The 1977 New York Giants season was the franchise's 53rd season in the National Football League (NFL).[1] The Giants had a 5–9 record in 1977 and finished in a tie for last place with the Philadelphia Eagles.[2][3]
| 1977 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owner | Wellington Mara Timothy J. Mara |
| Head coach | John McVay |
| Home field | Giants Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–9 |
| Division place | T-4th NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | LB Brad Van Pelt |
The Giants selected defensive end Gary Jeter in the 1977 NFL draft with the fifth overall pick.[4] Before the season, the Giants signed quarterback Joe Pisarcik, who won the starting position to replace Craig Morton, whom they had traded to the Denver Broncos. New York won their opening game of the year against the Washington Redskins, prevailing 20–17 on a field goal by Joe Danelo in the final seconds.[5] After losses in their next three games, victories over the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins evened the Giants’ record at 3–3. Afterwards, New York lost six of their last eight games.[2] With a season-ending 12–9 defeat by the Chicago Bears in overtime,[6] the team concluded the year at 5–9.[2]
Offensively, New York's season total of 181 points was lower than all but four of the 27 other NFL teams.[6] Pisarcik started 11 of the Giants' 14 games in 1977 and threw for 1,346 yards, but had 14 passes intercepted and only four touchdowns. Bobby Hammond led the Giants in rushing with 154 carries for 577 yards. Doug Kotar and Larry Csonka also rushed for more than 450 yards each.[2] The team's leading receiver statistically was Jimmy Robinson, who caught 22 passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns. Gary Shirk was the only other Giants player with multiple touchdown catches, while Johnny Perkins was second behind Robinson with 20 receptions. On defense, cornerback Bill Bryant led New York with three interceptions.[2] For the second consecutive season, linebacker Brad Van Pelt was the only Giant to make the Pro Bowl.[7]
Offseason
editNFL Draft
edit| 1977 New York Giants draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Gary Jeter | DE | USC | |
| 2 | 32 | Johnny Perkins | WR | Abilene Christian | |
| 4 | 88 | Mike Vaughan | T | Oklahoma | |
| 5 | 117 | Randy Dean | QB | Northwestern | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster
editQuarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
|
Reserve
|
Schedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 18 | Washington Redskins | W 20–17 | 1–0 | 76,086 |
| 2 | September 25 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 21–41 | 1–1 | 64,215 |
| 3 | October 2 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 3–17 | 1–2 | 46,374 |
| 4 | October 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–28 | 1–3 | 48,824 |
| 5 | October 16 | San Francisco 49ers | W 20–17 | 2–3 | 70,366 |
| 6 | October 23 | at Washington Redskins | W 17–6 | 3–3 | 53,903 |
| 7 | October 31 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 0–28 | 3–4 | 50,323 |
| 8 | November 6 | Dallas Cowboys | L 10–24 | 3–5 | 74,532 |
| 9 | November 13 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 10–0 | 4–5 | 46,518 |
| 10 | November 20 | Cleveland Browns | L 7–21 | 4–6 | 72,576 |
| 11 | November 27 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 13–30 | 4–7 | 32,705 |
| 12 | December 4 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 27–7 | 5–7 | 71,826 |
| 13 | December 11 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–17 | 5–8 | 47,731 |
| 14 | December 18 | Chicago Bears | L 9–12 (OT) | 5–9 | 50,152 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
editWeek 3
edit- TV Station: CBS
- TV Announcers: Lindsey Nelson, Paul Hornung
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Scott Hunter set up Monroe Eley's one-yard plunge early in the second period with an 18-yard bootleg and backup quarterback Kim McQuilken led an 80-yard scoring drive in the final period to give the Falcons a 17–3 win over the Giants.[8]
Week 5
edit- TV Station: CBS
- TV Announcers: Vin Scully, Alex Hawkins
Joe Pisarcik's 37-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gary Shirk and a pair of field goals by Joe Danelo helped give New York a narrow 20–17 victory, their first in four games. 49ers quarterback Jim Plunkett started a San Francisco rally. Touchdowns by Wilbur Jackson on a one-yard run and wide receiver Gene Washington on a 47-yard pass made the game close.[9]
Week 6
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Week 14
edit
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Standings
edit| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Dallas Cowboys(1) | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 7–1 | 11–1 | 345 | 212 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 4–4 | 8–4 | 196 | 189 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 7–5 | 272 | 287 | L4 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 220 | 207 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 181 | 265 | L2 |
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings(3) | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 6–1 | 8–4 | 231 | 227 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears(4) | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 6–1 | 8–4 | 255 | 253 | W6 |
| Detroit Lions | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–5 | 4–8 | 183 | 252 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–5 | 4–7 | 134 | 219 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 0–4 | 2–11 | 103 | 223 | W2 |
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Los Angeles Rams(2) | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 302 | 146 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 179 | 129 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 220 | 260 | L3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 232 | 336 | L4 |
References
edit- ^ "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "1977 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
- ^ "1977 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ "1977 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- ^ Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. pp. 182–184. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
- ^ a b Katz, Michael (December 20, 1977). "Giants Find 1978 Outlook Encouraging". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ Whittingham, pp. 180, 184–185.
- ^ Katz, Michael (October 3, 1977). "Falcons Stagger Giants". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Katz, Michael (October 17, 1977). "Shirk's Catch, Blocked Punt, Defense Aid Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
- ^ "New York Giants 17 at Washington Redskins 6". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
- ^ "Chicago Bears at New York Giants – December 18th, 1977". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 8, 2020.