1977 New York Giants season

The 1977 New York Giants season was the franchise's 53rd season in the National Football League (NFL).[1] The Giants had a 5–9 record in 1977 and finished in a tie for last place with the Philadelphia Eagles.[2][3]

1977 New York Giants season
OwnerWellington Mara
Timothy J. Mara
Head coachJohn McVay
Home fieldGiants Stadium
Results
Record5–9
Division placeT-4th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersLB Brad Van Pelt

The Giants selected defensive end Gary Jeter in the 1977 NFL Draft with the fifth overall pick.[4] Before the season, the Giants signed quarterback Joe Pisarcik, who won the starting position to replace Craig Morton, whom they had traded to the Denver Broncos. New York won their opening game of the year against the Washington Redskins, prevailing 20–17 on a field goal by Joe Danelo in the final seconds.[5] After losses in their next three games, victories over the San Francisco 49ers and Redskins evened the Giants’ record at 3–3. Afterwards, New York lost six of their last eight games.[2] With a season-ending 12–9 defeat by the Chicago Bears in overtime,[6] the team concluded the year at 5–9.[2]

Offensively, New York's season total of 181 points was lower than all but four of the 27 other NFL teams.[6] Pisarcik started 11 of the Giants' 14 games in 1977 and threw for 1,346 yards, but had 14 passes intercepted and only four touchdowns. Bobby Hammond led the Giants in rushing with 154 carries for 577 yards. Doug Kotar and Larry Csonka also rushed for more than 450 yards each.[2] The team's leading receiver statistically was Jimmy Robinson, who caught 22 passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns. Gary Shirk was the only other Giants player with multiple touchdown catches, while Johnny Perkins was second behind Robinson with 20 receptions. On defense, cornerback Bill Bryant led New York with three interceptions.[2] For the second consecutive season, linebacker Brad Van Pelt was the only Giant to make the Pro Bowl.[7]

Offseason

NFL Draft
See also: 1977 NFL Draft
1977 New York Giants draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 5 Gary Jeter  DE USC
2 32 Johnny Perkins  WR Abilene Christian
4 88 Mike Vaughan  T Oklahoma
5 117 Randy Dean  QB Northwestern
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Roster
1977 New York Giants roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists
  • 73 Tom Mullen T (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • -- Pete Rome CB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance
1 September 18 Washington Redskins W 20–17 1–0 76,086
2 September 25 at Dallas Cowboys L 21–41 1–1 64,215
3 October 2 at Atlanta Falcons L 3–17 1–2 46,374
4 October 9 Philadelphia Eagles L 10–28 1–3 48,824
5 October 16 San Francisco 49ers W 20–17 2–3 70,366
6 October 23 at Washington Redskins W 17–6 3–3 53,903
7 October 31 at St. Louis Cardinals L 0–28 3–4 50,323
8 November 6 Dallas Cowboys L 10–24 3–5 74,532
9 November 13 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 10–0 4–5 46,518
10 November 20 Cleveland Browns L 7–21 4–6 72,576
11 November 27 at Cincinnati Bengals L 13–30 4–7 32,705
12 December 4 St. Louis Cardinals W 27–7 5–7 71,826
13 December 11 at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–17 5–8 47,731
14 December 18 Chicago Bears L 9–12 (OT) 5–9 50,152

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Week 3

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Scott Hunter set up Monroe Eley's one-yard plunge early in the second period with an 18-yard bootleg and backup quarterback Kim McQuilken led an 80-yard scoring drive in the final period to give the Falcons a 17–3 win over the Giants.[8]

Week 5

Joe Pisarcik's 37-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gary Shirk and a pair of field goals by Joe Danelo helped give New York a narrow 20–17 victory, their first in four games. 49ers quarterback Jim Plunkett started a San Francisco rally. Touchdowns by Wilbur Jackson on a one-yard run and wide receiver Gene Washington on a 47-yard pass made the game close.[9]

Week 6
1 234Total
• Giants 0 0710 17
Redskins 3 300 6
Scoring summary
1WSHMark Moseley 35 yard field goalRedskins 3–0
2WSHMark Moseley 45 yard field goalRedskins 6–0
3NYGDoug Kotar 17 yard run (Joe Danelo kick)Giants 7–6
4NYGJimmy Robinson 23 yard pass from Joe Pisarcik (Joe Danelo kick)Giants 14–6
4NYGJoe Danelo 20 yard field goalGiants 17–6

[10]

Week 14
1 234OTTotal
• Bears 3 0063 12
Giants 3 0060 9

[11]

Standings
NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Dallas Cowboys(1) 12 2 0 .857 7–1 11–1 345 212 W4
Washington Redskins 9 5 0 .643 4–4 8–4 196 189 W3
St. Louis Cardinals 7 7 0 .500 4–4 7–5 272 287 L4
Philadelphia Eagles 5 9 0 .357 2–6 4–8 220 207 W2
New York Giants 5 9 0 .357 3–5 5–7 181 265 L2

References
  1. "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  2. "1977 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  3. "1977 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  4. "1977 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  5. Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. pp. 182–184. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
  6. Katz, Michael (December 20, 1977). "Giants Find 1978 Outlook Encouraging". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  7. Whittingham, pp. 180, 184–185.
  8. Katz, Michael (October 3, 1977). "Falcons Stagger Giants". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  9. Katz, Michael (October 17, 1977). "Shirk's Catch, Blocked Punt, Defense Aid Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  10. "New York Giants 17 at Washington Redskins 6". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  11. "Chicago Bears at New York Giants – December 18th, 1977". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
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