1985 New York Giants season
| 1985 New York Giants season | |||||||
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| Head coach | Bill Parcells | ||||||
| Home field | Giants Stadium | ||||||
| Results | |||||||
| Record | 10–6 | ||||||
| Division place | 2nd NFC East | ||||||
| Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (49ers) 17–3 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Bears) 21–0 |
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| Timeline | |||||||
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The 1985 New York Giants season was the 61st season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants entered the season looking to improve on their 9-7 record in 1984, which was enough to qualify the team for the playoffs as the second wild-card team, and to return to the playoffs for the second consecutive year under third-year head coach Bill Parcells. The Giants managed to do both, finishing with 10 victories for the first time since 1963 when the team won 11 games and finishing as the first wild-card team which earned the Giants a home playoff game at Giants Stadium. They defeated the San Francisco 49ers 17-3 in that game, avenging their loss to the 49ers in the previous year's divisional playoffs. However, it was as far as the Giants could get as they were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears in the divisional round at Soldier Field 21-0.
At the time, the team set a record for most rushing yards in one season by a Giants team.
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Offseason [edit]
NFL Draft [edit]
Regular season [edit]
In a game against the Washington Redskins, Joe Theismann's career ended on November 18, 1985, when he suffered a gruesome comminuted compound fracture of his leg while being sacked by New York Giants linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson during a Monday Night Football game telecast. The injury was voted the NFL's "Most Shocking Moment in History" by viewers in an ESPN poll, and the tackle was dubbed "The Hit That No One Who Saw It Can Ever Forget" by The Washington Post.[1]
At the time, the Redskins had been attempting to run a "flea-flicker" play. The Giants' defense, however, was not fooled, and they tried to blitz Theismann. Taylor sandwiched Theismann into Carson and inadvertently landed his hip on Theismann's lower right leg, fracturing both the tibia and the fibula.
Schedule [edit]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8, 1985 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 21–0 |
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| 2 | September 15, 1985 | at Green Bay Packers | L 23–20 |
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| 3 | September 22, 1985 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 27–17 |
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| 4 | September 29, 1985 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 16–10 |
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| 5 | October 6, 1985 | Dallas Cowboys | L 30–29 |
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| 6 | October 13, 1985 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 35–30 |
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| 7 | October 20, 1985 | Washington Redskins | W 17–3 |
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| 8 | October 27, 1985 | at New Orleans Saints | W 21–13 |
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| 9 | November 3, 1985 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 22–20 |
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| 10 | November 10, 1985 | Los Angeles Rams | W 24–19 |
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| 11 | November 18, 1985 | at Washington Redskins | L 23–21 |
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| 12 | November 24, 1985 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 34–3 |
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| 13 | December 1, 1985 | Cleveland Browns | L 35–33 |
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| 14 | December 8, 1985 | at Houston Oilers | W 35–14 |
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| 15 | December 15, 1985 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 28–21 |
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| 16 | December 21, 1985 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 28–10 |
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Standings [edit]
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | ||
| Dallas Cowboys(3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 7–5 | 357 | 333 | |
| New York Giants(4) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 399 | 283 | |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 297 | 312 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–4 | 6–8 | 286 | 310 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–7 | 3–9 | 278 | 414 | |
Roster [edit]
1985 New York Giants
* Hall of Fame
Head Coach: Bill Parcells
To be listed, a player must have played at least one game for the team during this season.
RB George Adams
G Billy Ard
K Jess Atkinson
LB Carl Banks
TE Mark Bavaro
T/G/C Brad Benson
NT/DT Jim Burt
RB Rob Carpenter
LB * Harry Carson
RB Maurice Carthon
DB Bill Currier
DB Tyrone Davis
DB Larry Flowers
RB Tony Galbreath
G/T/DE/DT Chris Godfrey
T/G/C Conrad Goode
K Ali Haji-Sheikh
DE/NT/DT Dee Hardison
TE Don Hasselbeck
DB Mark Haynes
LB Andy Headen
DB Kenny Hill
QB Jeff Hostetler
LB Byron Hunt
WR Bobby Johnson
LB Robbie Jones
G David Jordan
TE Vyto Kab
DB Terry Kinard
T/G Gordon King
P Sean Landeta
WR Lionel Manuel
DT Leonard Marshall
DE/TE George Martin
WR Phil McConkey
DE/NT Curtis McGriff
DE/DT Casey Merrill
RB Joe Morris
T Karl Nelson
C Bart Oates
S Elvis Patterson
LB Gary Reasons
WR Stacy Robinson
RB Lee Rouson
QB Jeff Rutledge
NT Jerome Sally
K Eric Schubert
QB Phil Simms
LB * Lawrence Taylor
DB Ted Watts
DB Herb Welch
WR Byron Williams
CB Perry Williams
Playoffs [edit]
NFC Wild Card [edit]
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Even though the 49ers recorded 362 yards of total offense, with receiver Dwight Clark catching 8 passes for 120 yards, the Giants limited San Francisco to only one field goal. Meanwhile, New York running back Joe Morris rushed for 141 yards.
NFC Divisional Playoff [edit]
The Giants lost to the Chicago Bears 21-0 on Jan. 5, 1986 during the Divisional Round. The Chicago Bears went on to win the 1985 Super Bowl.
Awards and honors [edit]
- Phil Simms, Pro Bowl MVP Pro Bowl MVP Award [2]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Shapiro, Leonard (2005-11-18). "The Hit That Changed a Career". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 202
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