1966 New York Giants season
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]
1966 New York Giants season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Allie Sherman |
Owner | Wellington Mara |
Home field | Yankee Stadium |
Local radio | WNEW[1] |
Results | |
Record | 1–12–1 |
Division place | 8th NFL Eastern |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
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] 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]
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
{{{reserve_lists}}}
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Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 11 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | T 34–34 | 0–0–1 | |
2 | September 18 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 52–7 | 0–1–1 | |
3 | September 25 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 35–17 | 0–2–1 | |
4 | October 2 | Cleveland Browns | L 28–7 | 0–3–1 | |
5 | October 9 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 24–19 | 0–4–1 | |
6 | October 16 | Washington Redskins | W 13–10 | 1–4–1 | |
7 | October 23 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 31–3 | 1–5–1 | |
8 | October 30 | Bye | |||
9 | November 6 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 20–17 | 1–6–1 | |
10 | November 13 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 55–14 | 1–7–1 | |
11 | November 20 | Atlanta Falcons | L 27–16 | 1–8–1 | |
12 | November 27 | at Washington Redskins | L 72–41 | 1–9–1 | |
13 | December 4 | at Cleveland Browns | L 49–40 | 1–10–1 | |
14 | December 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 47–28 | 1–11–1 | |
15 | December 18 | Dallas Cowboys | L 17–7 | 1–12–1 |
With the addition of the expansion Atlanta Falcons, the NFL had an odd number (15) of teams.[9] This necessitated the use of bye weeks. The Giants received the most centrally located bye, in Week 8, thus perfectly dividing their season into two 7-game halves. They lost all seven games after the break.[2] (In contrast, the expansion Falcons were 0–8 before they got their bye in Week 9, but 3–3 afterwards.)[10]
Game summaries
Week 1
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Standings
NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 9–3–1 | 445 | 239 | W1 | |
Philadelphia Eagles | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 8–5 | 326 | 340 | W4 | |
Cleveland Browns | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 9–4 | 403 | 259 | W1 | |
St. Louis Cardinals | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 7–5–1 | 264 | 265 | L3 | |
Washington Redskins | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 7–6 | 351 | 355 | L1 | |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–8–1 | 316 | 347 | W2 | |
Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 2–5 | 204 | 437 | L1 | |
New York Giants | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 1–11–1 | 263 | 501 | L8 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
See also
References
- 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.
- "1966 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
- "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- Henry, Tyler (December 24, 2017). "Giants set unwanted franchise record with 13th loss". USA Today. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
- "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.
- Pasquarelli, Len (May 18, 2009). "Schedule expansion gaining momentum". ESPN. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
- Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago, Illinois: Triumph Books. p. 143. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
- "Redskins Set Mark In 72–41 Win Over Giants". Park City Daily News. Associated Press. November 28, 1966. p. 9. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
- "Atlanta Falcons: Team History". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- "1966 Atlanta Falcons". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- "New York Giants 34 at Pittsburgh Steelers 34". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 15, 2014.