The New York Giants have an all-time postseason record of 21-24, having won four NFL Championships and three Super Bowls. They did win their first title, in 1927, just by finishing in first place, without having to go through the playoffs, though, as the owners hadn't realized yet how much money could be made with a postseason tournament and championship game (and Al Jolson would have most likely been chomping at the bit to perform during halftime at a 1927 Super Bowl). Though they've played 45 postseason games going all the way back to 1933, the Giants' 24-2 stomping of the Atlanta Falcons is the fifth-largest margin of victory in Big Blue's playoff history. Here are the Top 5 postseason blowout wins for the Giants.
5. 24-2 vs. Falcons on Sunday: We just watched this one, so no need for details.
4. 31-3 vs. Bears on Jan. 13, 1991: The Super Bowl Shuffle was a distant memory while the Giants defined smashmouth football that season. This game was the Divisional round of the playoffs that set the Giants in motion for their second Super Bowl win. The Giants rushed for 194 yards, with Ottis Anderson gaining 80 and Jeff Hostetler 43 (who did he think he was, Tim Tebow -- could we have been Hostetlering back then?). The Giant QB only threw 17 passes (completing 10), but tossed touchdown passes to Stephen Baker and Howard Cross, and he and Maurice Carthon ran for touchdowns as well. The defense intercepted two passes, and the Giants won easily, then defeated the 49ers and Bills to win it all.
3. 47-7 vs. Bears on Dec. 30, 1956: The Giants were in their first year playing at Yankee Stadium, and the field that day was icy and frozen, so they repeated their 1934 "Sneakers Game" ploy of discarding cleats for sneakers. And it worked like a charm as they rolled all over Chicago in the NFL Championship Game. They spread the wealth, with everyone pitching in: Frank Gifford caught four catches, for 131 yards, scored a touchdown and rushed for 30 yards. Alex Webster scored a pair of touchdowns. Mel Triplett ran for 71 yards and crossed the goal line. Charlie Conerly tossed a couple of touchdown passes. And the D intercepted two passes, one off a young -- was he ever really young? -- George Blanda. It didn't hurt that Giant head coach Jim Lee Howell's two assistants were Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry.
2. 41-0 vs. Vikings on Jan. 14, 2001: Jim Fassel put all his chips on the table, guaranteed that his Giants would make the playoffs and they went all the way to the Super Bowl. They peaked in this NFC Championship Game, destroying the Vikings, with Randy Moss memorably packing it in as early as the first quarter (he only caught two passes, for 18 yards). Ike Hilliard was the receiving star that day, hauling in 10 passes, for 155 yards, and scoring two touchdowns. Kerry Collins tossed five touchdown passes, and the defense recorded four sacks and three interceptions. Once Moss pulled back on a pass going across the middle, letting the ball go by him, afraid to get hit, the Giants had the game won.
1. 49-3 vs. 49ers on Jan. 4, 1987: By this point in time, these two teams loathed each other and had a pretty good rivalry going, so the Giants got a lot of satisfaction out of this shellacking. Mark Bavaro opened up the scoring, the 49ers booted a field goal, but the Giants scored 42 unanswered points, thanks to 216 rushing yards (159 and two touchdowns for Joe Morris) and four Phil Simms touchdown passes. The memorable moment from this contest was Jim Burt leveling Joe Montana, knocking him out of the game, with Lawrence Taylor snagging Montana's wayward pass and rumbling 34 yards for a touchdown. The Giants shut out Washington, 17-0, in the NFC Championship Game the following week, and then defeated the Broncos to capture their first Super Bowl.