A look back at the top 10 New York Giants games from the past five seasons. Despite several losing campaigns, there are many standout moments.
We all miss sports right now. And despite the fact that NFL games wouldn’t currently be happening anyway, many of us still miss New York Giants football.
While the last five seasons have produced just one postseason berth, the Giants have still experienced some memorable moments.
Here’s a look at the top 10 games from the past five seasons that any Giants fan would kill to watch live right now.
10. Giants knock off playoff-bound Bears in overtime (2018)
Despite a 3-8 record, the 2018 Giants’ postseason hopes were not quite dead entering their Dec. 2 matchup with the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears.
The Giants trailed 14-10 at the half but took the lead in the third quarter. A trick play saw Odell Beckham Jr. throw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Russell Shepard to put New York on top 17-14. Eli Manning then recorded a 4th-and-goal touchdown pass to Beckham later in the quarter to extend the lead to 24-14.
In the fourth quarter, New York held a 27-20 lead with 1:13 left to play. They were unable to finish the game in regulation though. Bears quarterback Chase Daniel led his team on a seven-play, 53-yard touchdown drive to tie the game as time expired.
The Giants would receive the ball first in overtime and take a 30-27 lead on a 44-yard Aldrick Rosas field goal. New York’s defense would then finish the job, turning the Bears over on downs to clinch the victory.
The win kept the teams’ playoff hopes alive for one more week.
9. Manning hits Larry Donnell to beat San Francisco (2015)
Riding a two-game winning streak, the 2015 Giants played host to the 49ers for a Week 5 Sunday Night Football battle. The contest was a back and forth affair as the teams matched each other score-for-score nearly the entire game.
New York took a 13-6 lead into halftime. The 49ers quickly evened the score though, as Colin Kaepernick connected with Anquan Boldin for a three-yard touchdown. The Giants then claimed a 20-13 lead later in the quarter when Manning hit Beckham for a 17-yard score.
There, the 49ers again evened the score when Kaepernick threw a touchdown pass to Garrett Celek. Down 23-20 later on, the 49ers took a 27-23 lead with 1:45 to play after running back Carlos Hyde scored a two-yard touchdown.
Despite time running out, Manning led the Giants down the field to win the game. With 21 seconds remaining, he threw a perfect pass to tight end Larry Donnell, who caught it in the back of the end zone. This put the Giants ahead 30-27 and seal a victory on a wild night in the Meadowlands.
8. Giants end Redskins’ playoff hopes, clinch 11-5 season (2016)
With the 5th seed in the NFC playoffs already clinched, the Giants traveled to D.C. with one mission in the 2016 regular-season finale: spoil the Redskins’ postseason hopes.
This is exactly what they would do.
The Giants took a 10-0 lead into halftime after a Robbie Gould field goal and a two-yard touchdown run from running back Rashad Jennings.
Washington would then rally to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Down 10-3, Kirk Cousins connected with Jordan Reed for a one-yard touchdown pass to even the score.
This wouldn’t stop the Giants’ quest to play spoiler though. Manning led a 58-yard drive to set up Gould for a go-ahead 40-yard field goal with 2:12 to go.
The Giants defense put on the finishing touches in the final two minutes when Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie picked off Cousins with 1:27 remaining. Washington got the ball back at their own six-yard line and time for one more play. But instead of a miracle, it resulted in a Giants touchdown. Trevin Wade scooped up a loose ball off a backward pass, took it into the end zone for an 11-yard score, and finished off the Redskins season.
7. Jones, Barkley light up Redskins (2019)
With both the Giants and Redskins entering a Week 16 matchup with 3-11 records, many fans of both teams were rooting for their respective squads to lose.
Instead, Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley did everything possible to earn a victory for Big Blue.
Jones threw for an incredible 352 yards and five touchdowns. Barkley, on the other hand, rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown while hauling in 90 receiving yards and one score through the air.
Despite their efforts and a 14-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Redskins rallied back to even the score and force overtime.
There, the Giants received the ball first and never gave it back. Jones led a 66-yard drive, capped off with a three-yard touchdown pass to Kaden Smith. The Giants thus won the contest 41-35.
6. Giants go on 40-0 run in D.C. (2018)
Following an upset victory over the Chicago Bears, the Giants looked to keep their slim playoff hopes alive against a 6-6 Redskins team.
Big Blue took an early lead when Curtis Riley picked off Washington quarterback Mark Sanchez and returned it for an easy nine-yard touchdown.
Leading by seven, the Giants put the game away with a 27-point second quarter. New York found a variety of ways to score. Barkley ran for a 78-yard score and later had a run of 52 yards to set up a Manning touchdown pass to Bennie Fowler.
Manning threw a total of two touchdowns in the quarter. He also hit Sterling Shepard for a three-yard score. Meanwhile, Rosas added a pair of field goals and the Giants defense blanked the Skins to take a 34-0 lead into the half.
The Giants added one more touchdown in the third quarter when Manning hit Russell Shepard for an 11-yard score to make it a 40-0 game.
Washington would add 16 points in the fourth quarter, but it was far too little. The Giants closed out the victory to improve to 5-8 on the year.
Barkley finished the day with 170 rushing yards while Manning threw three touchdowns and no picks.
5. Odell’s big day saves the Giants’ season (2016)
After a 2-0 start to the 2016 season, the Giants dropped three-straight and were in danger of falling two games below .500 when they trailed the Baltimore Ravens in a Week 6 matchup at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants held onto the lead at numerous points and even turned the Ravens away with a four-play goal-line stand from the three-yard line in the second half.
This wouldn’t stop a pesky Ravens squad though. With 2:04 left to play, Terrance West scored a two-yard touchdown to put Baltimore on top 23-20.
After just three plays, the Giants found themselves down to their last chance. They faced a 4th-and-1 from their own 34-yard line.
That’s when Manning turned back to Beckham, who already racked up 156 yards receiving on the day. Eli hit OBJ on a quick slant and the speedy wideout did the rest. He scored a 66-yard touchdown to finish the day with 222 yards and secure an important 27-23 Giants win that ended up tilting the momentum of the entire season.
4. Giants spoil Dak and Zeke’s NFL debut (2016)
The Giants’ 2016 campaign opened in a familiar location. They traveled to AT&T Stadium to take on the Cowboys in Week 1 for the third time in four seasons. While the location was the same, the result of the game wasn’t.
Dallas scored the game’s first six points off field goals, but the Giants answered back before the half. Manning hit both Donnell and then-rookie Sterling Shepard for touchdowns to give New York a 13-9 halftime lead.
The Cowboys would retake the lead early in the third quarter when then-rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott scored an eight-yard touchdown to make it a 16-13 game.
Down 19-13 later on, Manning led the Giants down the field and found a weapon who’d been missing for nearly two seasons. Victor Cruz caught a three-yard touchdown and gave his team a 20-19 lead with 6:13 to go.
Then-rookie quarterback Dak Prescott gave the Cowboys one final chance. But with 12 seconds remaining, Prescott connected with wideout Terrance Williams, who failed to get out of bounds. With no timeouts, Dallas was unable to call another play, allowing the Giants to seal the one-point victory.
Big Blue thus started a season with a win for the first time since 2010.
3: Eli Manning’s final start (2019)
With Daniel Jones injured, future Hall of Famer Eli Manning earned the chance to start one final time in front of the MetLife Stadium crowd when the Giants took on the Miami Dolphins in Week 15 of the 2019 season.
The Giants fell behind in the second quarter but quickly tied the game at seven when Manning hit Golden Tate for a 51-yard score.
Down 10-7 in the third, Manning threw a second touchdown when he connected with Darius Slayton on a five-yard toss. This would be the final touchdown pass of his career.
Manning’s supporting cast assured they’d send him off with a victory. Barkley and Buck Allen both scored rushing touchdowns while the defense held Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins in check to close out a 36-20 victory.
Throughout the game, Manning was showered with cheers and chants of his name as he exited the field victorious one final time.
2. Defense halts Cowboys, finishes season sweep (2016)
Looking to stay alive in the NFC East race, the Giants hosted an 11-1 Cowboys team who hadn’t lost since the two teams’ previous matchup on opening weekend.
Dallas jumped ahead early, as Prescott hit Terrance Williams for a 31-yard touchdown in the first quarter. That score would be all Dallas’ high-powered offense would manage the entire night.
Janoris Jenkins grabbed an interception and forced a Dez Bryant fumble. Leon Hall additionally snagged Prescott’s second pick of the game to keep a quiet Giants offense alive.
Down 7-3, the Giants got the big play they needed when Manning hit Beckham on a slant. The quick route turned into a 61-yard go-ahead score. New York finished off a 10-7 win and swept the season series from Dallas for the first time since 2011.
1. Daniel Jones’ storybook debut (2019)
After an 0-2 start to the 2019 season, the Giants decided to move on from Manning and turn to Jones.
The rookie’s first task was to take on a 1-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers team on a sweltering September day. Down 12-3, Jones scored his first NFL touchdown on a seven-yard run to pull New York within two. The Giants defense made life difficult on the rookie though. They allowed 16 points in the second quarter, as the Bucs took a 28-10 lead into the locker room.
Looking for a spark, Jones delivered on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. The rookie hit tight end Evan Engram for a 75-yard score. He then converted a two-point conversion with a pass to Sterling Shepard to pull the Giants within 10.
Later on, Jones narrowed the margin to just three, hitting Shepard for a seven-yard score to make it a 28-25 game.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Giants trailed 31-25 with 3:16 to go. This would be no problem for the rookie though. Jones ultimately delivered a two-minute, 75-yard drive that ended in his second seven-yard rushing touchdown of the game on a fourth-down quarterback keeper. New York thus pulled ahead 32-31.
The Giants defense allowed the Bucs one final chance to win the game. Nonetheless, kicker Matt Gay missed a 34-yard attempt as time expired. In his inaugural start, Jones delivered a win that signaled the franchise was in good hands.
