| 1966 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Wellington Mara |
| Head coach | Allie Sherman |
| Home field | Yankee Stadium |
| Local radio | WNEW[1] |
| Results | |
| Record | 1–12–1 |
| Division place | 8th NFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | CBSpider Lockhart |
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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]
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
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | atPittsburgh Steelers | T 34–34 | 0–0–1 | Pitt Stadium | 37,693 |
| 2 | September 18 | atDallas Cowboys | L 7–52 | 0–1–1 | Cotton Bowl | 60,010 |
| 3 | September 25 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 17–35 | 0–2–1 | Franklin Field | 60,177 |
| 4 | October 2 | Cleveland Browns | L 7–28 | 0–3–1 | Yankee Stadium | 62,916 |
| 5 | October 9 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | L 19–24 | 0–4–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 43,893 |
| 6 | October 16 | Washington Redskins | W 13–10 | 1–4–1 | Yankee Stadium | 62,865 |
| 7 | October 23 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 3–31 | 1–5–1 | Yankee Stadium | 63,018 |
| 8 | Bye | |||||
| 9 | November 6 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 17–20 | 1–6–1 | Yankee Stadium | 62,967 |
| 10 | November 13 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 14–55 | 1–7–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 34,746 |
| 11 | November 20 | Atlanta Falcons | L 16–27 | 1–8–1 | Yankee Stadium | 62,746 |
| 12 | November 27 | atWashington Redskins | L 41–72 | 1–9–1 | D.C. Stadium | 50,439 |
| 13 | December 4 | atCleveland Browns | L 40–49 | 1–10–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 61,651 |
| 14 | December 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 28–47 | 1–11–1 | Yankee Stadium | 62,658 |
| 15 | December 18 | Dallas Cowboys | L 7–17 | 1–12–1 | Yankee Stadium | 62,735 |
Week One: New York Giants (0–0) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (0–0)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| Steelers | 7 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 34 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Two: New York Giants (0–0–1) at Dallas Cowboys (0–0)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 24 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Three: New York Giants (0–1–1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1–1)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Eagles | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
atFranklin Field, Philadelphia
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Four: New York Giants (0–2–1) vs Cleveland Browns (1–2)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
atYankee Stadium, New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Five: New York Giants (0–3–1) at St. Louis Cardinals (4–0)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 24 |
atBusch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Six: New York Giants (0–4–1) vs Washington Redskins (3–2)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Seven: New York Giants (1–4–1) vs Philadelphia Eagles (3–3)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 24 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| Giants | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
atYankee Stadium, New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Nine: New York Giants (1–5–1) at St. Louis Cardinals (6–1–1)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 20 |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
atYankee Stadium, New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Ten: New York Giants (1–6–1) at Los Angeles Rams (4–5)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Rams | 14 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 55 |
atLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
| Game information | ||
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Week Eleven: New York Giants (1–7–1) vs Atlanta Falcons (0–9)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
atYankee Stadium, New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Twelve: New York Giants (1–8–1) at Washington Redskins (5–6)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 41 |
| Redskins | 13 | 21 | 14 | 24 | 72 |
atD.C. Stadium, Washington D.C.
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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This is the only game in NFL history with the final score of 72–41.[10]
Week Thirteen: New York Giants (1–9–1) at Cleveland Browns (7–4)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 14 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 40 |
| Browns | 7 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 49 |
atCleveland Stadium, Cleveland
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Fourteen: New York Giants (1–10–1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (3–8–1)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 5 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 47 |
| Giants | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
atYankee Stadium, New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week Fifteen: New York Giants (1–11–1) vs Dallas Cowboys (9–3–1)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
atYankee Stadium, New York City
| Game information | ||
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| 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.
| Category | Player(s) | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | Gary Wood | 1,142 | 15th |
| Passing touchdowns | Earl Morrall/Tom Kennedy | 7 | t12th |
| Rushing yards | Chuck Mercein | 327 | 29th |
| Rushing touchdowns | Gary Wood | 3 | 27th |
| Receiving yards | Homer Jones | 1,044 | 4th |
| Receiving touchdowns | Homer Jones | 8 | t6th |
| Points | Pete Gogolak | 77 | 17th |
| Kickoff return yards | Clarence Childs | 855 | 3rd |
| Punt return yards | Spider Lockhart | 113 | 10th |
| Interceptions | Spider Lockhart | 6 | t4th |
| Sacks | Jim Katcavage | 6.5 | t24th |
Note that sack totals from 1960 to 1981 are considered unofficial by the NFL.[11]
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 15) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 2,475 | 176.8 | 9th |
| Rushing offense | 1,457 | 104.1 | 12th |
| Total offense | 3,932 | 280.8 | 9th |
| Passing defense | 2,892 | 206.6 | 14th |
| Rushing defense | 2,053 | 146.6 | 14th |
| Total defense | 4,945 | 353.2 | 14th |
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| Franchise |
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| History |
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| Stadiums |
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| Culture |
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| Lore |
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| Rivalries |
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| Key personnel |
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| Division championships (22) |
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| Conference championships (11) |
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| League championships (8) |
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| Retired numbers |
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Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–1969) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory |
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