Commanders–Giants rivalry

National Football League rivalry

150km
100miles

Giants

Commanders

  

Locations of the Washington Commanders and New York Giants

The Commanders–Giants rivalry between the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Redskins, and the New York Giants of the National Football League began in 1932 with the founding of Washington's predecessors, the Boston Braves, and is the oldest rivalry in the NFC East Division. This rivalry has seen periods of great competition such as the Giants and Redskins' competition for conference and division titles in the late 1930s, early 1940s and 1980s. Experts deem the 1980s as the most hotly contested period between these teams, as the Redskins under Joe Gibbs and the Giants under Bill Parcells competed for division titles and Super Bowls.^[2] During this span the two teams combined to win 7 NFC East Divisional Titles, 5 Super Bowls and competed in the 1986 NFC Championship Game with the Giants winning 17–0. This rivalry is storied and Wellington Mara, long time owner of the Giants, always said that he believed the Redskins were the Giants' truest rival.^[3]

Currently, the Giants have 108 regular season wins against Washington, the most wins any team has against another team.^[4][5]

Notable rivalry moments

• In 1937, their first season in Washington, D.C., the Washington Redskins were set to meet the New York Giants in the season finale in New York City at the Polo Grounds with the winner earning the right to play in the NFL Championship. The owner of the Washington Redskins, George Preston Marshall, loaded 12,000 fans and a 150 piece marching band onto trains and had them march an impromptu parade through New York City, all the while belting out "Hail to the Redskins". The tactic appeared to work as the Redskins went on to beat the Giants 49–14, going on to defeat the Chicago Bears in the 1937 NFL Championship.^[3]
• The Giants paid the Redskins back in 1938 with a 36–0 victory of their own, a win which propelled them to their own victory in the 1938 NFL Championship.^[3]
• In 1939 the Giants and Redskins again met in the last game of the season. Having tied in their first meeting 0–0 and having identical records (8–1–1) the two teams were playing for a spot in the NFL Championship game. The game was very competitive and the Redskins trailed 9–7 in the final moments. The Redskins attempted a field goal in the last seconds, seemingly giving them a victory. However, the field goal was called no good allowing the Giants to escape with a victory. The Redskins were irate, with one player even punching referee Bill Haloran. The outcome was so controversial that rumor has it George Preston Marshall, the Redskins owner, tried to pull strings to get Haloran fired from his day job as post master of Providence R.I., unsuccessfully. The Giants went on to lose the NFL Championship to the Green Bay Packers 27–0.^[3]
• On November 27, 1966 the Giants and Redskins participated in the highest combined scoring game in NFL history. The two teams combined for 16 touchdowns, 9 of which were of 30 yards or more. While the game was an offensive frenzy, the most memorable score was a Redskins field goal attempted with a few seconds remaining and the Giants trailing 69–41. Otto Graham, the Redskins head coach, claimed it was called merely to allow his kicker practice, but some claim that the field goal was ordered by Redskins middle linebacker and former Giant Sam Huff out of spite. In either case the final score was 72–41 and with 113 combined points the matchup remains the highest scoring game in league history.^[3]
• On November 18, 1985 in a Monday Night Football contest, the Redskins defeated the Giants 23–21. However, the win did not come without a loss as on one play the Redskins ran a flea-flicker, the Giants defense was not fooled by the play and Lawrence Taylor came from the outside and sacked quarterback Joe Theismann. The play is famous as that the sack injured Theismann's leg and effectively ended his career in the NFL. The Redskins missed the playoffs that season.
• The Giants and Redskins met in the playoffs for only second time in the 1986 NFC Championship game. The Giants were coming off a convincing victory over the 49ers in the previous round while the Redskins beat the Bears in the previous week. On a cold and windy day at Giants Stadium, the Giants scored 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the game and never were threatened. The Giants won 17-0, the first time a Joe Gibbs team had been shut out.
• On September 11, 2011 was opening day for the Giants' Super Bowl XLVI championship season of 2011. It also coincided with tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks; hence the NFL scheduled the Giants and the Redskins to meet that day, as the cities they represent were two metropolitan areas attacked on that day. FedExField was a patriotically and emotionally charged atmosphere as the two rivals took the field. Led by Eli Manning, the Giants took an early 7–0 lead in the first quarter. Washington responded on a Tim Hightower touchdown run in the second. The two teams took a 14–14 tie into halftime. Washington took the lead in the third after Ryan Kerrigan intercepted a pass from Manning and scored. Washington's defense prevented New York from scoring in the second half and the Redskins ended a six-game losing streak to the Giants.^[6] The Redskins defeated the Giants at MetLife Stadium in Week 15, their first season sweep of the Giants since 1999.^[7]
• In 2012 the rivalry intensified significantly after a special NFL commission headed by Giants owner John Mara imposed a $36 million salary cap penalty on the Redskins (and a smaller one on the Dallas Cowboys) for the organization's approach to structuring contracts in the 2010 NFL season. After beating the Giants, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder within earshot of numerous media personnel, told a team employee that "I hate those motherf***ers" in the victorious locker room after the game. ^[8]
• On September 25, 2016, the winless Redskins visited the undefeated Giants. This game was significant due to the ongoing feud between star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and cornerback Josh Norman. In the previous season, Norman and Beckham had many on-field scrums during a game when Norman played for the Carolina Panthers. The Redskins won by a score of 29–27, sealing the win on an interception by Su'a Cravens. Beckham had an impressive 7 receptions and 121 yards, but was noticeably frustrated by Norman, and was especially apparent when he took his helmet and hit the kicker's practice net on the sidelines, causing it to fall on him. Giants center Weston Richburg was the first to ever be ejected by the new rule of being ejected after two unsportsmanlike penalties, one of which costed Beckham and the Giants a significant play.
• On November 23, 2017, the Redskins hosted the Giants in their first home Thanksgiving game in franchise history. The game was very defensive throughout, with both teams struggling to get anything going offensively in the first half. In the 3rd quarter, with the game tied 3–3, Kirk Cousins threw a 15-yard touchdown to Jamison Crowder to give the Redskins a 10–3 lead. The Giants tied the game later in the quarter after Janoris Jenkins returned a Cousins' interception 53-yards for a touchdown. The Redskins pulled away late in the fourth quarter with 10 straight points to win 20–10.
• The Giants got their 100th regular season victory over the Redskins on December 9, 2018, winning 40–16 at FedExField.^[9]
• On September 15, 2024, the Giants became the first team in NFL history to score three touchdowns, allow no touchdowns and lose in regulation, by a score of 21–18 to the Commanders.^[10]

Season–by–season results

See also

• Capitals–Rangers rivalry
• Capitals–Islanders rivalry
• N.Y. Red Bulls–D.C. United rivalry

References

1. "All Matchups, Washington Commanders vs. New York Giants". Pro Football Reference.
2. DeArdo, Bryan (July 1, 2020). "NFL Throwback Thursday: Browns-Broncos among the classic rivalries during the 1980s". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
3. Hanlon, Greg (November 30, 2008). "Top 10 Moments in the Giants-Redskins Rivalry". The New York Times.
4. "Giants own Washington". Twitter. 2022-12-19.
5. Doug Farrar (2012-12-04). "Dan Snyder's profane joy in Redskins win based on salary cap penalties". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
6. Fitzgerald, Gary (September 11, 2011). "For Openers, Redskins Defeat Giants 28–14". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
7. Jones, Mike (December 19, 2011). "Redskins/NFL". The Washington Post.
8. Doug Farrar (2012-12-04). "Dan Snyder's profane joy in Redskins win based on salary cap penalties". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
9. Benton, Dan (December 9, 2018). "Giants blow out Redskins 40-16: Studs, duds, and studly duds". Giants Wire.
10. Schwartz, Paul. "Giants doomed by kicker calamity in absurd last-second loss to Commanders". New York Post. Retrieved 17 September 2024.