History of the New York Giants (1994–present)

Led by free agent acquisition quarterback Kerry Collins, the Fassel era included an appearance in Super Bowl XXXV, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

After an opening day win against Philadelphia the Giants lost their next three games,[12] including close losses to the Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams.

[7] After the 1997 season, Young, who as GM had helped build New York into a championship club in the 1980s, left the team to take a job in the NFL front office.

He was replaced by Ernie Accorsi, a well-respected, veteran General Manager who had successful stints building the Baltimore Colts and Cleveland Browns.

Neither quarterback provided Pro Bowl caliber play, although Graham led the Giants to a 5–1 finish (including an upset of the then-undefeated Denver Broncos in Week 15).

[17] Tight end Pete Mitchell contributed 58 receptions,[17] and Tiki Barber emerged as a premiere pass-catching running back, catching 66 passes on the year.

Many people predicted that the Vikings and their high powered offense, led by Daunte Culpepper and receivers Randy Moss and Cris Carter would defeat the Giants and go on to the Super Bowl.

[7] On Sirius Radio, hosting a program in the mid-2010's, Amani Toomer revealed that Jim Fassel panicked in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

[28] Collins then drove the Giants down to the 49ers 23-yard line with six seconds to play, setting up a 41-yard potential game-winning field goal attempt by Matt Bryant.

[36] Top performers on the season included Tiki Barber, who established a personal career high in rushing yardage with 1,518 yards, and also contributed 52 catches and 15 touchdowns.

[7] Just twenty days after Mara's death, on November 15, 2005, the other Giants executive officer and well-known businessman Preston Robert Tisch died at the age of 79.

[7] The 2005 Giants had five pro bowlers, including Barber (who set a team record in rushing yards during the season[42]), Shockey, Strahan, Defensive End Osi Umenyiora, and Special teamer David Tyree.

[46] The Giants won five consecutive games following a 1–2 start[45] to gain a two-game advantage in the NFC East, but then key injuries to the offense and defense took their toll.

Frustrations with the lack of production and with head coach Tom Coughlin began to surface as the Giants lost six of eight in the second half the season.

[49] In 2007, the Giants started 0–2 before winning their next six, making them only the second team in NFL history to accomplish that feat (the 1993 Dallas Cowboys were the other), and made the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

The next week the Giants defeated their division rival and NFC top seed Dallas Cowboys, winning their ninth consecutive road game.

[54] In the NFC Championship, kicker Lawrence Tynes made a final field goal for a 23–20 overtime win over the Packers in Green Bay.

Escaping three near sacks, he made a miraculous pass to David Tyree, who caught the ball against his own helmet, while being covered by veteran defender Rodney Harrison.

A parade was held in the Canyon of Heroes of Lower Manhattan two days after the win, followed by a victory rally across the Hudson River inside Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

[58] The year marked a changing of the guard on the defensive line as Giants careers sack leader Michael Strahan retired before the season.

By now, the Giants found their chances of beating the Cowboys to the division title fading and Tom Coughlin's coaching abilities were increasingly called into question despite reassurances from team president John Mara that there were no plans to fire him.

Once again facing the New England Patriots, the New York Giants headed to Lucas Oil Stadium, home of Eli's brother Peyton's team, the Indianapolis Colts.

The Giants got off to an early lead by an intentional grounding call on Tom Brady in the end zone for a safety and retaining the ball for most of the 1st quarter.

An inept offense and under-performing defense, paired with season ending injuries to star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and offseason acquisition Brandon Marshall, resulted in a 1–5 start.

There was also speculation cornerback Eli Apple, the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, contemplated leaving the team[72] after an especially critical film session led by McAdoo.

The turbulent 2017 season came to a head for McAdoo when on November 28 he announced the team would be benching Eli Manning in favor of the much maligned Geno Smith.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was named interim head coach, and Eli Manning was reinstated as starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.

The Giants would’ve been the first team to clinch a playoff berth and a division title with a double-digit losing record in the history of the NFL.

2021 would be a disaster for the Giants as they started 0–3, with the last two games against the Washington Football Team and the Atlanta Falcons being lost due to game-winning kicks.

A historically poor offensive line and numerous injuries, particularly losing starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a torn ACL in a Week 9 loss against the Raiders, plagued the team throughout the year.