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As one of the most storied franchises in NFL history, the New York Giants are one of the league's oldest teams of all time. Since their inception in 1925, the Giants have claimed four NFL Championships and four Super Bowls, totaling eight titles. With their 100th season now in the books, we will rank the 10 greatest teams in New York Giants history.
New York might not be so hot in the 2020s, but they were once one of the league's most dominant forces. Younger fans are familiar with the game of Lawrence Taylor, but have largely forgotten about the influence he had as the leader of the ‘Big Blue Wrecking Crew.' Taylor is one of 32 former Giants in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining fellow greats Mel Hein, Y.A. Tittle, Frank Gifford and others. Quarterbacks Phil Simms and Eli Manning the even longer list of alumni who have yet to receive the honor.
From the Steve Owen era to Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin, the Giants have assembled many great all-time teams throughout their 100 years of existence. The last 10 years might not have been so great, but New York has many other options to choose from.
10. 1962 – Reborn Giants
Regular season record: 12-2
Season result: NFL Championship Game runner-up
The Buffalo Bills' four consecutive Super Bowl losses from 1990 to 1993 still stand as one of the most infamous runner-up stretches in sports history, but the Giants experienced a similar lull three decades prior. New York made it to the NFL Championship Game five times from 1958 to 1963, losing each of them. Of them, the team's 1962 squad was easily the best iteration.
The 1962 Giants went 12-2 in the regular season, their best record since 1930. While most of the team returned, 36-year-old quarterback Y.A. Tittle made an unprecedented late-career leap in his 15th season, throwing for a career-high 33 touchdowns after tossing just 17 the year before. His unexpected improvement helped head coach Allie Sherman win his second Coach of the Year award in as many years. Defensive end Andy Robustelli added to the hardware by becoming the first player in team history to win the Bert Bell Award.
Ultimately, the team still fell short, losing to the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship Game for the second straight year. Their season-long dominance still gave fans enough memories to make them one of the greatest Giants teams of all time.
9. 1927 – First championship
Regular season record: 11-1
Season result: NFL Champions
In just their third season, the New York Giants won their first championship in 1927, finishing the regular season with an 11-1 record. The league did not have a championship game at the time, allowing the Giants to take the crown as the team with the best record.
Due to the early stages of the league, this Giants team did not receive any further accolades to bolster their profile. Instead, their on-field dominance spoke for itself. New York outscored opponents 197-20 in its 12 games, never allowing more than seven points in a single game. They averaged the most points in the league, 15.2 per game, while allowing the fewest, 1.5, to opponents. Even with the Big Blew Wrecking Crew forming in the 1980s, the 1927 Giants are arguably the most defensively dominant team in franchise history.
8. 1934 – The Sneaker Game
Regular season record: 8-5
Season result: Won NFL Championship Game
Seven years after claiming their first title, the Giants clinched another one, this time by beating the Chicago Bears in the NFL Championship Game. The 30-13 victory has since been immortalized in league history as ‘The Sneaker Game' due to New York's infamous tactic of changing into basketball sneakers at halftime to combat the icy surface. The midgame adjustment led to a 27-0 fourth quarter, allowing them to overcome a 10-point deficit.
Many remember the Giants' upset of the New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl, but their victory over the Bears was their first major title game upset. Not only did the Bears enter the game undefeated, but they topped New York in the 1933 NFL Championship Game. Winning the first Championship Game in franchise history in such dramatic fashion set a tone the team would build on over the next two decades.
7. 1929 – Everything but the finish
Regular season record: 13-1-1
Season result: Second place
The 1929 Giants rank among the greatest teams in NFL history that did not win a championship. They would have competed for one had the Championship Game been a part of the game back then, but this season happened before its establishment. New York went 13-1-1 in the regular season, shutting out nine of its 15 opponents. They ended the year with a plus-226 point differential on the year, the best in franchise history.
The team's only loss of the year came in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers, who ended the year undefeated and the de facto champions. The Packers were one of just three teams to score multiple touchdowns against New York all season. In their fifth season, the Giants rode the hot hands of fullback Tony Plansky and receiver Ray Flaherty, who led the team with 17 total touchdowns.
6. 1956 – Yankee Stadium introduction
Regular season record: 8-3
Season result: Won NFL Championship Game
After years of playing home games at Polo Grounds, the Giants finally moved to Yankee Stadium for the 1956 season. There, they played in front of their biggest crowds to date, and showed out with their fourth NFL Championship. Hall of Fame running back Frank Gifford led the league with 1,422 scrimmage yards to claim the second MVP award in franchise history.
Gifford was one of five Giants who ended the season as first-team All-Pros. Defensive end Andy Robustelli, defensive tackle Rosey Grier, safety Emlen Tunnell and offensive tackle Rosey Brown joined him with the feat. Two others, quarterback Charlie Conerly and defensive end Kyle Rote, joined them in the Pro Bowl. The title ended a five-year playoff drought while sparking the beginning of a new dynasty.
5. 1938 – The first great Giant
Regular season record: 8-2-1
Season result: Won NFL Championship Game
The Giants' 1938 championship was their third in franchise history, but they still reached a new milestone. Hall of Fame center Mel Hein earned the NFL MVP award along the way, becoming the first player in franchise history to take home the trophy. In the “one-platoon football” era, during which players played both sides for all 60 minutes, Hein was a true workhorse, carrying the team to its second title in four years.
New York also set another record in 1938 with its most Pro Bowl selections. However, the record somewhat came by default, as the entire team received an honorary Pro Bowl nod. The NFL experimented with having the champions face a team of Pro All-Stars at the end of the year, which technically gave the Giants 27 Pro Bowlers. Regardless, the Giants won the game 13-10, adding another win to their record, making them one of the greatest teams in franchise history.
4. 2011 – Giants redemption
Regular season record: 9-7
Season result: Won Super Bowl XLVI
A 9-7 team should never be in any top 10, but in most cases, those teams do not go on to win the Super Bowl. The win loses a little bit of luster, coming just four years after the 2007 Super Bowl, but it was nearly as impressive. With just two Pro Bowlers on the roster — quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul — the Giants made another unexpected run to the Super Bowl to take down the New England Patriots.
Part of what made this Giants team one of the greatest of all time was that it was never supposed to happen. New York suffered four consecutive losses from Week 10 to Week 13, dropping them to just 6-6 with four games remaining. They managed to gut through a late-season stretch to win a weak NFC East division before shockingly dominating in the playoffs. This team fully embodied a “gritty, not pretty” approach and perfectly played off each other when it mattered most.
3. 2007 – Greatest upset in Super Bowl history
Regular season record: 10-6
Season result: Won Super Bowl XLII
Whenever fans discuss the greatest upsets in NFL history, the Giants' 2007 Super Bowl always comes up. As much as their 2011 season was not supposed to go the way it did, New York's Super Bowl XLII victory was as close to a real-life David vs. Goliath matchup as there could be. The entire story heading into the game was the New England Patriots' undefeated record and their quest to become the first team to go 19-0. Instead, Eli Manning and company had other plans.
The Patriots were not nearly as hated in 2007 as they would grow to become, but a large portion of the general fan base still wanted to see New York pull off the upset. Unlike mighty New England, the Giants had just one Pro Bowler, defensive end Osi Umenyiora, and no All-Pros. It was truly a tale of heart and grit over talent, as the Big Blue held the best offense in the league to just 14 points to win their first Super Bowl since 1990.
2. 1990 – Bill Parcells' farewell
Regular season record: 13-3
Season result: Won Super Bowl XXV
The Giants' run in the 1980s was truly a magic moment, but all great things must come to an end. In what seemed like the perfect storybook ending at the time, New York's Super Bowl XXV victory was its second title in five years, making it the ideal way to send off head coach Bill Parcells. The Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms-led team returned to its dominant ways by going 13-3 in the regular season, winning eight games by double digits.
Simms led the team all season, but a broken foot late in the year prematurely ended his season. The Giants' dominance appeared in jeopardy, but backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler took the team the rest of the way and threw three touchdowns in the Super Bowl to clinch another championship. The 1990 squad ended up being one of the final iterations of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew, solidifying their place as one of the greatest Giants teams of all time.
1. 1986 – Peak of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew
Regular season record: 14-2
Season result: Won Super Bowl XXI
The 1986 New York Giants were not just one of the greatest teams in franchise history; they are still one of the best teams to ever grace the NFL. The season was a culmination of perfect timing, as eventual Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson simultaneously hit their peak to lead one of the toughest defenses of all time. The defense, which also included Pro Bowlers Leonard Marshall and Jim Burt, became known as the Big Blue Wrecking Crew.
The defense led the way, but New York's offense still dominated, averaging 23.2 points per game. First-team All-Pro running back Joe Morris led the charge, with Phil Simms emerging as an elite quarterback. The team won a franchise record 14 regular-season games, with Taylor ending the year as the NFL MVP, NFC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He is still the last defensive player to win the MVP award. The 1986 Giants capped off their legendary run with a 39-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI, cementing themselves as one of the greatest teams of all time.
