| 1938 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Steve Owen |
| Home field | Polo Grounds |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–2–1 |
| Division place | 1st NFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Won NFL Championship (vs. Packers) 23–17 |
The 1938 New York Giants season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | at Pittsburgh Pirates | W 27–14 | 1–0 | Forbes Field | Recap | |
| 2 | Bye | ||||||
| 3 | September 25 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–14 | 1–1 | Philadelphia Municipal Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | October 3 | Pittsburgh Pirates | L 10–13 | 1–2 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
| 5 | October 9 | at Washington Redskins | W 10–7 | 2–2 | Griffith Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–7 | 3–2 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
| 7 | October 23 | Brooklyn Dodgers | W 28–14 | 4–2 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
| 8 | Bye | ||||||
| 9 | November 6 | Chicago Cardinals | W 6–0 | 5–2 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
| 10 | November 13 | Cleveland Rams | W 28–0 | 6–2 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
| 11 | November 20 | Green Bay Packers | W 15–3 | 7–2 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
| 12 | November 24 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | T 7–7 | 7–2–1 | Ebbets Field | Recap | |
| 13 | December 4 | Washington Redskins | W 36–0 | 8–2–1 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Game summaries
Week 1: at Pittsburgh Pirates
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 6 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
| Pirates | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: September 11
- Game attendance: 17,340
| Game information |
|---|
|
Week 3: at Philadelphia Eagles
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Date: September 25
- Game attendance: 23,877
| Game information |
|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: October 3
- Game time: Night
- Game attendance: 18,805
| Game information |
|---|
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Week 5: at Washington Redskins
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC
- Date: October 9
- Game attendance: 37,500
| Game information |
|---|
|
Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Giants | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: October 16
- Game attendance: 33,187
| Game information |
|---|
|
Week 7: vs. Brooklyn Dodgers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Giants | 7 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: October 23
- Game attendance: 36,228
| Game information |
|---|
|
Week 9: vs. Chicago Cardinals
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 6
- Game attendance: 19,648
| Game information |
|---|
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Week 10: vs. Cleveland Rams
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Giants | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 13
- Game attendance: 25,000
| Game information |
|---|
|
Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 15 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 20
- Game attendance: 48,279
| Game information |
|---|
|
Week 12: at Brooklyn Dodgers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Dodgers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York
- Date: November 24
- Game attendance: 17,400
| Game information |
|---|
|
Ed Danowski's pass to Dale Burnett was the last Giants touchdown on offense on Thanksgiving Day until 2022.
Week 13: vs. Washington Redskins
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Giants | 14 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 36 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: December 4
- Game attendance: 57,461
| Game information |
|---|
|
The Giants won the Eastern Division in a 36-0 romp of the defending champion Washington Redskins, and a right to play in the championship.
NFL Championship Game
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| Giants | 9 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: December 11
- Game attendance: 48,120
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standings
| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 8 | 2 | 1 | .800 | 5–2–1 | 194 | 79 | W1 | |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 3 | 2 | .667 | 4–2–2 | 148 | 154 | L1 | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 4 | 4 | 3 | .500 | 3–2–3 | 131 | 161 | T1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 3–5 | 154 | 164 | W2 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 2–6 | 79 | 169 | L6 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
All-Star Game
Five weeks after winning the championship, the Giants defeated the NFL All-Stars 13–10 in the first Pro Bowl on January 15, 1939. The game was played at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, California, where poor weather caused an attendance of just 15,000.[1][2][3][4]
See also
References
- ↑ "Giants beat Stars; Ward Cuff is hero". Milwaukee Journal. United Press. January 16, 1939. p. L-7. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ↑ "New York's Giants defeat All-Stars". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. January 16, 1939. p. 6.
- ↑ McLemore, Henry (January 16, 1939). "'Super' pro grid game proves flop on Coast". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. p. 19.
- ↑ Guenther, Jack (January 16, 1939). "Giants down professional all-star grids in charity tilt". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). United Press. p. 9.