| 1966 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owner | Wellington Mara |
| General manager | Raymond J. Walsh |
| Head coach | Allie Sherman |
| Home stadium | Yankee Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 1–12–1 |
| Division place | 8thNFL Eastern |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | CBSpider Lockhart |
The1966 New York Giants season was thefranchise's 42nd season in theNational Football League (NFL). The season saw theGiants 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 in2017.[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 the2019 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 theWashington Redskins, 72–41[8] and making them the last team until the2023 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 theCleveland Browns and 47 versus thePittsburgh Steelers.[2]
| 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| Steelers | 7 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 34 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 24 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Eagles | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
atYankee Stadium,New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 24 |
atBusch Memorial Stadium,St. Louis
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 24 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| Giants | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
atYankee Stadium,New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 20 |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
atYankee Stadium,New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
atYankee Stadium,New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
As of 2024[update], this game has the highest total number of points scored by both teams in an NFL game and is the only game with a final score of 72–41.[10][11]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 14 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 40 |
| Browns | 7 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 49 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 5 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 47 |
| Giants | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
atYankee Stadium,New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
atYankee Stadium,New York City
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 9–3–1 | 445 | 239 | W1 | |
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 9–4 | 403 | 259 | W1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 8–5 | 326 | 340 | W4 | |
| 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 | |
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 10–2 | 335 | 163 | W5 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 7–5 | 314 | 226 | W1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 6–6 | 289 | 212 | L1 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 6 | 2 | .500 | 5–5–2 | 320 | 325 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | 7 | 2 | .417 | 4–6–2 | 234 | 272 | W1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 3–8–1 | 206 | 317 | L3 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 4–7–1 | 292 | 304 | L1 | |
| 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.[12]
| 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 |
