1985 New York Giants season
NFL team season
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The 1985 New York Giants season was the franchise’s 61st season in the National Football League (NFL). 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 ten victories for the first time since 1963 when the team won eleven games and finishing as the first wild-card team which earned the Giants a home playoff game at Giants Stadium.
| 1985 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Wellington Mara |
| General manager | George Young |
| Head coach | Bill Parcells |
| Offensive coordinator | Ron Erhardt |
| Defensive coordinator | Bill Belichick |
| Home stadium | Giants Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC East |
| Playoffs | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. 49ers) 17–3 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Bears) 0–21 |
| Pro Bowlers | 5 |
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. Bill Parcells stated in "America's Game: 1986 Giants" about the game the Giants played against the Bears in the playoffs that "an honest evaluation of it, we could have probably beat that team one out of ten times. But that day was one of the days that that could have happened." At the time, the team set a record for most rushing yards in one season by a Giants team.
Offseason
NFL draft
| Round # | Pick # | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | George Adams | Running back | Kentucky |
| 2 | 46 | Stacy Robinson | Wide receiver | North Dakota State |
| 3 | 58 | Tyrone Davis | Defensive back | Clemson |
| 3 | 73 | Brian Johnston | Center | North Carolina |
| 4 | 100 | Mark Bavaro | Tight end | Notre Dame |
| 5 | 132 | Tracy Henderson | Wide receiver | Ohio State |
| 6 | 159 | Jack Oliver | Guard | Memphis State |
| 8 | 213 | Lee Rouson | Running back | Colorado |
| 9 | 240 | Frank Wright | Defensive tackle | South Carolina |
| 10 | 272 | Gregg Dubroc | Linebacker | LSU |
| 11 | 299 | Al Young | Defensive back | Virginia Tech |
| 12 | 326 | Herb Welch | Defensive back | UCLA |
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Regular season
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.[2]
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
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 21–0 | 1–0 | Giants Stadium | 76,141 |
| 2 | September 15 | at Green Bay Packers | L 20–23 | 1–1 | Lambeau Field | 56,145 |
| 3 | September 22 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 27–17 | 2–1 | Giants Stadium | 74,987 |
| 4 | September 29 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 16–10 | 3–1 | Veterans Stadium | 66,696 |
| 5 | October 6 | Dallas Cowboys | L 29–30 | 3–2 | Giants Stadium | 74,981 |
| 6 | October 13 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 30–35 | 3–3 | Riverfront Stadium | 53,112 |
| 7 | October 20 | Washington Redskins | W 17–3 | 4–3 | Giants Stadium | 74,389 |
| 8 | October 27 | at New Orleans Saints | W 21–13 | 5–3 | Louisiana Superdome | 54,082 |
| 9 | November 3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 22–20 | 6–3 | Giants Stadium | 72,031 |
| 10 | November 10 | Los Angeles Rams | W 24–19 | 7–3 | Giants Stadium | 74,663 |
| 11 | November 18 | at Washington Redskins | L 21–23 | 7–4 | RFK Stadium | 53,371 |
| 12 | November 24 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 34–3 | 8–4 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 41,248 |
| 13 | December 1 | Cleveland Browns | L 33–35 | 8–5 | Giants Stadium | 66,482 |
| 14 | December 8 | at Houston Oilers | W 35–14 | 9–5 | Houston Astrodome | 36,576 |
| 15 | December 15 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 21–28 | 9–6 | Texas Stadium | 62,310 |
| 16 | December 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 28–10 | 10–6 | Giants Stadium | 66,785 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Results
Week 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Giants | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
- Date: September 8
- Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 78 °F (25.6 °C); wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and John Madden
Week 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| • Packers | 10 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
- Date: September 15
- Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Game start: 3:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 56 °F (13.3 °C); wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Week 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| • Giants | 7 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
- Date: September 22
- Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 72 °F (22.2 °C); wind 13 miles per hour (21 km/h; 11 kn)
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Week 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Giants | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
- Date: September 29
- Location: Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 61 °F (16.1 °C); wind 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h; 4.3 kn)
- Referee: Tom Dooley
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall John Madden
Week 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 30 |
| Giants | 3 | 3 | 20 | 3 | 29 |
- Date: October 6
- Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game start: 9:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C); wind 16 miles per hour (26 km/h; 14 kn)
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, O. J. Simpson, Joe Namath
Week 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 17 | 10 | 30 |
| • Bengals | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
- Date: October 13
- Location: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 72 °F (22.2 °C); wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Week 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| • Giants | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
- Date: October 20
- Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 60 °F (15.6 °C); wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
- Referee: Gene Barth
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Week 8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Saints | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
- Date: October 27
- Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Game start: 3:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Indoors (dome)
- Referee: Bob Frederic
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall John Madden
Week 9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| • Giants | 3 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 22 |
- Date: November 3
- Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 53 °F (11.7 °C); wind 21 miles per hour (34 km/h; 18 kn)
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Week 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
| • Giants | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
- Date: November 10
- Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 63 °F (17.2 °C); wind 18 miles per hour (29 km/h; 16 kn)
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (CBS): Jack Buck and Hank Stram
Week 11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| • Redskins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 23 |
- Date: November 18
- Location: RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
- Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C); wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Joe Namath, and O.J. Simpson
Week 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Giants | 0 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 34 |
| Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
- Date: November 24
- Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
- Game start: 3:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 30 °F (−1.1 °C); wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
- Referee: Red Cashion
Week 13
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Browns | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| Giants | 7 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 33 |
- Date: December 1
- Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 43 °F (6.1 °C); wind 20 miles per hour (32 km/h; 17 kn)
- Referee: Tom Dooley
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Griese
Week 14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Giants | 14 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
| Oilers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
- Date: December 8
- Location: Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Indoors (dome)
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Wayne Walker
Week 15
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| • Cowboys | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
- Date: December 15
- Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
- Game start: 12:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 36 °F (2.2 °C); wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Terry Bradshaw
Week 16
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| • Giants | 7 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
- Date: December 21
- Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game start: 12:30 p.m.
- Game weather: 27 °F (−2.8 °C); wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
Standings
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3) Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 7–5 | 357 | 333 | L1 |
| (4) New York Giants | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 399 | 283 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 297 | 312 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–4 | 6–8 | 286 | 310 | W1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–7 | 3–9 | 278 | 414 | L2 |
Playoffs
Wild card
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Giants | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
- Date: December 29
- Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 75,842
- Game weather: Mostly cloudy; 36 °F or 2.2 °C; wind 16 miles per hour (26 km/h; 14 kn)
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
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.
Divisional
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Bears | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
- Date: January 5
- Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
- Game start: 11:30 a.m.
- Game weather: 18 °F (−7.8 °C); wind 16 miles per hour (26 km/h; 14 kn)
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerrall & John Madden
The Giants lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.
Awards and honors
- Phil Simms, Pro Bowl MVP [18]