| 1983 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Wellington Mara |
| General manager | George Young |
| Head coach | Bill Parcells |
| Home stadium | Giants Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–12–1 |
| Division place | 5thNFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | LBHarry Carson LBLawrence Taylor CBMark Haynes KAli Haji-Sheikh |
The1983 New York Giants season was thefranchise's 59th season in theNational Football League (NFL). TheGiants finished in last place in theNational Football Conference East Division with a 3–12–1 record, the team’s worst record since 1976.[1][2]
In the1983 NFL draft, the Giants selected defensive backTerry Kinard in the first round, with the 10th overall pick.[3] The1983 season was the first for the Giants underBill Parcells, who had been offered the position after previous head coachRay Perkins resigned before succeedingBear Bryant as the coach for theUniversity of Alabama. Parcells namedScott Brunner the team’s starting quarterback, ahead ofPhil Simms andJeff Rutledge; upset with the decision, Simms requested a trade at one point during the season.[4] New York was 2–2 in their first four games of the season, before a three-game losing streak that left the club at 2–5.[1] Against thePhiladelphia Eagles in their sixth game, the Giants inserted Simms into their lineup in place of Brunner; shortly afterward, Simms suffered a season-ending injury.[5]
TheSt. Louis Cardinals hosted the Giants in a matchup on October 24 that theNew York Daily News' Gary Myers later called the worst game in the history ofMonday Night Football. After the Giants lost a lead late in the fourth quarter, the game went into overtime. The Cardinals missed threefield goal attempts in the extra period, including two in the final 1:06, and the contest ended in a 20–20 tie.[6] The Giants lost the following three games before a victory in Philadelphia, which was their final win of the season. Losses to theLos Angeles Raiders, St. Louis,Seattle, andWashington left the team’s final record at 3–12–1.[1]
Ali Haji-Sheikh, the Giants' kicker, set a team record for points scored in a season; with 35 field goals and 22conversions, he was responsible for 127 points. In addition, he set a team record for the longest field goal in a game versusGreen Bay, with a 56-yard kick.Earnest Gray had 1,139 receiving yards, becoming the first Giants wide receiver in 15 years to exceed 1,000 yards.[7]
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | Los Angeles Rams | L 6–16 | 0–1 | Giants Stadium | 75,281 |
| 2 | September 11 | atAtlanta Falcons | W 16–13 | 1–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 58,075 |
| 3 | September 18 | atDallas Cowboys | L 13–28 | 1–2 | Texas Stadium | 62,347 |
| 4 | September 26 | Green Bay Packers | W 27–3 | 2–2 | Giants Stadium | 75,308 |
| 5 | October 2 | San Diego Chargers | L 34–41 | 2–3 | Giants Stadium | 73,892 |
| 6 | October 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 13–17 | 2–4 | Giants Stadium | 73,291 |
| 7 | October 16 | atKansas City Chiefs | L 17–38 | 2–5 | Arrowhead Stadium | 55,449 |
| 8 | October 24 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | T 20–20 | 2–5–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 45,630 |
| 9 | October 30 | Dallas Cowboys | L 20–38 | 2–6–1 | Giants Stadium | 76,142 |
| 10 | November 7 | atDetroit Lions | L 9–15 | 2–7–1 | Pontiac Silverdome | 68,985 |
| 11 | November 13 | Washington Redskins | L 17–33 | 2–8–1 | Giants Stadium | 71,482 |
| 12 | November 20 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | W 23–0 | 3–8–1 | Veterans Stadium | 57,977 |
| 13 | November 27 | atLos Angeles Raiders | L 12–27 | 3–9–1 | Anaheim Stadium | 41,473 |
| 14 | December 4 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 6–10 | 3–10–1 | Giants Stadium | 25,156 |
| 15 | December 11 | Seattle Seahawks | L 12–17 | 3–11–1 | Giants Stadium | 48,945 |
| 16 | December 17 | atWashington Redskins | L 22–31 | 3–12–1 | RFK Stadium | 53,874 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 13 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
| Giants | 0 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
atGiants Stadium,East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Gill Byrd had an interception for San Diego.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants (3–9–1) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 12 |
| Raiders (10–3) | 0 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
atLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Washington Redskins(1) | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 541 | 332 | W9 |
| Dallas Cowboys(4) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 479 | 360 | L2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 3–4–1 | 5–6–1 | 374 | 428 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–7 | 4–10 | 233 | 322 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 3 | 12 | 1 | .219 | 1–6–1 | 3–8–1 | 267 | 347 | L4 |
