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2021 New York Giants season

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2021 New York Giants season
OwnerJohn Mara
Steve Tisch
General managerDave Gettleman
Head coachJoe Judge
Offensive coordinatorJason Garrett (week 1-week 11)
Freddie Kitchens (week 12-week 18)
Defensive coordinatorPatrick Graham
Home fieldMetLife Stadium
Results
Record4–13
Division place4th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Uniform

The 2021 season was the New York Giants' 97th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their second and final under head coach Joe Judge. They failed to improve on their 6–10 output from the previous season and missed the postseason for the fifth consecutive year after a Week 16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Following the season, general manager Dave Gettleman announced his retirement and head coach Joe Judge was fired.[1][2]

Offseason

[edit]

Free agents

[edit]
Position Player 2021 Team Date Signed Contract
WR C. J. Board New York Giants March 17, 2021[3] 1 year, $850,000
FS Adrian Colbert New England Patriots May 20, 2021[4]
LB Devante Downs New York Giants March 19, 2021[5]
S Nate Ebner
LB Kyler Fackrell Los Angeles Chargers March 24, 2021[6] 1 year, $1.5 million
OT Cameron Fleming Denver Broncos May 20, 2021 1 year, $1.67 million
RB Wayne Gallman San Francisco 49ers April 21, 2021[7] 1 year, $990,000
NT Austin Johnson New York Giants March 16, 2021[8] 1 year, $3 million
LS Casey Kreiter New York Giants March 17, 2021[9] 1 year, $1.127 million
RB Dion Lewis New York Giants August 31, 2021
LB David Mayo Washington Football Team March 18, 2021[10] 1 year, $990,000
QB Colt McCoy Arizona Cardinals March 30, 2021[11] 1 year, $1.212 million
RB Alfred Morris New York Giants August 2, 2021[12]
C Spencer Pulley
LB Jabaal Sheard
NT Dalvin Tomlinson Minnesota Vikings March 19, 2021[13] 2 years, $22 million
DE Leonard Williams New York Giants March 18, 2021[14] 3 years, $63 million
Player re-signed by the Giants Player not re-signed by the Giants

Signings

[edit]
Position Player Age 2020 Team Contract
RB Devontae Booker 28 Oakland Raiders 2 years, $5.5 million[15]
QB Mike Glennon 31 Jacksonville Jaguars 1 year, $1.35 million[16]
OLB Ifeadi Odenigbo 26 Minnesota Vikings 1 year, $2.5 million[17]
WR John Ross 26 Cincinnati Bengals 1 year, $2.5 million[18]
FB Cullen Gillaspia 25 Houston Texans 1 year, $850,000[19]
ILB Reggie Ragland 27 Detroit Lions 1 year, $1.127 million[20]
WR Kenny Golladay 28 Detroit Lions 4 years, $72 million[21]
CB Adoree' Jackson 25 Tennessee Titans 3 years, $39 million[22]
OLB Ryan Anderson 26 Washington Football Team 1 year, $1.12 million[23]
TE Kyle Rudolph 31 Minnesota Vikings 2 years $12 million[24]
G Zach Fulton 29 Houston Texans 1 year, $1.2 million[25]
NT Danny Shelton 27 Detroit Lions 1 year, $1.12 million[26]
TE Cole Hikutini 26 Dallas Cowboys 1 year[27]
S Joshua Kalu 25 Tennessee Titans 1 year[28]
CB Christopher Milton 28 Tennessee Titans 1 year, $990,000[29]
RB Corey Clement 26 Philadelphia Eagles 1 year[30]
WR Kelvin Benjamin 30 Kansas City Chiefs (2018) 1 year[31]
RB Ryquell Armstead 24 Jacksonville Jaguars 2 years, $1.82 million[32]

Draft

[edit]
Main article: 2021 NFL draft
2021 New York Giants Draft
Round Selection Player Position College
1 20 Kadarius Toney WR Florida
2 50 Azeez Ojulari LB Georgia
3 71 Aaron Robinson CB UCF
4 116 Elerson Smith LB Northern Iowa
6 196 Gary Brightwell RB Arizona
201 Rodarius Williams CB Oklahoma State

Undrafted free agents

[edit]
Player Position College
Brett Heggie OL Florida
Jake Burton OL Baylor
Raymond Johnson DE Georgia Southern

Staff

[edit]
2021 New York Giants staff

Front office

  • President/CEO – John Mara
  • Chairman/executive vice president – Steve Tisch
  • Senior vice president & general manager – Dave Gettleman
  • Vice president of football operations/assistant general manager – Kevin Abrams
  • Senior vice president of player personnel – Chris Mara
  • Director of player personnel – Mark Koncz
  • Director of pro personnel – Ken Sternfeld
  • Director of college scouting – Chris Pettit
  • Pro scout – Tim McDonnell
  • Director of football operations – Ed Triggs
  • Senior personnel executive – Kyle O'Brien

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Coaching Assistants

Strength and conditioning

  • Director of strength and performance – Craig Fitzgerald
  • Assistant strength and performance – Drew Wilson
  • Performance manager/assistant strength and performance – Sam Coad


Final roster

[edit]
2021 New York Giants roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
49 active, 22 reserve, 14 practice squad (+4 exempt)

Preseason

[edit]
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 14 New York Jets L 7–12 0–1 MetLife Stadium Recap
2 August 22 at Cleveland Browns L 13–17 0–2 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
3 August 29 New England Patriots L 20–22 0–3 MetLife Stadium Recap

Regular season

[edit]

Schedule

[edit]

The schedule was announced on May 12.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 12 Denver Broncos L 13–27 0–1 MetLife Stadium Recap
2 September 16 at Washington Football Team L 29–30 0–2 FedExField Recap
3 September 26 Atlanta Falcons L 14–17 0–3 MetLife Stadium Recap
4 October 3 at New Orleans Saints W 27–21 (OT) 1–3 Caesars Superdome Recap
5 October 10 at Dallas Cowboys L 20–44 1–4 AT&T Stadium Recap
6 October 17 Los Angeles Rams L 11–38 1–5 MetLife Stadium Recap
7 October 24 Carolina Panthers W 25–3 2–5 MetLife Stadium Recap
8 November 1 at Kansas City Chiefs L 17–20 2–6 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
9 November 7 Las Vegas Raiders W 23–16 3–6 MetLife Stadium Recap
10 Bye
11 November 22 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 10–30 3–7 Raymond James Stadium Recap
12 November 28 Philadelphia Eagles W 13–7 4–7 MetLife Stadium Recap
13 December 5 at Miami Dolphins L 9–20 4–8 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
14 December 12 at Los Angeles Chargers L 21–37 4–9 SoFi Stadium Recap
15 December 19 Dallas Cowboys L 6–21 4–10 MetLife Stadium Recap
16 December 26 at Philadelphia Eagles L 10–34 4–11 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
17 January 2 at Chicago Bears L 3–29 4–12 Soldier Field Recap
18 January 9 Washington Football Team L 7–22 4–13 MetLife Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

[edit]

Week 1: vs. Denver Broncos

[edit]
Week 1: Denver Broncos at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 10 71027
Giants 0 7 0613

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Former Giants head coach turned Broncos Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur returned to MetLife Stadium with Teddy Bridgewater in his first start with the team.

With 2:41 left in the second quarter and the Giants leading 7–3, their offense gave the Broncos the ball and didn't get back on the field until they were trailing 17–7. On the ensuing drive Daniel Jones had a key fumble giving the ball back to Denver, who then kicked a field goal to make it 20–7. Broncos RB Melvin Gordon later broke through with a 70-yard touchdown run, sealing the win for Denver. Shurmur won his revenge game, and the Giants were 0–1 for the fifth consecutive year and eighth time in nine years.

Week 2: at Washington Football Team

[edit]
Week 2: New York Giants at Washington Football Team – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 3 10929
Washington 0 14 31330

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

Despite a strong performance by Daniel Jones and scoring their season high in points, the Giants were plagued by miscues; a Jones touchdown run nullified by a holding penalty, a wide open touchdown drop by Darius Slayton, and finally an offside penalty by Dexter Lawrence during a missed field goal on the final play of the game, which gave Washington another chance. The Giants dropped to 0–2 for the fifth consecutive year and eighth time in nine years, and broke a five-game winning streak against Washington, losing to them for the first time since 2018. The next day, it was revealed that Lawrence was not offside and in fact jumped when the ball was snapped.[33] The Giants also lost starting center and team captain Nick Gates for the season.

Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons

[edit]
Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 7 01017
Giants 3 3 0814

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

The Giants retired Eli Manning's number 10 at halftime. His first career start in 2004 and only home playoff win in 2011 were both against the Falcons.

With 5:07 to go and a 14–7 lead, new cornerback Adoree Jackson dropped a possible game sealing interception in the end zone, and the Falcons tied the score 2 plays later on a touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus. The Giants got the ball to midfield only to punt it away, and Falcons Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo capped off a 6-play, 59-yard drive with a game-winning 41-yard field goal. For the second time in as many games, the Giants dropped potential game winning passes and lost on the last play of the game. The Giants were dealt another blow after the game when they learned linebacker and captain Blake Martinez suffered a torn ACL and would miss the remainder of the season.

Week 4: at New Orleans Saints

[edit]
Week 4: New York Giants at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Giants 0 7 311627
Saints 0 7 77021

at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: October 3
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 69,170
  • Referee: Brad Rogers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Sara Walsh
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Giants appeared all but down and out after two Taysom Hill rushing touchdowns for the Saints. After a 26-yard punt return, Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley gave the Giants new life on a 56-yard touchdown catch and run, and a 2-point conversion to make it a 21–18 game with 6:52 to play. After a defensive stop, Jones led the Giants on a game-tying drive forcing overtime. The Giants won the toss and immediately scored a touchdown on a 6-yard run by Barkley, winning their first game of the season and stunning the Saints fans in the Superdome.

For his performance, Daniel Jones was selected as the NFC Player of the Week.[34]

Week 5: at Dallas Cowboys

[edit]
Week 5: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 10 3720
Cowboys 3 14 101744

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

An already depleted Giants squad lost Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones, and Kenny Golladay in the first half. A bright spot for the Giants was the breakout game for Kadarius Toney, who finished with 10 receptions for 189 yards. Despite the performance, Toney was ejected for punching a Cowboys defender in a skirmish late in the 4th quarter.

Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Rams

[edit]
Week 6: Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 0 28 3738
Giants 3 0 0811

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 17
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,920
  • Referee: Alex Kemp
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

In a Scorigami game where the Giants honored the 2011 championship team at halftime, they were down 28–3 after surrendering four 2nd quarter touchdowns. Daniel Jones, who cleared concussion protocol to start the game, threw for 3 interceptions.

Rookie Kadarius Toney suffered an ankle injury on the Giants opening drive and did not return to the game.

Week 7: vs. Carolina Panthers

[edit]
Week 7: Carolina Panthers at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Panthers 3 0 003
Giants 0 5 71325

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 71,899
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Giants won their second game of the season with dominant defensive play, holding the Panthers to 173 total yards, and benching quarterback Sam Darnold. After surrendering an opening drive field goal, they only allowed 7 first downs over the next 11 drives, 8 of which ended three-and-out. They also totaled a safety, interception, and 6 sacks.

Daniel Jones finished with 247 all purpose yards, including a 16-yard one-handed catch from wide receiver Dante Pettis in the 3rd quarter.

It was later announced that captain and starting safety Jabrill Peppers tore his ACL in the contest and would miss the remainder of the season. He signed with the New England Patriots in the offseason.

Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs

[edit]
Week 8: New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 10 0717
Chiefs 7 7 0620

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Both teams played a sloppy and undisciplined game on a cold night in Kansas City. The Chiefs opened up with a 13 play drive only to be intercepted at the goal line. Daniel Jones threw a pick two plays later and Tyreek Hill opened the scoring for the Chiefs. The Giants managed to make some stops on defense and made the game competitive with a couple of scoring drives, including Kyle Rudolph's first touchdown with the Giants. Evan Engram scored his first touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter to give the Giants the lead, and the Chiefs tied it with a field goal of their own.

Throughout the game, penalties and clock mismanagement became an issue, especially for the Giants in the 4th quarter. In a 17–17 tie game, fullback Elijhaa Penny had a controversial taunting penalty nullify yardage gained from a first down, and a Patrick Mahomes interception on the next drive was nullified by an offsides penalty from Oshane Ximines. The Chiefs took advantage winding down the clock and kicking a game-winning field goal with 1:07 to play. The Giants didn't have any timeouts, and couldn't muster much of an opportunity to extend the game. With the loss, the Giants fell to 2–6 or worse for the 5th consecutive year.

Week 9: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

[edit]
Week 9: Las Vegas Raiders at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 7 6 3016
Giants 7 3 7623

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Evan Engram scored a 30-yard touchdown on the Giants opening drive, and Hunter Renfrow responded in kind for the Raiders. After a Daniel Jones fumble in his own end, the Raiders kicked a field goal to lead 10–7. Both teams traded another set of field goals and the Raiders had a 13–10 halftime lead.

On the opening drive of the second half, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was intercepted by Xavier McKinney who scored a touchdown to make it 17–13 Giants. After trading another set of field goals, the Raiders subsequent red zone drive in the 4th quarter was cut short by a 25-yard missed field goal by Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson. McKinney recorded a second interception, and the Giants kicked a field goal after forcing the Raiders to burn their timeouts and led 23–16 for the final drive. Carr marched the Raiders down the field and into the red zone, but was strip-sacked by rookie Quincy Roche, his first in the NFL, which was recovered by Leonard Williams to seal the victory for the Giants. The Raiders outgained the Giants 403–245 in yards and 24–16 in first downs, but the Raiders were 1–6 in the red zone.

The Giants improved to 3–6 with this win heading into their bye week. For his performance, Xavier McKinney was honored as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[35]

Week 11: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

[edit]
Week 11: New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 3 7 0010
Buccaneers 7 10 10330

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

The Giants were overmatched coming out of the bye in front of a national audience and fell to 3-7 and last place in the NFC East. Their only touchdown was set up by an Adoree Jackson interception putting the ball on the 5 yard line, and offensive tackle Andrew Thomas scored his first career touchdown. The Buccaneers offense did not have a single play with negative yardage until Tom Brady was pulled from the game for backup QB Blaine Gabbert well into the 4th quarter.

The next day, the Giants announced they fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

[edit]
Week 12: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 0 077
Giants 3 0 7313

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 28
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 36 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,969
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

On the day the Giants retired Michael Strahan's 92, the defense rebounded from their lackluster performance in Tampa and played a masterful game.[36] After a first quarter field goal, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was intercepted by Darnay Holmes. The defense preserved the 3-0 first half lead on the last play by stopping an Eagles 15-play, 92-yard drive with a Tae Crowder interception on the goal line, a play that would prove disastrous for the Eagles.

In the third quarter after a fourth down stop, the Giants opened up the scoring when Philadelphia native and Temple University walk-on Chris Myarick made an acrobatic touchdown catch, his first in the NFL, to give the Giants a 10–0 lead. Hurts threw an interception to Xavier McKinney, his third of the day. After that, the Eagles decided to aggressively run the football, rushing for 100 yards in the third quarter alone. Boston Scott got the Eagles on the board in the first play of the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run. After exchanging punts, Kenny Golladay had two critical first-down receptions putting the Giants in field goal range, extending the lead to 13–7 in the closing minutes.

On the next possession with the Eagles driving, Dexter Lawrence forced a Scott fumble, which Julian Love recovered for the Giants with 1:39 to play. The Giants coaches opted to be extra conservative, making the Eagles burn all three timeouts in 23 seconds, giving them the ball back with 1:11 to play.

After three completions from Hurts to rookie RB Kenneth Gainwell for 32 yards, the Eagles drove to the Giants 27-yard line with 37 seconds to play. On first down, Hurts threw a one-on-one ball to the end zone to Jalen Reagor which bounced out of his hands and into the waiting arms of Love, who himself couldn't hold on to the ball, giving the Eagles another chance. On fourth down after two stops, Hurts threw another pass to Reagor on the goal line, which he dropped again, turning the ball over on downs. It was their sixth of the game, and enough for the Giants to escape with the win.

With the win, the Giants improved to 4–7. This was the first time the Giants had a winning streak against the Eagles since they won 3 in a row from 2007 to 2008. Joe Judge also improved to 4–0 at home against division rivals in his last win as Giants head coach. It was also their third home win in a row, the first time they had done so in five years.

Week 13: at Miami Dolphins

[edit]
Week 13: New York Giants at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 3 339
Dolphins 0 10 01020

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Game information

After the Eagles game, it was revealed Daniel Jones sprained his neck in the contest and was officially ruled out on December 3. Backup QB Mike Glennon would get his first start with the Giants.[37]

The story in the first half was about field position. After the Giants were pinned deep and moved the ball to midfield, Glennon was intercepted by Xavien Howard who was touched down at the 3-yard line. A Dolphins three-and-out put the Giants in good field position for their next drive, and kicked a field goal to open the scoring. The Dolphins responded with a field goal of their own, and later capped off a 12-play, 89-yard drive to take a 10–3 halftime lead.

The Giants kicked a field goal on their opening drive of the second half to make it 10–6, and there were 2 combined first down over the next 6 drives for both teams. Near the end of the third quarter after taking a sack, Joe Judge called timeout on 2nd and 23. Glennon was sacked on the following play and followed by a delay of game. This sequence deflated the Giants, who gave the ball back to the Dolphins in advantageous field position and scored to make it 17–6. The Dolphins missed a field goal to ice the game and gave the ball back to the Giants, who made it a one-score game again. The defense couldn't get any stops nor could the coaches keep stopping the clock, so the Dolphins kicked one last field goal and defeated the Giants 20–9, winning their fifth game in a row and reviving their playoff hopes.

The Dolphins became the second team to ever win 5 games in a row after a 7-game losing streak (the first being the 1994 Giants). They snapped a 4-game losing streak against the Giants, defeating them for the first time since 2003, also their first time beating them in Miami. Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle broke Jarvis Landry's franchise record with most catches in a season by a rookie (finished with 84 in 2014) with his 9-catch, 90-yard performance. The Giants fell to 4–8 on the season and backup QB Mike Glennon suffered a concussion in the loss.

Week 14: at Los Angeles Chargers

[edit]
Week 14: New York Giants at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 0 01421
Chargers 7 17 6737

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,240
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The injury-ridden 4–9 Giants played against a 7–5 Chargers team in a must-win situation and were blown out. Kyle Rudolph had a career-long 66-yard reception which Elijhaa Penny capped off with his first career touchdown reception, which tied the game at 7–7 late in the first quarter. The Chargers scored 17 points on 4 possessions in the second quarter, including a 59-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Jalen Guyton. The Giants only gained 29 total yards in the 3rd quarter, and were down 37–7 before scoring two touchdowns late in the game. Saquon Barkley scored his first touchdown since Week 4, and Mike Glennon had his first career rushing touchdown.

Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys

[edit]
Week 15: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 6 9 6021
Giants 3 0 306

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 19
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 77,413
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Giants offense was listless for the fifth game in a row. After forcing a Cowboys punt to start the game, Mike Glennon was intercepted on the Giants first drive, which Ezekiel Elliott capped off with a 13-yard touchdown run. Greg Zuerlein made up for the missed extra point by scoring field goals on the next 3 Cowboys possessions to close out the first half and give the Cowboys a 15–3 halftime lead. The last of which was caused by the defense forcing a Saquon Barkley fumble, his first in the NFL.

The Giants converted a 4th and 1 play with a 31-yard run by Devontae Booker, which set up another field goal to make it 15–6. On the next drive with 4th and inches on their own 29, Glennon was stuffed on a QB sneak. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott threw a touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz 5 plays later, but Zuerlein missed his second extra point of the game. Glennon was intercepted on the next drive, and after a series of punts, Lorenzo Carter strip-sacked Prescott to give the Giants the ball on the Cowboys 27 with 8:32 to play. Two plays later, Glennon threw a deep ball to the end zone which was intercepted by Trevon Diggs for his 10th of the season. The Cowboys burned the clock and punted to the Giants, who benched Glennon for Jake Fromm, a rookie QB from Georgia making his NFL debut after being on the Buffalo Bills practice squad just two weeks prior. Despite driving the Giants down the field, Fromm turned the ball over on downs, sealing the Cowboys 21–6 victory.

The Giants fell to 4–10 and had their 5th season in a row of 10+ losses, and were swept by the Cowboys for the 4th time in 5 years, and the 6th time in 9 years. The Cowboys improved to 10–4 but failed to clinch a playoff spot when the 49ers and Saints both won later that day.

The next day, the Giants announced they were shutting down starting quarterback Daniel Jones for the last three games of the season.

Week 16: at Philadelphia Eagles

[edit]
Week 16: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 3 0710
Eagles 0 3 171434

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 26
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Clear, 50 °F (10 °C)
  • Game attendance: 69,796
  • Referee: Land Clark
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Sara Walsh
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Jake Fromm made his first career NFL start as the Giants visited the Eagles seeking to even their all-time series and complete their first season sweep of Philadelphia since the 2007 season.

While New York got off to a sluggish start on offense in the first half, only scoring a Graham Gano field goal, the defense would pick up the slack, limiting Philadelphia to a field goal of their own. However, miscues on both sides of the ball for the Giants in the second half would lead to the Eagles blowing the game wide open. Fromm completed 6 of 17 passes for 25 yards and an interception before being benched in the third quarter for Mike Glennon. Glennon would finish 17 of 27 for 93 yards, a garbage-time touchdown to Evan Engram, and a pick-six by Alex Singleton. Lane Johnson had his first career touchdown for the Eagles late in the game.

With the loss, New York failed to improve on their 6–10 record from the year before, and was eliminated from playoff contention for the 5th straight year. This was New York's eighth straight road loss to Philadelphia dating back to the 2014 season, as well as their 90th overall loss to their rivals.

Week 17: at Chicago Bears

[edit]
Week 17: New York Giants at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 3 003
Bears 14 8 7029

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Saquon Barkley had his first 100 rushing yard game since his ACL injury (also in Chicago), but the Giants fell to 4-12 and finished the game with -10 net passing yards, the worst by an NFL team since 1998. They also became the first team since 2009 to end a game with negative passing yards.

Robert Quinn set the Bears franchise record with his 18th sack of the season, passing Hall of Famer Richard Dent, and David Montgomery tacked on two rushing touchdowns for the Bears.

Week 18: vs. Washington Football Team

[edit]
Week 18: Washington Football Team at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Washington 3 3 61022
Giants 0 0 077

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: January 9
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Light rain, 36 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 69,923
  • Referee: Adrian Hill
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Jen Hale
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

In a near empty MetLife Stadium, the Giants offense only had 78 total yards through the first three quarters, including QB sneaks on back-to-back plays—2nd and 11 on the NYG-2, 3rd and 9 on the NYG-4—in the second quarter, to the chagrin of the fans in attendance. Washington had a 12–0 lead going into the fourth quarter after two first half field goals and a Bobby McCain pick six. Jake Fromm threw his first career touchdown pass to Darius Slayton for the Giants, then Antonio Gibson scored a touchdown for Washington. After a Fromm fumble, Joey Slye kicked his third field goal of the game to close out the 2021 season for both teams.

With the loss, the Giants finished the season 4–13 on a 6-game losing streak, all by double digits, the first such occurrence in franchise history. This was the second time in franchise history the Giants lost 13 games, and the first time the Giants had been swept by Washington since 2011. Joe Judge became the first Giants head coach to lose 13 games in a season. (Ben McAdoo only lost 10 games in 2017, as he was fired before the end of the season).

The Giants recorded just 5 receiving touchdowns by wide receivers all season. Free agent signee Kenny Golladay and first round pick Kadarius Toney both failed to record a touchdown. Slayton's touchdown was the first by a Giants wide receiver since Dante Pettis in Week 7.

The Giants secured the 5th and 7th picks in the 2022 NFL draft, the latter by virtue of the Chicago Bears in the Justin Fields trade.

The following day, the Giants announced Dave Gettleman's retirement as General Manager after a 19–46 record over four seasons, and that Judge would remain as head coach in 2022. However, the team went back on that promise and fired Judge the following day, finishing with a 10–23 record.

Notably, this was the last game the Washington Football Team played with their temporary moniker, rebranding as the Commanders ahead the 2022 season after changing their name in 2020.

Standings

[edit]

Division

[edit]
NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Dallas Cowboys 12 5 0 .706 6–0 10–2 530 358 W1
(7) Philadelphia Eagles 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 444 385 L1
Washington Football Team 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 335 434 W1
New York Giants 4 13 0 .235 1–5 3–9 258 416 L6

Conference

[edit]
NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1[a] Green Bay Packers North 13 4 0 .765 4–2 9–3 .479 .480 L1
2[a] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 13 4 0 .765 4–2 8–4 .467 .443 W3
3[b] Dallas Cowboys East 12 5 0 .706 6–0 10–2 .488 .431 W1
4[b] Los Angeles Rams West 12 5 0 .706 3–3 8–4 .483 .409 L1
Wild cards
5 Arizona Cardinals West 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 .490 .492 L1
6 San Francisco 49ers West 10 7 0 .588 2–4 7–5 .500 .438 W2
7[c] Philadelphia Eagles East 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 .469 .350 L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[c] New Orleans Saints South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .512 .516 W2
9 Minnesota Vikings North 8 9 0 .471 4–2 6–6 .507 .434 W1
10[d] Washington Football Team East 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .529 .420 W1
11[d][e] Seattle Seahawks West 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 .519 .424 W2
12[d][e] Atlanta Falcons South 7 10 0 .412 2–4 4–8 .472 .315 L2
13 Chicago Bears North 6 11 0 .353 2–4 4–8 .524 .373 L1
14 Carolina Panthers South 5 12 0 .294 2–4 3–9 .509 .412 L7
15 New York Giants East 4 13 0 .235 1–5 3–9 .536 .485 L6
16 Detroit Lions North 3 13 1 .206 2–4 3–9 .528 .627 W1
Tiebreakers[f]
  1. ^ a b Green Bay finished ahead of Tampa Bay based on conference record (9–3 vs. 8–4).
  2. ^ a b Dallas finished ahead of LA Rams based on conference record (10–2 vs. 8–4).
  3. ^ a b Philadelphia finished ahead of New Orleans based on head-to-head victory.
  4. ^ a b c Washington finished ahead of Atlanta and Seattle based on head-to-head victories.
  5. ^ a b Seattle finished ahead of Atlanta based on win percentage in common games (4–2 vs. 3–3 against: San Francisco, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Washington, and Detroit).
  6. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Regular season statistical leaders

[edit]
Player(s) Value NFL Rank NFC Rank
Passing Yards Daniel Jones 2,428 Yards 29th 14th
Passing Touchdowns Daniel Jones 10 TDs 30th 14th
Rushing Yards Saquon Barkley & Devontae Booker 593 Yards T-35th T-19th
Rushing Touchdowns Saquon Barkley, Devontae Booker & Daniel Jones 2 TDs T-60th T-30th
Receptions Evan Engram 46 Receptions T-80th T-39th
Receiving Yards Kenny Golladay 521 Yards 76th 36th
Receiving Touchdowns Evan Engram 3 TDs T-75th T-40th
Points Graham Gano 104 Points 23th 11th
Kickoff Return Yards C. J. Board 273 Yards 31st 15th
Punt Return Yards Pharoh Cooper 90 Yards 35th 17th
Tackles Tae Crowder 130 Tackles T-15th T-11th
Sacks Azeez Ojulari 8.0 Sacks T-32th T-17th
Interceptions Xavier McKinney 5 INTs T-4th T-3rd

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Dave Gettleman retires after four seasons as New York Giants' general manager". ESPN.com. January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "New York Giants fire coach Joe Judge after just two seasons". ESPN.com. January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  3. ^ Traina, Patricia. "Giants Re-sign WR C.J. Board | Report". Sports Illustrated New York Giants News, Analysis and More. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  4. ^ "Patriots set to reportedly sign Adrian Colbert, former Giants safety New England's latest addition". CBSSports.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  5. ^ "Giants re-sign LB Devante Downs; played 16 games with 8 starts in '20". www.giants.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  6. ^ "Chargers Agree to Terms with Outside Linebacker Kyler Fackrell". www.chargers.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  7. ^ "Wayne Gallman to 49ers: Former Giants running back signs one-year deal with San Francisco". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  8. ^ "Giants re-sign DT Austin Johnson: Contract details". Giants Wire. March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  9. ^ "Giants re-sign long snapper Casey Kreiter". Giants Wire. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  10. ^ Spotrac.com. "David Mayo". Spotrac.com. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  11. ^ Florio, Mike (March 31, 2021). "Cardinals sign Colt McCoy". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  12. ^ "Giants sign RB Alfred Morris". Giants Wire. August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  13. ^ "Dalvin Tomlinson is Vikings' 'big prize' in free agency, GM says". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  14. ^ "Giants secure Leonard Williams with 3-year contract". www.giants.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  15. ^ Spotrac.com. "Devontae Booker". Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  16. ^ Spotrac.com. "Mike Glennon". Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  17. ^ Spotrac.com. "Ifeadi Odenigbo". Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  18. ^ Spotrac.com. "John Ross". Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  19. ^ Spotrac.com. "Cullen Gillaspia". Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  20. ^ Spotrac.com. "Reggie Ragland". Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  21. ^ Spotrac.com. "Kenny Golladay". Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  22. ^ Spotrac.com. "Adoree' Jackson". Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  23. ^ Spotrac.com. "Ryan Anderson". Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  24. ^ Schwartz, Paul (March 24, 2021). "Kyle Rudolph signs Giants contract after surgery snag". New York Post. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  25. ^ "Report: Giants agree to terms with guard Zach Fulton". Giants Wire. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  26. ^ Traina, Patricia. "New York Giants Sign D-lineman Danny Shelton to 1-Year Deal". Sports Illustrated New York Giants News, Analysis and More. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  27. ^ "Giants sign three more free agents, including 2 Titans DBs". AP NEWS. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  28. ^ "Giants sign three more free agents, including 2 Titans DBs". AP NEWS. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  29. ^ "Giants sign three more free agents, including 2 Titans DBs". AP NEWS. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  30. ^ Spotrac.com. "Corey Clement". Spotrac.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  31. ^ Spotrac.com. "Kelvin Benjamin". Spotrac.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  32. ^ Spotrac.com. "Ryquell Armstead". Spotrac.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  33. ^ "Report: New York Giants confirm Dexter Lawrence offsides call was botched". Empire Sports Media. September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  34. ^ "New York Giants QB Daniel Jones Earns NFC Player of the Week Nod". FanNation. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  35. ^ "Xavier McKinney is the NFC Defensive Player of the Week". Pro Football Talk. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  36. ^ "Giants report card: A Defensive Masterclass". NYPost.com. November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  37. ^ Scott, Jelani (December 3, 2021). "Giants QB Daniel Jones (neck strain) out for Week 13, Mike Glennon to start vs. Dolphins". NFL.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
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