1989 New York Giants season
NFL team season
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The New York Giants played their 65th season in the National Football League (NFL) in 1989. After going 10–6 and suffering a heartbreaking final-day elimination from playoff contention in 1988, the team went 12–4 and won the NFC East. The Giants lost to the Los Angeles Rams 19–13 in the NFC Divisional playoffs.
OwnerWellington Mara
| 1989 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 | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st NFC East |
| Playoffs | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Rams) 13–19 (OT) |
| Pro Bowlers | 2 |
Pro Bowl selections for the team were Dave Meggett and Lawrence Taylor. Ottis Anderson rushed for over 1,000 yards and was winner of the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1989 New York Giants draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Brian Williams | C | Minnesota | |
| 3 | 64 | Bob Kratch | G | Iowa | |
| 3 | 78 | Greg Jackson | S | LSU | |
| 4 | 93 | Lewis Tillman | RB | Jackson St | |
| 4 | 105 | Brad Henke | DT | Arizona | |
| 5 | 132 | Dave Meggett * | RB | Towson | |
| 6 | 158 | Howard Cross | TE | Alabama | |
| 7 | 175 | Dave Popp | T | Eastern Illinois | |
| 8 | 218 | Myron Guyton | S | Eastern Kentucky | |
| 9 | 245 | A.J. Greene | DB | Wake Forest | |
| 10 | 272 | Rodney Lowe | DE | Ole Miss | |
| 11 | 299 | Jerome Rinehart | DE | Tennessee-Martin | |
| 12 | 326 | Eric Smith | LB | UCLA | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Lish Adams | Linebacker | Sam Houston State |
| Leon Cole | Defensive end | Texas A&M |
| LeRoy Etienne | Linebacker | Nebraska |
| Jeff Fryar | Tackle | Indiana |
| Jason Kuipers | Center | Florida State |
| Frank Miotke | Wide receiver | Grand Valley State |
| Travis Wallington | Linebacker | Navy |
| Dayne Williams | Running back | Florida State |
Roster
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 12 | at New England Patriots | W 20–17 | 1–0 | Foxboro Stadium |
| 2 | August 20 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 45–7 | 2–0 | Arrowhead Stadium |
| 3 | August 26 | New York Jets | W 21–17 | 3–0 | Giants Stadium |
| 4 | September 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 10–13 | 3–1 | Giants Stadium |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | at Washington Redskins | W 27–24 | 1–0 | RFK Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 17 | Detroit Lions | W 24–14 | 2–0 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | September 24 | Phoenix Cardinals | W 35–7 | 3–0 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | October 1 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 30–13 | 4–0 | Texas Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | October 8 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 19–21 | 4–1 | Veterans Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 15 | Washington Redskins | W 20–17 | 5–1 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 7 | October 22 | at San Diego Chargers | W 20–13 | 6–1 | Jack Murphy Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | October 30 | Minnesota Vikings | W 24–14 | 7–1 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 9 | November 5 | at Phoenix Cardinals | W 20–13 | 8–1 | Sun Devil Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 12 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 10–31 | 8–2 | Anaheim Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 19 | Seattle Seahawks | W 15–3 | 9–2 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | November 27 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 24–34 | 9–3 | Candlestick Park | Recap | |
| 13 | December 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–24 | 9–4 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 10 | at Denver Broncos | W 14–7 | 10–4 | Mile High Stadium | Recap | |
| 15 | December 16 | Dallas Cowboys | W 15–0 | 11–4 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 16 | December 24 | Los Angeles Raiders | W 34–17 | 12–4 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Game summaries
Week 1
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
| Redskins | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
- Date: Monday, September 11
- Game time: 9:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 83 °F (28.3 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| • Giants | 3 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
- Date: September 17
- Location: Giants Stadium
- Game weather: 69 °F or 20.6 °C, relative humidity 84%, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
- Referee: Johnny Grier
| Q1 | 6:46 | NYG | Allegre 49 yard field goal | NYG 3–0 |
| Q2 | 8:03 | DET | Johnson 71 yard pass from Gagliano (Murray kick) | DET 7–3 |
| Q3 | 9:55 | DET | Sanders 4 yard run (Murray kick) | DET 14–3 |
| Q3 | 5:10 | NYG | Anderson 11 yard run (Allegre kick) | DET 14–10 |
| Q3 | 0:43 | NYG | Turner 9 yard pass from Simms (Allegre kick) | NYG 17–14 |
| Q4 | 9:42 | NYG | Bavaro 24 yard pass from Simms (Allegre kick) | NYG 24–14 |
Week 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Giants | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| Chargers | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
- Date: October 22
- Location: Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
- Referee: Dale Hamer
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
| 1 | NYG | Raúl Allegre 21-yard field goal | Giants 3–0 | |
| 2 | SD | Chris Bahr 26-yard field goal | Tie 3–3 | |
| 2 | NYG | Raúl Allegre 40-yard field goal | Giants 6–3 | |
| 3 | NYG | Ottis Anderson 4-yard run (Raúl Allegre kick) | Giants 13–3 | |
| 3 | SD | Chris Bahr 30-yard field goal | Giants 13–6 | |
| 4 | NYG | Ottis Anderson 4-yard run (Raúl Allegre kick) | Giants 20–6 | |
| 4 | SD | Vencie Glenn 81-yard fumble return (Chris Bahr kick) | Giants 20–13 | |
Week 14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Giants | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
- Date: December 10
- Location: Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Game start: 2:00 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
| 2 | NYG | Ottis Anderson 3 yard run (Bjorn Nittmo kick) | Giants 7–0 | |
| 2 | NYG | David Meggett 57 yard pass from Phil Simms (Bjorn Nittmo kick) | Giants 14–0 | |
| 4 | DEN | Mike Young 32 yard pass from John Elway (David Treadwell kick) | Giants 14–7 | |
Standings
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| New York Giants(2) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 348 | 252 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles(4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 7–1 | 8–4 | 342 | 274 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–4 | 8–4 | 386 | 308 | W5 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 258 | 377 | L6 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 1–7 | 1–13 | 204 | 393 | L7 |
Playoffs
Los Angeles Rams 19, New York Giants 13 (OT)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
| Giants | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 37 °F or 2.8 °C, relative humidity 52%, wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn), wind chill 29 °F or −1.7 °C
- Game attendance: 76,325
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
The Rams upset the Giants with quarterback Jim Everett's 30-yard touchdown pass to Flipper Anderson with 1:06 gone in overtime. New York jumped to a 6–0 lead in the first quarter with two field goals by kicker Raúl Allegre. With 17 seconds left in the first half, Anderson caught a 20-yard touchdown reception from Everett to take a 7–6 lead. In the third quarter, Giants running back Ottis Anderson scored on a 2-yard touchdown. But in the fourth period, Los Angeles kicker Mike Lansford made two field goals to tie the game, the second one coming with 3:01 left in regulation.
Awards and honors
- David Meggett, NFC Pro Bowl selection
- Lawrence Taylor, NFC Pro Bowl selection