The 1972 New York Giants season was the franchise's 48th season in the National Football League (NFL).[1] The Giants had an 8–6 record and finished in third place in the National Football Conference East Division, three games behind the Washington Redskins.[2][3]
| 1972 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head coach | Alex Webster |
| Home field | Yankee Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–6 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Norm Snead RB Ron Johnson DE Jack Gregory |
The Giants had two first-round selections in the 1972 NFL draft, and chose Eldridge Small and Larry Jacobson with the 17th and 24th overall picks, respectively.[4] Before the season, New York traded their starting quarterback, Fran Tarkenton, to the Minnesota Vikings for a package of players and draft picks that included quarterback Norm Snead, who led the league in pass completion average in 1972. The Giants lost twice to open the season, but went on a four-game winning streak afterwards. In their 11th game, the Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 62–10, setting the franchise record for the most points scored in a game; it was also an Eagles record for the most points allowed. The victory put the team at 7–4 and in contention for a playoff berth. Two losses ended their postseason chances, but New York beat the Dallas Cowboys in the final game of the season to finish with eight wins. Halfback Ron Johnson scored nine touchdowns on running plays to top the NFL, and his 1,182 rushing yards broke the Giants' single-season record.[5] This was the last winning season for the Giants until 1981.[1]
Roster
editQuarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
|
|
Schedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | at Detroit Lions | L 16–30 | 0–1 | 54,418 |
| 2 | September 24 | Dallas Cowboys | L 14–23 | 0–2 | 62,725 |
| 3 | October 2 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 27–12 | 1–2 | 65,720 |
| 4 | October 8 | New Orleans Saints | W 45–21 | 2–2 | 62,507 |
| 5 | October 15 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 23–17 | 3–2 | 58,606 |
| 6 | October 22 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 27–21 | 4–2 | 62,756 |
| 7 | October 29 | Washington Redskins | L 16–23 | 4–3 | 62,878 |
| 8 | November 5 | Denver Broncos | W 29–17 | 5–3 | 62,689 |
| 9 | November 12 | at Washington Redskins | L 13–27 | 5–4 | 53,039 |
| 10 | November 19 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 13–7 | 6–4 | 48,014 |
| 11 | November 26 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 62–10 | 7–4 | 62,586 |
| 12 | December 3 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 10–13 | 7–5 | 59,523 |
| 13 | December 10 | Miami Dolphins | L 13–23 | 7–6 | 62,728 |
| 14 | December 17 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 23–3 | 8–6 | 64,602 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
edit| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Washington Redskins | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 7–1 | 10–1 | 336 | 218 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 7–4 | 319 | 240 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 5–3 | 7–4 | 331 | 247 | W1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 1–6–1 | 3–7–1 | 193 | 303 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 0–7–1 | 0–10–1 | 145 | 352 | L5 |
References
edit- ^ a b "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ "1972 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
- ^ "1972 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ "1972 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ^ Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. pp. 160–163. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
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