Worst Losses in Giant's History
I'm not bitter, it's just an interesting discusion. Bill Simmons has been talking all week about levels of losing and Stomach punch moments. Obviously, we are not long suffering by any stretch of the imagination but I'm interested from a historical stand point. Hell, I'm still high from 2007.
The Trey Junkin game: I lied, this is first for a reason. The biggest collapse in playoff history, courtesy of Johnny Lynn not adjust to SF putting TO in the slot where he abused Sehorn the entire second half, Shaun Williams getting kicked out of the game and nullifying 15-yd penalty, Shockey stone-handing a TD pass, The Junkin snap, and the no-call pass interference on Tackle-Eligible Rich Seubert. That's a lot of bad stuff happening, I think that's my winner.
Obviously there are the two historic losses:
The Greatest Game Ever Played. Made famous for putting the NFL on the map, but I'm pretty sure this is George's #1 Loss. In the first and only NFL overtime championship, Frank Gifford swears he ran for a first down but is marked short. The Giants punt and Johnny Unitas invents the 2-minute drill for the win.
The Fumble: Too long ago for me, but the final straw that broke fans' backs who had stayed fans through the Wilderness Years. The Fumble is like Civil War battles that the North and South had different names for. No Giant fan should refer to it as the 'M' word. This loss led to the hiring of George Young, and the invention of the victory formation.
Other losses I can remember:
The Super Bowl Loss: This was just a full-fledged butt-whipping. Even the Strahan says he doesn't remember it. It's hard to be too torn up about it when I've blocked it from my memory. The real shame is the great moments from that season we would still be talking about if that was not how it ended. Fassel's "All-in" press conference (the only memorable press conference that was not embarrasing for the guy) which somehow has not been made into a Coors Light commercial. And the 41-0 destruction of the Vikings, followed by The Duke's "Worst NFC Champions" Speech.
2006 vs the Titans: The pinnacle of the Hufnagel losses, 30+ passing plays with a 30 point lead allow the Titan's to come back. Kiwi lets go of Vince Young sack. Plax doesn't tackle Pacman Jones on an interception that was about 50 feet over his head.
2005 Playoff Loss to the Panthers. Terrible game plan, terrible execution, embarrassment of the best team of the Eli/Tiki era in front of a home playoff crowd.
2005 @Seattle, Jay Feely misses everything.
1994 vs Dallas for the NFC East Title: Emmit Smith literally beats us with one hand. 200+ yards with a separated shoulder that he couldn't move.
The 2003 Brian Westbrook game-winning punt return game: This was a terrible game. I was at this game and it was there my love-affair with David Tyree started. Since he was the only person who earned his paycheck at all that game. David Tyree was the hero of the Giant's upper-deck season ticket holders during the pre-Eli slump. I still swear there was a clip in the middle of the return. When I got back home Chris Berman called the game "Three Hours in the Dentist's chair."
2001 vs. Eagles, I don't hate it that much, as it was the greatest trick play ever that didn't work. I've never seen a trick play that didn't work, be the #1 highlight on SportsCenter for two weeks in a row. Trivia: it was a busted play, it was supposed to be a double pitch with the pass going to Toomer first, then Tiki to Dixon, but Toomer was covered. Ron Dixon takes off 90 Yards and gets tackled at the 4 because Joe Jurevichus can't block one guy.
What's everyone else Stomach Punch games?
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Some guy wrote a similar post a few years ago apparently:
http://bluenatic.blogspot.com/2008/04/15-worst-giants-losses-i-can-remember.html
2006 vs the Titans
that one hurt A LOT.. especially the Kiwi should-have-been sack. friggin protect the QB rules are terrible and extremely inconsistant
Give me work release or give me death - #17
Flipper Anderson.
Horrible, horrible game.
I feel like crying all over again about that game. I hope someone hits Flipper with a car.
http://newyorksportsjerk.blogspot.com/
by New York Sports Jerk on Feb 4, 2010 3:47 PM EST reply actions
The SF playoff loss is definitely the worst
I was a freshman in college, and I was moving into a new dorm room in a snowstorm that day. When we turned off the car radio, the Giants were winning by 24. When we got my tv plugged in in the new room, they were up 6 and the Niners were driving. It was unbelievable.
Also, you forgot to mention the Sehorn interception/TD in the 2000 playoffs. That was a thing of beauty and the last time for half a decade the Giants would be on top of the Eagles, but the Super Bowl ruined it.
And the punt return game was awful. I lived with Eagles fans at the time, and watching that with them made me want to gauge my eyes out.
2009 Did Not Happen
'97 playoff loss to Minnesota
How could this one be overlooked? #2 on the list, IMHO, behind the 49ers playoff collapse (a game I attended — not sure how I didn’t need a gurney to transport me out of the stadium).
No one seems to remember my candidate for worst regular season loss, the home game v. Eagles in Dec. 1989 (except that it featured the infamous Randall Cunningham 91-yard punt). Giants had one-game lead, had lost 3 straight to Eagles, and had just lost tough MNF game to 49ers previous week, suggesting they were going to really punish the Eagles at the Meadowlands. Instead, Phil Simms had two turnovers returned for TD’s on (I believe) the first two possessions. Giants fought back despite whipping winds to tie it at 17. Then Cunningham’s punt, followed by a Giants fumble deep in their own territory, and Eagles won 24-17. I drove to a friend’s in Philadelphia to watch the game since it wasn’t on TV in DC, where I lived at the time, and had lots of time to question the existence of God on the drive home.
no question
that was the first game to come to mind for me as well.
by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Feb 4, 2010 10:03 PM EST up reply actions
I was in England during the '97 playoffs
so I don’t remember that game much, but I do remember reading about it the next day and feeling like I got punched in the stomach. Can’t imagine how much it would have sucked to have watched it.
2009 Did Not Happen
Minnesota
Worst for me because I was there. Sitting behind the end zone in which the Vikings scored their last two TDs. I was one of the last to leave the stadium. I was so distraught that I stopped for dinner on the way home, locked my keys in the car.
The 89 Eagles game for sure BUT
the Eagles shit the bed the following week on Monday night in New ORleans and the Giants won a big game in the snow in Denver (the Gary Reasons hit game) which allowed the Giants to win the NFC east so that game did not come back and haunt the Giants at all.
The Westbrook punt return is one of my favorites...
The Eagles had no business… and I mean NO BUSINESS whatsoever winning that game. It was a classic “McNabb just has absolutely nothing” game, and our D was able to keep it close enough for #36 to make an enormous play.
But if I’m a Giants fan, the Trey Junkin game is by far the worst – They squandered a (as Mike Francesa would say) YOOOOOOOOGE lead. Side note – If they call the pass interference on that play, that game would be considered the “Chike Okeafor game” in San Fran. (Okeafor was the player that basically tackled and then dry humped Seubert on the play while the ball was in the air). And Trey Junkin, my God – Poor guy was just chilling at home minding his own business a week before that game when he got the call to suit up.
All these are -good- bad
games..
There’s one that sticks out…the Saints game this year. We were 5-0, minding our own business, possibly opening up a mini-savings account to store some extra dough for a playoff ticket or 3…..then, size 13 steel-toe right into the gooch.
Rectum? Damn near killed em!
This was the worst for me
Just watching this again brought back horrible memories
At the time we just started to be respected again
My apologies to Landeta (screen name)
but this was bad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNmS6rafyv0
You can see a lot just by observing-Yogi Berra
You don't need to apologize LOL!
Actually that game does not bug me that much casue the Bears were so good and were the better team. In fact the Giants actually played the Bears tough that day I mean I know that tough to say when you loose 21-0 but compared to what the Bears did to the Rams and Pats in those playoffs the Giants had some big plays vs their D they just did not capitilize in the Redzone.
obviously its not as bad as the ones listed above
but this years loss against the panthers was really painful
by mclaren_is_the_best on Feb 4, 2010 8:55 PM EST reply actions
Lets see
We were shut out in a playoff game, Simms was sacked 7 times and we gained 32 yards on the ground and Landetta missed the ball it was a crushing defeat
It was our first back to back winning season since the early sixties way before my time
And to make it worse we subjected to the Super Bowl shuffle song for the entire offseason
You can see a lot just by observing-Yogi Berra
hardly a crushing defeat
to lose, even get shut out, even with Landetta’s embarrassing moment, to one of the most dominant teams of my lifetime. I had absolutely zero expectations the Giants would win that game, and in retrospect they probably embarrassed themselves less than the Rams (also shut out) and Patriots did in the post-season against Chicago. That game took about two seconds to recover from, especially given the obvious strides forward the Giants had taken that season.
For me it was
That was the question
IMO after two good seasons for the first time in my life I was hoping for a better performance
and a win
getting beat like that was crushing
the 85 Bears were a great team probably one of the best ever
but I didnt have zero expectations
You can see a lot just by observing-Yogi Berra
Dallas '94
As much as I hate the Cowboys, I will always respect Emmitt Smith for his performance in that game.
Q,You're right about me and the Greatest Game
Ever Played loss. Two others were the other losses in championship games when YA was the QB: the one against GB played in a wind tunnel and the loss to the Bears when YA played on an anaesthisized leg after a helmet hit to the knee (ligaments torn up). His backup, Bobby Clatterbuck couldn’t do the job, so they wheeled ol’ YA out in the second half. He couldn’t plant. That one’s a particularly bitter memory, since we were clearly a better team than the Bears.
I've been watching the GIants since the early 80's
so here my list
PLayoff Games
Eagles in 2008 – Giants were the best team in the league that year, tough pill to swallow
Niners in 02
Rams in 89
Minny in 97
Balt in SB – Balt was the better team but it would have been nice if the Giants showed up
REgular Season
Jets in 88 Cost the Giants the division tittle, freaking Jets!
Dallas in 1993 (Homefield on the line)
Philly in 03
Philly in 89
Niners in 88 Jerry Rice catches an 80 yard bomb with like 1 minute left to win
Dallas in 03 when Parcells came back
Seattle 05
Nobody mentioned the loss to the FREAKING jets in 88
on the last week of the season. That cost the Giants the division tittle and the playoffs. THat game was awful, the Jets were terrible as always and we freaking lost to them. I never heard the end of it from the one Jet fan I knew.
That loss to Dallas in 03 when Parcells came back was brutal too. The Giants come back then blow it when they kick the freaking ball out of bonce and Dallas has time for one pass to set up a game winning 50 something yard field goal. That game summed up the Fassel Era.

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