The 1966 New York Giants season was the franchise's 42nd season in the National Football League (NFL). The season saw the Giants looking to improve on their 7–7 record from 1965. However, they finished in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 1–12–1 record, the worst in franchise history. The 12 losses set a single-season team record that was matched four times before being broken in 2017.
The 1966 Giants surrendered the most points in NFL history for a 14-game season. They allowed 501 points in 14 games, or an average of 35.8 points per game. This total broke the league record for the most points given up in a season. The next most points allowed by a Giants team was 451 in the 2019 season, which was 16 games. The Giants allowed opponents to score more than 30 points in eight of the 14 games, and gave up over 50 points three times. They are the only team in history to give up 500 points in a 14-game season.
On November 27, the Giants played the highest-scoring game in NFL history, losing to the Washington Redskins, 72–41 and making them the last team until the 2023 Denver Broncos to surrender at least 70 points in a regular season game. It was the first of three straight games in which the Giants gave up more than 45 points; they allowed 49 points against the Cleveland Browns and 47 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Off-season
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 1966 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeCornelius BarrettDefensive tackleSt. Paul's (Virginia)
Roster
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 11 at Pittsburgh Steelers T 34–34 0–0–1 Pitt Stadium 37,693 2 September 18 at Dallas Cowboys L 7–52 0–1–1 Cotton Bowl 60,010 3 September 25 at Philadelphia Eagles L 17–35 0–2–1 Franklin Field 60,177 4 October 2 Cleveland Browns L 7–28 0–3–1 Yankee Stadium 62,916 5 October 9 at St. Louis Cardinals L 19–24 0–4–1 Busch Memorial Stadium 43,893 6 October 16 Washington Redskins W 13–10 1–4–1 Yankee Stadium 62,865 7 October 23 Philadelphia Eagles L 3–31 1–5–1 Yankee Stadium 63,018 8 Bye 9 November 6 St. Louis Cardinals L 17–20 1–6–1 Yankee Stadium 62,967 10 November 13 at Los Angeles Rams L 14–55 1–7–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 34,746 11 November 20 Atlanta Falcons L 16–27 1–8–1 Yankee Stadium 62,746 12 November 27 at Washington Redskins L 41–72 1–9–1 D.C. Stadium 50,439 13 December 4 at Cleveland Browns L 40–49 1–10–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 61,651 14 December 11 Pittsburgh Steelers L 28–47 1–11–1 Yankee Stadium 62,658 15 December 18 Dallas Cowboys L 7–17 1–12–1 Yankee Stadium 62,735
Game summaries
Week 1 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 2 at Dallas Cowboys
Week 3 at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 4 vs Cleveland Browns
Week 5 at St. Louis Cardinals
Week 6 vs Washington Redskins
Week 7 vs Philadelphia Eagles
Week 9 vs St. Louis Cardinals
Week 10 at Los Angeles Rams
Week 11 vs Atlanta Falcons
Week 12 at Washington Redskins
, this game has the highest total number of points scored by both teams in an NFL game and is the only game with a final score of 72–41.
Week 13 at Cleveland Browns
Week 14 vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 15 vs Dallas Cowboys
Standings
Statistics Team leaders Category Player(s) Value Rank Passing yards Gary Wood 1,142 15th Passing touchdowns Earl Morrall/Tom Kennedy 7 t12th Rushing yards Chuck Mercein 327 29th Rushing touchdowns Gary Wood 3 27th Receiving yards Homer Jones1,044 4th Receiving touchdowns Homer Jones 8 t6th Points Pete Gogolak77 17th Kickoff return yards Clarence Childs855 3rd Punt return yards Spider Lockhart 113 10th Interceptions Spider Lockhart 6 t4thSacksJim Katcavage6.5 t24th Note that sack totals from 1960 to 1981 are considered unofficial by the NFL.
League rankings CategoryTotal yardsYards per gameNFL rankPassing offense2,475176.89thRushing offense1,457104.112thTotal offense3,932280.89thPassing defense2,892206.614thRushing defense2,053146.614thTotal defense4,945353.214th
See also 1966 NFL season
References