Packers-Giants Series History

Oh, I am not looking forward to this one. The Packers take on the Giants next Sunday night, and since it is Tuesday, it is time for me to write another series history report. Now is the time for me to write the history (which has recently been tragic) of the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants. The Packers lead the regular season series 27-21-2 and Green Bay holds a 4-3 edge in the postseason.

The Packers and Giants both joined the NFL in the early 1920s but did not play each other until the 1928 season. In that season, the Giants went into Green Bay and won 6-0. The Packers later defeated the Giants in New York by the score of 7-0.

That 7-0 Packers win was the first of a six wins in seven games stretch for the Packers over the Giants, culminating in the 1929 and 1930 Packers wins, both of which effectively gave the Packers the NFL Championships (this was before the NFL began its playoff system).

Starting in late 1932, the Giants won four of five games until the 1935 season. As both teams were perennial contenders, these were clashes of the NFL elite and the team that lost often was on the outside looking in at the NFL Championship. The Packers did win the 1935 and 1936 games between the teams, but these were the last wins over the Giants for a brief while as New York gained dominance in the series.

In fact, from 1937-1959, the Giants owned an 8-3-1 regular season edge over the Packers. This includes the 21-0 loss in New York in Vince Lombardi's first season in Green Bay. This coincided as the Packers slid into the NFL's basement while the Giants still contended on a regular basis.

In 1961, however, the Packers beat the Giants 20-17. This began a long stretch of Green Bay dominance over the Giants which lasted until the 1985 season. Green Bay owned a 9-3 record against the Giants in this span, culminating in a two-game "sweep" in 1981. The NFL had a scheduling idiosyncrasy in those days which resulted in two teams from separate divisions playing each other twice in one year--this also happened between the Packers and Cowboys in 1989.

Included in this stretch is the 1971 opener when Dan Devine broke his leg in a collision with players. The Packers also took the 1973 game in the Yale Bowl. By 1985, however, the Packers were entering another freefall while the Giants became a force under Bill Parcells.

As a result of this, the Giants won the next three against the Packers including the 1992 game between the teams. Starting in 1995, the Packers have won six of seven regular-season games between the teams. This includes a 37-3 win in New York in 1998, the Michael Strahan sack game in 2001, and the 2010 Packers romp in Lambeau Field which started Green Bay on its Super Bowl run.

The playoff series, meanwhile, is led by the Packers by the count of 4-3. The first game was the 1938 NFL Championship, won by the Giants 23-17. The following year, the Packers defeated the Giants 27-0 for the first shutout in NFL playoff history.

The Packers and Giants were at it again for the NFL Championship in 1944, 1961, and 1962. The Packers won all three of these games. The 1961 game was a 37-0 romp in Lambeau Field. However, the memorable game in this stretch was the 1962 Championship in New York. In this game, played in swirling winds which even knocked over a team bench at one point, Sam Huff beat up Jim Taylor again and again and again. Taylor, however, had the last laugh, scoring the Packers' only touchdown in a 16-7 game.

Recently, the Packers and Giants have played twice in Lambeau Field in the NFC playoffs, with the Giants winning both games. Both games ended magical seasons for the Packers--the 2007 team seemed poised to go to the Super Bowl after a 13-3 season but lost 23-20 in overtime. Later on, in 2011, the Packers, 15-1 in the regular season, lost 37-20 to the Giants in their first playoff game, becoming the first 15-1 team to go one-and-done in the playoffs.

What are your memories of the Packers playing the Giants?