . Game summaries . Week 1 : Vs Philadelphia Eagles . " at [ [ Giants Stadium ] ] , [ [ East Rutherford , New Jersey ] ] " The Giants started the season with a 27 – 20 win against the [ [ Philadelphia Eagles ] ] . Despite sitting out training camp and the preseason in a contract dispute , [ [ linebacker ] ] [ [ Lawrence Taylor ] ] started against the Eagles and finished with three sacks and a forced fumble . The Giants defense forced three [ [ Turnover ( football ) | turnovers ] ] and held the Eagles to 83 rushing yards . The Giants offense scored three touchdowns in a 13 - minute span in the third and early fourth quarters , but [ [ head coach ] ] [ [ Bill Parcells ] ] felt its performance was lackluster overall , " Our runners didn ' t run the way we wanted them to . They were a little impatient . There were five or six vivid examples of cutting back too soon . You just have to give the play a chance and let it go where it ' s supposed to . " Week 2 : At Dallas Cowboys . " at [ [ Texas Stadium ] ] , [ [ Irving , Texas ] ] " In temperatures reaching 122 degrees on the artificial turf at Texas Stadium , the Giants played the [ [ Dallas Cowboys ] ] on September 16 . In a matchup featuring the Giants , who went 12 – 4 in 1989 , and the Cowboys , who went 1 – 15 in 1989 , the Giants dominated from the outset , and used their backup players heavily throughout the game . Lawrence Taylor batted a Troy Aikman pass high into the air that he returned for a touchdown . The Giants defense held the Cowboys to 20 rushing yards and 156 yards of total offense , while their offense gained 369 . In addition , the Cowboys totaled only nine first downs , averaged 1 . 8 yards a rush attempt , and were dominated by the Giants in [ [ time of possession ] ] ; 41 minutes 40 seconds to 18 minutes 20 seconds . Despite the 28 – 7 victory , Giants [ [ center ( American football ) | center ] ] [ [ Bart Oates ] ] still felt the Giants offense could improve their play , " [ w ] e missed a lot of assignments . We rushed the ball O . K . , but not like we did against Buffalo in preseason . Phil was pressured some . There were plenty of things we didn ' t do . " Week 3 : Vs Miami Dolphins . " at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " The [ [ Miami Dolphins ] ] [ [ time of possession | held the ball ] ] for only 19 minutes and 42 seconds , and totalled only 158 yards of total offense against the Giants defense on September 23 . The Giants offense set the tone by holding the ball for 10 minutes and 25 seconds on the opening drive , leading to a field goal by [ [ Raul Allegre ] ] . They defeated the Dolphins 20 – 3 in front of 76 , 483 fans at [ [ Giants Stadium ] ] . Parcells was criticized by the local media for playing Taylor in the final moments , despite the lopsided score , after he injured his [ [ hamstring ] ] . The Giants defense held the Dolphins passing game , led by eventual [ [ Pro Football Hall of Fame | Hall of Fame ] ] quarterback [ [ Dan Marino ] ] , to 119 total yards , and 3 . 6 yards per [ [ pass attempt ] ] . Week 4 : Vs Dallas Cowboys . " at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " The Giants faced the [ [ Dallas Cowboys ] ] in week four in front of 75 , 923 fans at Giants Stadium . The Giants defense held the Cowboys to 51 rushing yards on 20 attempts , and the Giants [ [ time of possession | controlled the ball ] ] for 35 minutes and 38 seconds of the game . Giants quarterback [ [ Phil Simms ] ] threw three touchdowns , and backup [ [ Jeff Hostetler ] ] ran for a 12 - yard score late in the fourth quarter . Although the Giants league - leading defense gave up 284 yards , 84 came on the Cowboys ' final possession when the Giants played a [ [ prevent defense ] ] . Simms threw touchdown passes to [ [ Mark Ingram , Sr . | Mark Ingram ] ] , and [ [ Rodney Hampton ] ] , and the Giants built a 31 – 10 early in the fourth quarter , before pulling their starters and allowing a Dallas touchdown . Week 6 : At Washington Redskins . " at [ [ Robert F . Kennedy Stadium ] ] , [ [ Washington , D . C . ] ] " The Giants used their [ [ bye week ] ] to allow injured players such as linebacker [ [ Carl Banks ] ] , running back [ [ Rodney Hampton ] ] , [ [ special team ] ] er [ [ Reyna Thompson ] ] , [ [ defensive lineman ] ] [ [ Erik Howard ] ] and [ [ offensive tackle ] ] [ [ Jumbo Elliott ( American football ) | Jumbo Elliott ] ] to recover from their injuries . They played the [ [ Washington Redskins ] ] in [ [ Washington D . C . ] ] the following week . The Giants forced four turnovers and won despite losing the time of possession battle to the Redskins 35 minutes 28 seconds to 24 minutes 32 seconds . [ [ Defensive coordinator ] ] [ [ Bill Belichick ] ] singled out free safety [ [ Greg Jackson ( American football ) | Greg Jackson ] ] , who had two interceptions , after the 24 – 20 win . " Jackson must have had 10 interceptions in practice , and if ever the cliche held true about a player playing the way he practices , it was so this week . " Week 7 : Vs Phoenix Cardinals . " at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " In week seven , the Giants faced the [ [ Arizona Cardinals | Phoenix Cardinals ] ] in front of 76 , 518 fans at Giants Stadium . They rushed for 151 yards on 31 carries , and committed only four penalties for 24 yards . Their defense held the Cardinals to 96 passing yards and 221 yards of total offense . With 5 minutes 38 seconds left in the game , the Cardinals — 13 - point [ [ betting odds | underdogs ] ] going into the game — extended their lead over the Giants to 19 – 10 . However , the Giants came back with a 38 - yard touchdown from [ [ Jeff Hostetler ] ] to [ [ Stephen Baker ( American football ) | Stephen Baker ] ] , and a game - winning 40 - yard field goal by [ [ Matt Bahr ] ] to win 20 – 19 . The Giants responses were subdued in their locker room after the win . " It wasn ' t pretty , " said Taylor . " But you don ' t ask how to win , you just win . " Week 8 : Vs Washington Redskins . " at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " At home in front of 75 , 321 fans , the Giants played the [ [ Washington Redskins ] ] in week eight . Each team totaled 16 first downs , four punts , five penalties , and the margin in [ [ time of possession ] ] was less than a minute . However , the Giants committed zero turnovers and forced the Redskins into three . Giants [ [ cornerback ] ] [ [ Everson Walls ] ] intercepted two passes — including one that he returned for his first career touchdown — and [ [ free safety ] ] [ [ Greg Jackson ( American football ) | Greg Jackson ] ] intercepted another . The first interception , by Walls , set up a Giants touchdown to give them a 14 – 0 lead in the second quarter . Jackson then intercepted a pass to set up another Giants touchdown in the third quarter , and Walls returned his second interception 28 yards for a touchdown that made the score 21 – 10 and put the game of reach in the fourth quarter . Week 9 : At Indianapolis Colts . " at [ [ RCA Dome | Hooiser Dome ] ] , [ [ Indianapolis , Indiana ] ] " The Giants improved to 8 – 0 with a 24 – 7 win over the [ [ Indianapolis Colts ] ] in front of 56 , 688 in the [ [ RCA Dome | Hoosier Dome ] ] . The Giants defense held the Colts to 11 first downs , 181 total yards , and 55 rushing yards . Simms completed 17 of 21 for 172 yards , with no touchdowns , one interception . Simms ' interception ended a streak of 150 passes without an interception . [ [ Defensive end ] ] [ [ Leonard Marshall ] ] sacked Colts quarterback [ [ Jeff George ] ] twice , Dave Duerson returned a fumble for a touchdown , and the Giants defense held George to 160 yards passing on 37 pass attempts . The Giants controlled the game from the start , ending the first half leading 17 – 0 , and ahead of the Colts 206 to 45 in total yards , 13 to 1 in first downs , and 20 : 57 to 9 : 03 in time of possession . Week 10 : At Los Angeles Rams . " at [ [ Angel Stadium of Anaheim | Anaheim Stadium ] ] , [ [ Anaheim , California ] ] " The Giants traveled to California to face the [ [ Saint Louis Rams | Los Angeles Rams ] ] on November 11 . They defeated the Rams 31 – 7 in front of 64 , 632 fans in Anaheim Stadium , led by Simm ' s efficient passing . Going into the game the Rams had beaten the Giants three times in two years , including eliminating the Giants in the [ [ NFL playoffs , 1989 - 90 | 1989 playoffs ] ] . Although the Giants defense was only able to sack Rams quarterback [ [ Jim Everett ] ] twice , they forced him into 17 of 36 passing for 186 yards , zero touchowns , and three [ [ interception ] ] s . " It ' s hard to sack him , " Belichick said . " But we kept the pressure on . We had the same coverage we used the last eight years . Nothing radically different . " Week 11 : Vs Detroit Lions . " at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " The Giants defeated the [ [ Detroit Lions ] ] 20 – 0 in week 11 to improve their record to 10 – 0 , and set a franchise record for wins to start to a season . Simms threw a 57 - yard touchdown pass to receiver [ [ Mark Ingram , Sr . | Mark Ingram ] ] in the second quarter to run the score to 17 – 0 . After the Giants kicked a field goal to make the score 20 – 0 , the teams played a scoreless second half . The [ [ shutout ] ] was the Giants defense first of the season , and coach Parcells commented , " [ t ] he defense played very well . The offense played well when I let them . We played conservatively in the second half . We played pretty much error - free . We didn ' t do anything stupid . " Week 12 : At Philadelphia Eagles . " at [ [ Veterans Stadium ] ] , [ [ Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ] ] " The Giants were dealt their first 1990 regular season loss in a 31 – 13 defeat against the [ [ Philadelphia Eagles ] ] on November 25 to set their record at 10 – 1 . The Eagles broke open a close game by scoring two touchdowns in 22 seconds in the fourth quarter . The game was marked by several scuffles and after the game some of the Giants players complained of the tactics used by the Eagles . The Eagles amassed 179 rushing yards and 405 total yards , and punted the ball just twice in the victory . Eagles quarterback [ [ Randall Cunningham ] ] rushed for 66 yards while completing 17 of 31 passes for 229 yards , two touchdowns , and zero interceptions . Taylor , who recorded three sacks and seven tackles in the Giants season opening victory over the Eagles , was held to one tackle in the loss . Week 13 : At San Francisco 49ers . " at [ [ Candlestick Park ] ] , [ [ San Francisco , California ] ] The [ [ San Francisco 49ers ] ] matched the Giants with their own 10 – 0 start in the 1990 season . Although both teams lost in week 12 to stand at 10 – 1 , their week 13 matchup was still highly anticipated . The game took place in front of 66 , 092 fans at Candlestick Park . The 49ers scored the only touchdown of the game in the second quarter on a 23 - yard pass from [ [ Joe Montana ] ] to [ [ John Taylor ( football player ) | John Taylor ] ] . With four minutes left , they stopped the Giants on four passes from the 49ers ' 9 - yard line and went on to win , 7 – 3 , after which 49ers safety Ronnie Lott and Simms had a heated verbal exchange . The Giants defense performed well in the loss . They held the 49ers to 152 passing yards , 88 rushing yards , and limited All - Pro [ [ Wide receiver ] ] [ [ Jerry Rice ] ] to one reception for 13 yards . 49ers [ [ defensive end ] ] [ [ Charles Haley ] ] recorded five tackles , 1 . 5 sacks , and two forced fumbles in the victory . Week 14 : Vs Minnesota Vikings . " at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " The Giants hosted the [ [ Minnesota Vikings ] ] in week 14 . Led Taylor , who recorded 12 tackles and two sacks , the Giants defense held the Vikings to 132 passing yards . Taylor also forced a fumble by Vikings quarterback [ [ Rich Gannon ] ] and pressured Gannon into an interception by [ [ Gary Reasons ] ] at the Viking 17 - yard line , which positioned [ [ Matt Bahr ] ] for the game - clinching 18 - yard field goal . In addition , Taylor gave several inspirational speeches to his teammates . " He told us : ' I ' m going to start playing the way we ' re supposed to play . If anybody wants to come along , fine , ' " [ [ inside linebacker ] ] [ [ Steve DeOssie ] ] said . " He changed our attitude . " The Giants won 23 – 15 to improve to 11 – 2 . Week 15 : Vs Buffalo Bills . " at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " The Giants lost at home to the [ [ Buffalo Bills ] ] 17 – 13 in week 15 . The game was played in inclement weather , which caused 10 , 295 no - shows at Giants Stadium . They led the Bills in total yards ( 313 to 264 ) , rushing yards ( 157 to 65 ) , first downs ( 20 to 13 ) and time of possession ( 37 minutes 59 seconds to 22 : 01 ) , but lost nonetheless . Simms broke his foot during the game , causing him to miss the remainder of the season , and was replaced by inexperienced backup [ [ Jeff Hostetler ] ] The Bills built a 14 – 10 second quarter lead behind 74 and 78 yard touchdown drives . The teams alternated field goals to make the score 17 – 13 . However , the Giants could not score in the fourth quarter despite mounting drives to the Bills ' 18 and 23 yard lines . Week 16 : At Phoenix Cardinals . " at [ [ Sun Devil Stadium ] ] , [ [ Tempe , Arizona ] ] " The Giants played the [ [ Arizona Cardinals | Phoenix Cardinals ] ] in [ [ Tempe , Arizona ] ] in week 16 . Their defense allowed 452 yards , and Cardinals quarterback [ [ Timm Rosenbach ] ] threw for three touchdowns and set a new career high with 381 yards passing . The Giants noticed in the week leading up to the game that teams had success running with their [ [ Fullback ( American football ) | fullback ] ] against the Cardinals , and in the game , Giants ' [ [ Fullback ( American football ) | fullback ] ] [ [ Maurice Carthon ] ] set a career high with 67 rushing yards on 12 carries . They also installed several plays to take advantage of quarterback [ [ Jeff Hostetler | Jeff Hostetler ' s ] ] scrambling ability . Hostetler threw for 191 yards and ran for 31 in his first start of the season . The Giants held on to win 24 – 21 when two of the Cardinals fourth quarter drives resulted in interceptions and their final drive was ended by a Taylor sack . Week 17 : At New England Patriots . " at [ [ Foxboro Stadium ] ] , [ [ Foxboro , Massachusetts ] ] " The Giants travelled to [ [ Massachusetts ] ] to face the [ [ New England Patriots ] ] at Foxboro Stadium in week 17 . The game was a de facto home game , as many Giants fans made the trip up to [ [ Foxborough , Massachusetts | Foxborough ] ] to sell the stadium out . The game had no playoff implications for the Giants , who had clinched the # 2 seed in the NFC playoffs the week before . The Giants rushed for a season high yards 213 yards , led by Hostetler ' s 82 yards on 10 carries . The Patriots ' [ [ Jason Staurovsky ] ] missed a potential game - tying 42 - yard field goal in the fourth quarter , and Hostetler then ran a 30 - yard [ [ Bootleg play | bootleg ] ] on a key third down play to allow the Giants to run out the clock and secure the victory 13 – 10 . Playoffs . The Giants finished the regular season having committed an NFL record low 14 turnovers , and their defense led the league in fewest points allowed ( 211 ) . Following the season , six Giants — [ [ defensive lineman ] ] [ [ Erik Howard ] ] , [ [ center ( American football ) | center ] ] [ [ Bart Oates ] ] , [ [ offensive guard ] ] [ [ William Roberts ( American football ) | William Roberts ] ] , [ [ linebacker ] ] s [ [ Pepper Johnson ] ] and [ [ Lawrence Taylor ] ] , and [ [ special team ] ] er [ [ Reyna Thompson ] ] — were selected to [ [ 1991 Pro Bowl | the Pro Bowl ] ] . NFC Divisional playoff : Vs Chicago Bears . " at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " The Giants defeated the [ [ Chicago Bears ] ] 31 – 3 at home in the NFC Divisional playoff game on January 13 , 1991 . [ [ Ottis Anderson ] ] rushed for 80 yards on 21 carries , and the Giants rushed for 194 yards overall , and dominated the Bears in [ [ time of possession ] ] ; 38 minutes and 22 seconds to 21 minutes and 38 seconds . Parcells at the suggestion of Belichick used a [ [ 4 – 3 defense | four - man defensive line ] ] most of the game — as opposed to their traditional [ [ 3 - 4 defense ] ] — confusing the unprepared Bears who had trouble with their blocking assignments . The Giants were 4 for 4 on fourth down plays and converted 6 of 14 third downs . The Giants defense stopped the Bears on the goal line on a fourth down attempt in the second quarter , and held Bears quarterback [ [ Mike Tomczak ] ] to 17 of 36 passing for 205 yards , and two interceptions , and running back Neal Anderson to a season - low 19 yards on 12 carries . NFC Championship Game : At San Francisco 49ers . " at [ [ Candlestick Park ] ] , [ [ San Francisco , California ] ] " The Giants advanced to face the two - time defending champion [ [ San Francisco 49ers ] ] in the NFC Championship game on [ [ January 20 ] ] , [ [ 1991 ] ] in front of 65 , 750 fans at Candlestick Park . The game was a rematch of the 7 – 3 49ers win one month earlier . The teams alternated [ [ Field goal ( American and Canadian football ) | field goal ] ] s in the first and second quarter to make the score 6 – 6 at halftime . Less than five minutes into the third quarter 49ers Joe Montana threw a 61 - yard touchdown pass to receiver [ [ John Taylor ( football player ) | John Taylor ] ] to give the 49ers a 13 – 6 lead . A Giants ' field goal made the score 13 – 9 at the end of the third quarter . With 9 : 42 remaining in the game , [ [ Leonard Marshall ] ] sacked Montana and knocked him from the game due to several injuries . The Giants got the ball back , but were stopped on a key third down and one . On fourth down , Parcells called a fake punt , which resulted in a long run by [ [ Gary Reasons ] ] to set up another Giants ' field goal , making the score 13 – 12 . The 49ers gained possession of the ball and attempted to run out the clock , but nose tackle [ [ Erik Howard ] ] made a key play , fighting through a double - team to knock the ball out of running back [ [ Roger Craig ( American football ) | Roger Craig ] ] ' s possession . [ [ Lawrence Taylor ] ] caught the fumble in mid - air , which gave the ball to the Giants at their own 43 - yard line . Hostetler complted passes to Bavaro and Baker which took them to the San Francisco 24 - yard line . [ [ Matt Bahr ] ] then made his fifth field goal from the 25 - yard line a few plays later as time expired , giving the Giants a 15 – 13 victory . Super Bowl XXV . " at [ [ Tampa Stadium ] ] , [ [ Tampa , Florida ] ] " [ [ Super Bowl XXV ] ] took place amidst a background of war and patriotism in front of 73 , 813 fans at [ [ Tampa Stadium ] ] , in [ [ Tampa ] ] , [ [ Florida ] ] . The [ [ Gulf War ] ] had begun less than two weeks previous and the nation rallied around the Super Bowl as a symbol of America . Adding to the patriotism was [ [ Whitney Houston | Whitney Houston ' s ] ] stirring rendition of the [ [ Star Spangled Banner | National Anthem ] ] , which became known as one of the greatest renditions in Super Bowl history . The game lived up to the stirring Anthem , as it went down as the most competitive Super Bowl in history . The Giants got off to a quick 3 – 0 lead . However , the Bills scored the next 12 points , on a field goal , a touchdown by backup running back [ [ Don Smith ( running back ) | Don Smith ] ] , and a safety after [ [ Jeff Hostetler ] ] was sacked in the end zone by [ [ Bruce Smith ( defensive end ) | Bruce Smith ] ] , to give the Bills a 12 – 3 lead . The Giants then ran a drive that took nearly 8 minutes , and culminated in a 14 - yard touchdown pass from Hostetler to [ [ Stephen Baker ( American football ) | Stephen Baker ] ] making the score 12 – 10 at halftime . The Giants received the second half kickoff and mounted a record - setting drive , during which they converted on five third down plays . The opening drive ran for over 9 minutes ( a Super Bowl record ) and culminated in a 1 - yard touchdown run by Ottis Anderson , giving the Giants a 17 – 12 lead . The signature play of the drive came on a third down play , when Giants receiver [ [ Mark Ingram , Sr . | Mark Ingram ] ] appeared about to be tackled well short of a first down . However , Ingram evaded several tacklers , and dragged one defender just enough to get the Giants the first down , and kept the drive alive . By this time , the Giants strategy to handle the Bills offense had become clear : keep them off the field . Indeed , the Giants two touchdown drives consumed over 17 minutes . The Bills struck back quickly . On the first play of the fourth quarter , Thurman Thomas ran for a 31 - yard touchdown that put the Bills back in front , 19 – 17 . A few possessions later , the Giants drove down to the Bills 4 yard line , but were unable to score a touchdown and had to settle for a 21 - yard field goal by Matt Bahr that gave the Giants a 20 – 19 lead . Both teams exchanged possessions before the Bills began one final drive . The Bills drove down to the Giants 30 - yard line to set up what would be a potentially game - winning 47 - yard field goal attempt by [ [ Scott Norwood ] ] . Just before the kick , [ [ Monday Night Football | ABC ] ] showed a graphic indicating that , on grass that season , Norwood had only made 3 – of – 7 field goals from at least 40 yards , and that the 47 - yarder would be Norwood ' s longest ever on grass . A few moments later , in what became the game ' s signature moment , Norwood ' s attempt missed [ [ Wide Right ( Buffalo Bills ) | wide right ] ] , and the Giants won their second Super Bowl in five years , 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 . External links . [ [ Category : NFC East championship seasons ] ] [ [ Category : New York Giants seasons ] ] [ [ Category : National Football Conference championship seasons ] ] [ [ Category : Super Bowl champion seasons ] ] [ [ Category : 1990 National Football League season by team | New York Giants ] ]