[3] The Giants' first game of the season was at home against the Buffalo Bills, and resulted in a 23–20 loss in overtime.
[2] Against the New York Jets, the Giants earned their first victory of the season; a 15–10 win over the Minnesota Vikings left them with a 2–3 record heading into their bye week.
[5] Quarterback Dave Brown started all 16 games for the Giants in 1996, throwing for 12 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
[2] Defensively, Chad Bratzke and Michael Strahan had the most sacks among Giants players with five apiece, while Jason Sehorn had five interceptions to lead the team.
In the second quarter, the Giants responded with Chris Calloway catching a 17-yard touchdown pass from Dave Brown.
In the third quarter, the Jets cut the Giants' lead to one point thanks to a 39-yard field goal, once again coming from Lowery.
The Giants increased the lead in the fourth quarter thanks to two 20-yard field goals from Brad Daluiso, helping them secure their first win of the season by a score of 13–6.