This should be a rather unique post. Tonight, I will be detailing Green Bay's history against the New York Giants in the NFL playoffs.
The game Sunday will be the seventh Packers-Giants playoff game. The only other team the Packers have faced in the playoffs as much as the Giants is the Dallas Cowboys, with six games. The Packers lead the playoff series against the Giants 4-2. More after the jump, with a game-by-game summary.
The first Packers-Giants playoff game was the 1938 NFL Championship. During this game, the teams played a very even game, but the Giants won 23-17 in the Polo Grounds. Just a year later, the Packers and Giants played in the NFL Championship again, this time in Milwaukee. Green Bay won 27-0. It was the first shutout in NFL playoff history.
Five years later, the Packers again traveled to New York to take on the Giants for the 1944 NFL Championship. Ted Fritsch scored two second-quarter touchdowns, and the Packers won 14-7 for their last NFL title under Curly Lambeau.
The next playoff game between the teams wasn't until 1961. This was the Packers' first home playoff game since the 1939 Championship. In a frigid Lambeau Field, the Packers defeated the Giants 37-0. Paul Hornung started the scoring in the second quarter, and by halftime, the Packers led 24-0. Following this, the Packers went on cruise control for the rest of the game, not once allowing the Giants to score.
The following season, the teams met in the 1962 NFL Championship, arguably the most famous game in the entire Packers-Giants series. This was a tough, bruising game played in freezing temperatures and fierce, biting winds in the Polo Grounds. Despite a gash on his arm and a bleeding tongue, Jim Taylor ran 31 times for 85 yards. Paul Hornung said this was "the hardest game [he] ever played in". The swirling winds wreaked havoc all day, blowing not only the ball off the tee, but also toppling the Packers' bench at one point. In fact, the wind chill was so severe that a cameraman suffered frostbite during the game. Y. A. Tittle remarked that at one point, he threw a pass, and it nearly came back to him due to the wind. Despite the conditions, the Packers won 16-7 for their second consecutive NFL title.
The final playoff game between these teams was in 2007. The Packers were huge favorites in what would end up being Brett Favre's last game as a Packer. Despite the longest play in Green Bay postseason history, the freezing temperatures eventually started wearing on the Packers. Meanwhile, the Giants kept driving but missing field goals. Finally, in overtime, a Favre interception led to the game-winning field goal for New York. The Giants won, 23-20.
This playoff series has seen its share of history, and the history will only become richer after Sunday. One note: I had previously found the 1961 Championship in its entirety on Youtube, but now, the video has been taken down. I would have linked to the video if I could have located it. My apologies.