1941 New York Giants season
NFL team 17th season
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The 1941 New York Giants season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League.
| 1941 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Steve Owen |
| Home stadium | Polo Grounds |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–3 |
| Division place | 1st NFL Eastern |
| Playoffs | Lost NFL Championship (at Bears) 9–37 |
Season recap
Ed Danowski was lured out of retirement, Tuffy Leemans' back healed, and Mel Hein was talked out of a potential retirement. The Giants sailed through their first five games—only the Washington Redskins came within a touchdown of them as they outscored their first five opponents, 122–27. But the Brooklyn Dodgers, coached by Jock Sutherland and guided on the field by All-Pro Ace Parker, proved the Giants' most formidable opponents, dealing them two of their three defeats this year.
The Giants clinched the Eastern Division title weeks in advance of the regular season finale, but no NFL players could have been prepared for the Attack on Pearl Harbor to occur less than fifteen minutes before kickoff of week 14; the three games that day were not interrupted. At the Polo Grounds no official announcements were made, except for a page for OSS head, Col. William J. Donovan, to call his office immediately. After the game, another announcement requested that all military personnel return to their stations.[1] A bye week was observed before proceeding to the championship game.
Schedule
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–0 | 1–0 | Philadelphia Municipal Stadium | 25,478 | Recap | ||
| — | Bye | ||||||||
| 2 | September 28 | at Washington Redskins | W 17–10 | 2–0 | Griffith Stadium | 35,677 | Recap | ||
| 3 | October 5 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 37–10 | 3–0 | Forbes Field | 13,458 | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 16–0 | 4–0 | Polo Grounds | 30,842 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 28–7 | 5–0 | Polo Grounds | 34,604 | Recap | ||
| 6 | October 26 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | L 13–16 | 5–1 | Ebbets Field | 28,675 | Recap | ||
| 7 | November 2 | Chicago Cardinals | L 7–10 | 5–2 | Polo Grounds | 29,289 | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 9 | Detroit Lions | W 20–13 | 6–2 | Polo Grounds | 27,875 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 16 | Cleveland Rams | W 49–14 | 7–2 | Polo Grounds | 32,740 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 23 | Washington Redskins | W 20–13 | 8–2 | Polo Grounds | 49,317 | Recap | ||
| — | Bye | ||||||||
| 11 | December 7 | Brooklyn Dodgers | L 7–21 | 8–3 | Polo Grounds | 55,051 | Recap | ||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. • September 13: Saturday night game[2] | |||||||||
Game summaries
Game 1: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week Three: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Date: September 13
- Game attendance: 25,478
| Game information |
|---|
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Game 2: at Washington Redskins
Week Four: New York Giants at Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
- Date: September 28
- Game attendance: 35,677
| Game information |
|---|
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Game 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week Five: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 3 | 0 | 14 | 20 | 37 |
| Steelers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: October 5
- Game attendance: 13,458
| Game information |
|---|
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Game 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week Six: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Giants | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: October 12
- Game attendance: 30,842
| Game information |
|---|
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Game 5: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week Seven: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: October 19
- Game attendance: 34,604
| Game information |
|---|
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Game 6: at Brooklyn Dodgers
Week Six: New York Giants at Brooklyn Dodgers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Dodgers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York
- Date: October 26
- Game attendance: 28,675
| Game information |
|---|
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Game 7: vs. Chicago Cardinals
Week Nine: Chicago Cardinals at New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 2
- Game attendance: 29,829
| Game information |
|---|
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Game 8: vs. Detroit Lions
Week Ten: Detroit Lions at New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Giants | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 9
- Game attendance: 27,875
| Game information |
|---|
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Game 9: vs. Cleveland Rams
Week Eleven: Cleveland Rams at New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Giants | 14 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 16
- Game attendance: 32,740
| Game information |
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Game 10: vs. Washington Redskins
Week Twelve: Washington Redskins at New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 23
- Game attendance: 49,317
| Game information |
|---|
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Game 11: vs. Brooklyn Dodgers
Week Fourteen: Brooklyn Dodgers at New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: December 7
- Game attendance: 55,051
| Game information |
|---|
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Playoffs
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | December 21 | at Chicago Bears | L 9–37 | Wrigley Field | 13,341 | Recap |
1941 NFL Championship: at Chicago Bears
1941 NFL Championship: New York Giants at Chicago Bears
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Bears | 3 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 37 |
at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: December 21
- Game attendance: 13,341
| Game information |
|---|
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Roster
| 1941 New York Giants final roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Backs
|
Linemen/Linebackers
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Ends/Receivers
Reserve
| ||||||
Standings
| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 6–2 | 238 | 114 | L1 | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | 6–2 | 158 | 127 | W2 | |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | 5–3 | 176 | 174 | W1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 8 | 1 | .200 | 1–6–1 | 119 | 218 | L3 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 | 9 | 1 | .100 | 1–6–1 | 103 | 276 | L2 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.