The New York Giants are an American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They are a member of the National Football League (NFL) and play in the NFL's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. In 99 completed seasons, the franchise has won eight NFL championships, including four Super Bowl victories. The Giants have won more than 700 games and appeared in the NFL playoffs 33 times.[1] Though the Giants play home games in East Rutherford, they draw fans from throughout the New York metropolitan area.[2] In 2010, the team began playing in MetLife Stadium, formerly New Meadowlands Stadium.[3][4]
After Tim Mara paid $500 for the franchise,[5] the Giants joined the NFL in the 1925 season and won their first championship two years later. In 1934, the team won its second title, defeating the Chicago Bears in the NFL Championship Game. The Giants won another championship four years later, and made four appearances in the NFL Championship Game from 1939 to 1946, losing each time. New York won its fourth NFL title in 1956, with a 47–7 win over the Bears in the championship game. From 1958 to 1963, the Giants reached the NFL Championship Game five times, but were defeated on each occasion. Following the 1963 season, the franchise did not return to the playoffs until 1981, only finishing .500 or better five times during the postseason drought.
Behind the defensive play of Lawrence Taylor and the coaching of Bill Parcells, the team won Super Bowl XXI at the end of the 1986 season, giving the team its first championship in 30 years.[6][7] The Giants won their second Super Bowl four years later, defeating the Buffalo Bills 20–19 in Super Bowl XXV. In the 2000 season, New York returned to the Super Bowl, but lost to the Baltimore Ravens 34–7. The 2007 season saw the Giants win their seventh NFL championship by defeating the New England Patriots 17–14 in Super Bowl XLII. The victory by the Giants prevented a perfect 19–0 season by the Patriots and is widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history.[8][9] After a run of four consecutive appearances in the playoffs from 2005 to 2008, the Giants returned to the Super Bowl in the 2011 playoffs, where they defeated the Patriots 21–17 in a rematch for their eighth title. In the most recent season, 2023, the Giants went 6–11 and did not qualify for the postseason.
- ^ "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ "Identity crisis: Two states claim NFC champion Giants as their own". CNN Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. January 19, 2001. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
- ^ Lapointe, Joe (October 30, 2008). "At Meadowlands Stadium, Lots of Bells and Whistles". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Ehalt, Matthew (August 23, 2011). "MetLife name unveiled at stadium". ESPN. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (November 26, 2000). "Sports of the Times; When Grange Put the Pros in New York". The New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
- ^ Fennelly, John (June 13, 2021). "1986 Giants ranked among best teams of Super Bowl era". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ "Bill Parcells Leads Prestigious Hall of Fame Class Into Canton". CBS News. August 3, 2013. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Layden, Tim (February 11, 2008). "They're History". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
- ^ "Greatest Upsets in Sports History". Sports Illustrated. June 24, 2013. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2023.