| 2012 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | John Mara Steve Tisch |
| General manager | Jerry Reese |
| Head coach | Tom Coughlin |
| Home stadium | MetLife Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2ndNFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| All-Pros | RBDavid Wilson(2nd team) |
| Pro Bowlers | QBEli Manning DEJason Pierre-Paul WRVictor Cruz GChris Snee |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The2012 season was theNew York Giants' 88th in theNational Football League (NFL), their ninth underhead coachTom Coughlin and their third playing home games atMetLife Stadium inEast Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Giants began the 2012 season as defendingSuper Bowl champions for the fourth time in their history, by virtue of their 21–17 victory over theNew England Patriots inSuper Bowl XLVI. The Giants finished 9–7 for the second straight year, but failed to make the playoffs. Like in2011, the Giants went 3–5 after a 6–2 start. The 2012 Giants were the first defending Super Bowl champions to miss the playoffs after2009 Steelers, and the second team to do it three times after the Steelers in 2009.
On February 10, Giants quarterbacks coachMike Sullivan was hired as the new offensive coordinator of theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[1] Sullivan was with the Giants since the beginning ofTom Coughlin's tenure as head coach of the Giants, serving as the wide receivers coach from 2004 to 2009 and as quarterbacks coach from 2010 to 2011.
The Giants offensive staff suffered another loss three days later (February 13) when assistant offensive line coachJack Bicknell Jr. was hired by theKansas City Chiefs to be their offensive line coach.[2] Bicknell was with the Giants the past three seasons.
| Position | Player | Tag | 2012 Team | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T/G | Stacy Andrews | UFA | TBD | |
| TE | Jake Ballard | ERFA | New England Patriots | Released by Giants after failing physical, claimed off waivers by Patriots |
| DT | Rocky Bernard | UFA | New York Giants | Signed a new deal June 11, 2012 |
| MLB | Chase Blackburn | UFA | New York Giants | Signed a one-year deal April 13, 2012 |
| CB | Will Blackmon | UFA | TBD | |
| QB | David Carr | UFA | New York Giants | Signed a one-year deal in mid March |
| WR | Michael Clayton | UFA | TBD | |
| CB | Michael Coe | UFA | New York Giants | Signed an undisclosed deal in March |
| MLB | Jonathan Goff | UFA | TBD | |
| FS | Deon Grant | UFA | TBD | |
| WR | Domenik Hixon | UFA | New York Giants | Signed a new deal with the Giants on March 2[3] |
| RB | Brandon Jacobs | UFA | San Francisco 49ers | Signed a one-year deal on April 6, 2012, for a base of $950,000. |
| CB | Bruce Johnson | ERFA | TBD | |
| DT | Jimmy Kennedy | UFA | TBD | |
| SS | Derrick Martin | UFA | TBD | |
| T | Kareem McKenzie | UFA | TBD | |
| WR | Mario Manningham | UFA | San Francisco 49ers | Signed a two-year deal on March 18, 2012 |
| TE/FB | Bear Pascoe | RFA | New York Giants | Signed a one-year contract on April 16, 2012 |
| CB | Aaron Ross | UFA | Jacksonville Jaguars | Signed a three-year deal on March 20, 2012 |
| DE | Dave Tollefson | UFA | Oakland Raiders | Signed a 2-year deal on April 6, 2012 |
| WR | Devin Thomas | UFA | Chicago Bears | Signed a one-year contract on March 28, 2012 |
| CB | Terrell Thomas | UFA | New York Giants | Signed a 4-year deal in March, 2012 |
| CB | Justin Tryon | UFA | New York Giants | Re-signed in March |
| T | Tony Ugoh | UFA | none | announced retirement on July 30, 2012 |
| P | Steve Weatherford | UFA | New York Giants | Signed a Five Year Deal on March 16, 2012 |
| Player re-signed by the Giants |
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32 | David Wilson | Running back | Virginia Tech |
| 2 | 63 | Rueben Randle | Wide receiver | LSU |
| 3 | 94 | Jayron Hosley | Cornerback | Virginia Tech |
| 4 | 127 | Adrien Robinson | Tight end | Cincinnati |
| 131 | Brandon Mosley | Offensive tackle | Auburn | |
| 6 | 201 | Matt McCants | Offensive tackle | UAB |
| 7 | 239 | Markus Kuhn | Defensive tackle | NC State |
NOTES:
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve lists
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 10 | atJacksonville Jaguars | L 31–32 | 0–1 | EverBank Field | Recap |
| 2 | August 18 | atNew York Jets | W 26–3 | 1–1 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 24 | Chicago Bears | L 17–20 | 1–2 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 29 | New England Patriots | W 6–3 | 2–2 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
atMetLife Stadium,East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
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With theirSuper Bowl XLVI title to defend, the Giants began its 2012 campaign at home in the Annual Kickoff Game[6] against their NFC East foe, theDallas Cowboys. After a scoreless first quarter, New York struck first in the second quarter with a 22-yard field goal from kickerLawrence Tynes. The Cowboys would close out the half with quarterbackTony Romo completing a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverKevin Ogletree.
Dallas added onto its lead in the third quarter as Romo completed a 40-yard touchdown to Ogletree. New York struck back with running backAhmad Bradshaw's 10-yard touchdown run, but the Cowboys answered with kickerDan Bailey making a 33-yard field goal. Dallas came right back in the fourth quarter with Romo completing a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMiles Austin. The Giants tried to rally asSuper Bowl XLVI MVP quarterbackEli Manning completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight endMartellus Bennett, but the Cowboys' offense ran out the clock and preserved the win.
With the loss, New York began its season at 0–1 and became the first defending Super Bowl Champion team to lose a regular season opener since the Broncos in 1999.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | 3 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
| Giants | 6 | 7 | 3 | 25 | 41 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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After a season-opening home loss to the Cowboys, the Giants were looking to win their first game of the season. Although Tampa Bay led the Giants 24–13 at halftime, the Giants rallied in the fourth quarter to score 25 points and win their first game, improving to a 1–1 home record and a 1–1 overall record. A mild controversy erupted on the Giants' final kneel in the closing seconds of the game when Tampa Bay head coachGreg Schiano ordered his defensive linemen to blitz Giants' quarterbackEli Manning, presumably in the hope that this would lead to a forced fumble and subsequent touchdown to steal the victory. However, this did not happen.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 10 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 36 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
atBank of America Stadium,Charlotte, North Carolina
| Game information | ||
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The Giants' first road game came against aCarolina Panthers team led by second-year quarterbackCam Newton. It was both teams' onlyThursday Night Football appearance of the season. The Giants had no trouble with the Panthers, leading 20–0 at halftime and 36–7 at the end of the game. With the win, the Giants improved to 2–1 and reclaimed a share of the NFC East title with thePhiladelphia Eagles, who they would play the following week.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
atLincoln Financial Field,Philadelphia
| Game information | ||
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The Giants traveled to Philadelphia for aSunday Night Football showdown against the Eagles. After a defensive first quarter in which neither offense scored any points, the Eagles took a 7–3 lead into halftime. The Giants came back with two touchdowns in the second half, but ultimately lost by two points after a failed long field goal byLawrence Tynes in the closing seconds of the game. With the loss, the Giants fell to 2–2, the Eagles claimed sole possession of the NFC East title, and the Giants record against the Eagles worsened to 1–8 in their last nine meetings, dating back to the2008 NFL season.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 14 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
| Giants | 7 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
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After a disappointing loss to the Eagles, the Giants returned home for an afternoon game against theCleveland Browns. Led by rookie quarterbackBrandon Weeden, the Browns quickly amassed a 14–0 lead early in the first quarter. However, the Giants retook the lead before halftime and did not sacrifice it again. With the win, the Giants improved to 3–2 and began what would ultimately be a four-game winning streak throughout October.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 26 |
| 49ers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
atCandlestick Park,San Francisco
| Game information | ||
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The Giants traveled to San Francisco for a rematch of last season's NFC Championship game, in which the Giants won in overtime to advance toSuper Bowl XLVI. TheSan Francisco 49ers were looking to avenge their playoff loss against the Giants, and had just come off back-to-back landslide victories against the Jets and Bills. However, the Giants defense allowed only one field goal and the Giants ultimately won the game 26–3, sending the 49ers to their first and only home loss of the season. Head coachTom Coughlin also recorded his 86th win with the Giants, surpassingBill Parcells' previous record of 85 wins during his tenure (1983-1990), and became the 2nd winningest head coach in franchise history, only behindSteve Owen, whom coached the team from 1930 to 1953.
With the win, the Giants improved to 4–2. Also, with the Eagles' loss to the Lions earlier in the day, the Giants gained sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 3 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 23 |
| Giants | 0 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 27 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
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The Giants returned home for another divisional battle, this time against theWashington Redskins. Washington had swept the Giants last year, and drafted quarterbackRobert Griffin III with the second overall pick in the2012 NFL draft. The Redskins took a three-point lead late in the game, but a 77-yard touchdown pass from Manning toVictor Cruz in the last minutes of the game allowed the Giants to claim the victory. With the win, the Giants improved to 5–2 and won their first NFC East game of the season.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 13 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 29 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
atCowboys Stadium,Arlington, Texas
| Game information | ||
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The Giants visited theDallas Cowboys, where they hoped to avenge their Week 1 home loss. Although the Giants quickly amassed a 23-point lead, the Cowboys responded with 24 unanswered points to take the lead in the 3rd quarter. The Giants ultimately scored a pair of field goals and held on to win 29–24. With the win, the Giants improved to 6–2 and continued to be unwelcome visitors atCowboys Stadium, where they are now 4–0.
The game, whose viewing area consisted of much of the northeast coast of the United States, was frequently interrupted by updates on the approach ofHurricane Sandy – a storm that was expected to directly impact the northeast United States that night and the following day.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Giants | 0 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
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At the time of this game, northern New Jersey (and, indeed, a vast majority of theNortheast megalopolis area) was recovering from the widespread damage and power outages caused byHurricane Sandy. Played just days after the storm made landfall on the east coast, the blackouts and flooding even affected the visiting Steelers' travel schedule, and the team would be forced to fly into the area on the morning of the contest as opposed to the usual day beforehand.
Both teams traded possessions through the first quarter before Steelers' wide receiverEmmanuel Sanders caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackBen Roethlisberger three minutes into the second period. AShaun Suisham extra point gave the Steelers a 7–0 lead. The hometown Giants answered, tying up the game with a 1-yard run byAndre Brown. Shortly after, with around five minutes remaining in the half, New York'sOsi Umenyiora was able to knock the ball from Roethlisberger's hand as the quarterback was attempting a pass. Giants linebackerMichael Boley took full advantage of the turnover, scooping up the fumble and giving the Giants a 14–7 lead on a 70-yard touchdown return. The Steelers were able to put together a final drive of the half, and a 30-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham narrowed the Giants' lead to four points at the half.
Seven minutes into the third quarter, Giants' kickerLawrence Tynes extended the home team's lead by three via a 50-yard field goal. With a minute to go in the period, Tynes would successfully convert a 23-yard attempt and give the Giants a ten-point lead with a quarter to play.
A 51-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger toMike Wallace would cut into the Giants' lead less than a minute into the fourth. New York would fail to accumulate any further points in the contest and, despite a botched fake field goal attempt by the Steelers, a 1-yard touchdown run by Pittsburgh backIsaac Redman gave the Steelers the lead and, eventually, the win.
With the loss, the Giants fell to 6–3.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Bengals | 14 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
atPaul Brown Stadium,Cincinnati
| Game information | ||
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The Giants travelled to a cloudy Cincinnati to face the Bengals. The Bengals, who were in the midst of a losing streak, came out strong and handily defeated the Giants 31–13. With the loss, the Giants fell to 6–4 and entered their bye week.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Giants | 17 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
at Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
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The Giants hosted the Packers onSunday Night Football, as quarterbacksEli Manning andAaron Rodgers faced each other for the fourth time in three seasons. Although the Packers were expected to avenge their playoff loss from last season, the Giants took a 31–10 lead into halftime and ultimately won the game 38–10, snapping a two-game losing streak and improving to a 7–4 record.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
| Redskins | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
atFedExField,Landover, Maryland
| Game information | ||
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Coming off a huge victory over the Packers, the Giants traveled to Washington for their onlyMonday Night Football appearance of the season. Although the Giants led at halftime, the Redskins scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to take a one-point lead. The Giants' offense failed to score any points and the Redskins held on to win 17–16. With the loss, the Giants fell to 7–5 and 2–3 within the NFC East.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 7 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
| Giants | 14 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 52 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
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The Giants returned home to faceDrew Brees and theNew Orleans Saints, in a game that would turn out to be a breakout game for rookieDavid Wilson. The first-round draft pick (32nd overall) rushed for a touchdown on a kickoff return and ran for two more scores in a huge win over the Saints. The Giants won 52–27, handing the Saints their eighth loss of the season. With the win, the Giants improved to 8–5 and secured their eighth consecutive non-losing season.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Falcons | 14 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
| Game information | ||
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The Giants traveled to Atlanta to visit the Falcons in their third and final rematch of last season's playoffs. The game took place only two days after theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting, just an hour's drive from the Giants' practice facility. The Giants honored the victims by wearing "SHES" decals on their helmets, and wide receiverVictor Cruz played in honor of six-year-old Jack Pinto, one of the victims.
The Giants ultimately lost 34–0 and fell to 8–6 overall. However, the loss did not eliminate them from either playoff contention or the NFC East title.
The embarrassing loss was one of three shutouts on the same day, the other two being theTampa Bay Buccaneers and theKansas City Chiefs.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Ravens | 14 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 33 |
atM&T Bank Stadium,Baltimore, Maryland
| Game information | ||
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The Giants visited Baltimore, where they were defeated by the Ravens 33–14. With the loss, the Giants fell to 8–7 and were eliminated from contention for the NFC East title. The Giants can still obtain a wild-card berth with a victory against the Eagles and Week 17 victories by the Packers, Lions and Redskins.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Giants | 21 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 42 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Giants would have a lopsided victory 42–7 against the Eagles. However, the Giants would be eliminated from playoff contention with a Bears' victory that same day.
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (4)Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 436 | 388 | W7 |
| New York Giants | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 8–4 | 429 | 344 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 376 | 400 | L2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 280 | 444 | L3 |
| Player(s) | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | Eli Manning | 3948 Yards |
| Passing Touchdowns | Eli Manning | 26 TDs |
| Rushing Yards | Ahmad Bradshaw | 1015 Yards |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Andre Brown | 8 TDs |
| Receiving Yards | Victor Cruz | 1092 Yards |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Victor Cruz | 10 TDs |
| Points | Lawrence Tynes | 145 Points |
| Kickoff Return Yards | David Wilson | 1533 Yards |
| Punt Return Yards | Rueben Randle | 108 Yards |
| Tackles | Chase Blackburn | 98 Tackles |
| Sacks | Jason Pierre-Paul | 6.5 Sacks |
| Interceptions | Stevie Brown | 8 INTs |
stats values are correct.
Stats correct through week 14.
Media related to2012 New York Giants season at Wikimedia Commons
