1966 New York Giants season

1966 New York Giants season
OwnerWellington Mara
Head coachAllie Sherman
Home fieldYankee Stadium
Local radioWNEW[1]
Results
Record1–12–1
Division place8th NFL Eastern
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersCB Spider Lockhart

The 1966 New York Giants season was the franchise's 42nd season in the National Football League (NFL). The season saw the Giants looking to improve on their 7–7 record from 1965. However, they finished in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 1–12–1 record, the worst in franchise history.[2][3] The 12 losses set a single-season team record that was matched four times before being broken in 2017.[4]

The 1966 Giants surrendered the most points in NFL history for a 14-game season.[5][6] They allowed 501 points in 14 games, or an average of 35.8 points per game.[3] This total broke the league record for the most points given up in a season.[7] The next most points allowed by a Giants team was 451 in the 2019 season, which was 16 games.[3] The Giants allowed opponents to score more than 30 points in eight of the 14 games, and gave up over 50 points three times.[2] They are the only team in history to give up 500 points in a 14-game season.[5][6]

On November 27, the Giants played the highest-scoring game in NFL history, losing to the Washington Redskins, 72–41[8] and making them the last team until the 2023 Denver Broncos to surrender at least 70 points in a regular season game.[9] It was the first of three straight games in which the Giants gave up more than 45 points; they allowed 49 points against the Cleveland Browns and 47 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.[2]

  1. ^ Jaker, Bill; Sulek, Frank; Kanze, Peter (1998). The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 AM Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921–1996. McFarland & Company. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-7864-3872-3.
  2. ^ a b c "1966 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  4. ^ Henry, Tyler (December 24, 2017). "Giants set unwanted franchise record with 13th loss". USA Today. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Team Game Finder Query Results: In a single season, from 1960 to 1977, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points Allowed". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Pasquarelli, Len (May 18, 2009). "Schedule expansion gaining momentum". ESPN. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  7. ^ Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago, Illinois: Triumph Books. p. 143. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
  8. ^ "Redskins Set Mark In 72–41 Win Over Giants". Park City Daily News. Associated Press. November 28, 1966. p. 9. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  9. ^ De la Fuente, Homero; Almasy, Steve (September 24, 2023). "Miami Dolphins score 70 points and take a knee rather than take a shot at NFL scoring mark". CNN. Retrieved October 19, 2023.