The 1991 New York Giants season National Football League . The Giants entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champion but failed to qualify for the playoffs. They were the eighth team in NFL history to enter a season as the defending Super Bowl champion and miss the playoffs,[ 1] Super Bowl XXI as well).
The 1991 season marked the first season that the Mara family did not have total ownership of the Giants. Wellington Mara 's nephew Tim , who had inherited the half-stake in the team that his grandfather and namesake had given to Tim's father Jack , decided that he no longer wanted to be involved with the team after twenty-six years, most of which had been spent feuding with his uncle over the team's operations. On February 2, 1991, shortly after Super Bowl XXV , Tim Mara announced he had sold his family's stake in the team to businessman Bob Tisch , the co-founder of Loews Corporation and former United States Postmaster General . Tisch did not take an active role in the operations of the team, instead choosing to focus on the team's finances; this enabled the Maras to keep control of the football side of the team and allowed Wellington Mara's son John to take a more active role with the Giants.[ 2]
The 1991 season also marked the first time since 1983 that the Giants entered the season with a new head coach. Bill Parcells decided to retire following the Super Bowl victory and general manager George Young chose to promote Ray Handley , the team's running backs coach, to the position instead of promoting defensive coordinator Bill Belichick ; Belichick would leave the Giants soon after to become head coach of the Cleveland Browns .
During the Giants' previous season Phil Simms entered the year as the starter and started the first fourteen games of the season. In the course of that fourteenth game, where the Giants hosted the Buffalo Bills , Simms suffered a severe foot injury and backup Jeff Hostetler took over and led the Giants through the playoffs and to their Super Bowl victory over those same Bills.
Simms did recover from his injury and was expected to regain his starting position, but Handley decided to make Simms and Hostetler compete for the position. Handley made his decision prior to the Giants' week one matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football and gave the starting job to Hostetler amid some controversy. Hostetler led the Giants to 6 wins in his eleven starts, but broke his back during a week 13 win against Tampa Bay . Simms returned to finish the game, but went 2–3 as Giants starter the remainder of the year and the Giants fell out of the playoffs.
[ 3]
After the 1990 season , in which the Giants won the Super Bowl, the Giants lost several members of their coaching staff. In addition to Parcells and Belichick,[ 4] Tom Coughlin took the head coaching position Boston College ; he was said to have been the first choice to replace Parcells and would have done so had he not left the Giants.
[ 5]
Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers
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Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
NYG – Ottis Anderson 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 10:05. Giants 10–7 .
NYG – Matt Bahr 28-yard field goal, 0:00. Giants 13–7 . Third quarter
Fourth quarter
SF – Steve Young 5-yard run (Mike Cofer kick), 13:37. 49ers 14–13 .
NYG – Matt Bahr 35-yard field goal, 0:05. Giants 16–14 .
Top passers
SF – Steve Young – 12/22, 162 yards, TD, INT
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 17/31, 228 yards Top rushers
SF – Keith Henderson – 10 rushes, 46 yards
NYG – Ottis Anderson – 15 rushes, 45 yards, TD Top receivers
SF – Jerry Rice – 1 reception, 73 yards, TD
NYG – Mark Ingram – 6 receptions, 76 yards
Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Rams
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Week 2: Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Rams 0
10
3 6 19
Giants
0
6
0 7 13
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
LA – Tony Zendejas 29-yard field goal, 14:48. Rams 3–0 .
NYG – Matt Bahr 46-yard field goal, 9:18. Tied 3–3 .
LA – Robert Delpino 1-yard run (Tony Zendejas kick), 3:58. Rams 10–3 .
NYG – Matt Bahr 40-yard field goal, 0:07. Rams 10–6 . Third quarter
LA – Tony Zendejas 50-yard field goal, 9:29. Rams 13–6 . Fourth quarter
LA – Tony Zendejas 32-yard field goal, 10:37. Rams 16–6 .
LA – Tony Zendejas 33-yard field goal, 3:08. Rams 19–6 .
NYG – Dave Meggett 1-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (Matt Bahr kick), 1:52. Rams 19–13 .
Top passers
LA – Jim Everett – 7/16, 83 yards
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 17/32, 187 yards, TD, INT Top rushers
LA – Robert Delpino – 27 rushes, 116 yards, TD
NYG – Lewis Tillman – 8 rushes, 42 yards Top receivers
Week 3: at Chicago Bears
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Week 3: New York Giants at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants
0
0
10 7 17
Bears 0
13
0 7 20
at Soldier Field , Chicago, Illinois
Date : September 15Game time : 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : Mostly cloudy, 82 °F (28 °C)Game attendance : 64,829Referee : Dick Hantak TV announcers (CBS) : Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
CHI – Kevin Butler 46-yard field goal, 6:54. Bears 3–0 .
CHI – Wendell Davis 75-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh (Kevin Butler kick), 0:55. Bears 10–0 .
CHI – Kevin Butler 20-yard field goal, 0:00. Bears 13–0 . Third quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 35-yard field goal, 13:23. Bears 13–3 .
NYG – Rodney Hampton 6-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 1:17. Bears 13–10 . Fourth quarter
NYG – Rodney Hampton 3-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 10:09. Giants 17–13 .
CHI – Neal Anderson 42-yard run (Kevin Butler kick), 6:39. Bears 20–17 .
Top passers
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 25/35, 209 yards, INT
CHI – Jim Harbaugh – 15/25, 221 yards, TD, INT Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 15 rushes, 61 yards, 2 TD
CHI – Neal Anderson – 8 rushes, 57 yards, TD Top receivers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 6 receptions, 46 yards
CHI – Wendell Davis – 2 receptions, 88 yards, TD
Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns
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Week 4: Cleveland Browns at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Browns
0
0
3 7 10
Giants 3
10
0 0 13
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game information
First quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 44-yard field goal, 1:04. Giants 3–0 . Second quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 48-yard field goal, 11:10. Giants 6–0 .
NYG – Rodney Hampton 28-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 3:33. Giants 13–0 . Third quarter
CLE – Matt Stover 30-yard field goal, 4:13. Giants 13–3 . Fourth quarter
Top passers
CLE – Bernie Kosar – 13/22, 107 yards, TD
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 9/15, 65 yards Top rushers
CLE – Kevin Mack – 20 rushes, 71 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 17 rushes, 104 yards, TD Top receivers
CLE – Webster Slaughter – 3 receptions, 41 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 4 receptions, 21 yards
Week 5: at Dallas Cowboys
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Week 5: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants
0
3
3 10 16
Cowboys 0
7
7 7 21
at Texas Stadium , Irving, Texas
Date : September 29Game time : 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : Cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)Game attendance : 64,010Referee : Pat Haggerty TV announcers (CBS) : Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
DAL – Ray Horton 20-yard fumble return (Ken Willis kick), 14:42. Cowboys 14–3.
NYG – Matt Bahr 29-yard field goal, 9:12. Cowboys 14–6 . Fourth quarter
Top passers
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 28/34, 368 yards, TD, INT
DAL – Troy Aikman – 20/27, 277 yards, TD Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 11 rushes, 46 yards
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 18 rushes, 67 yards, 2 TD Top receivers
NYG – Mark Ingram – 6 receptions, 142 yards
DAL – Michael Irvin – 6 receptions, 91 yards
Week 6: vs. Phoenix Cardinals
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Week 6: Phoenix Cardinals at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinals
3
0
6 0 9
Giants 14
3
0 3 20
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Date : October 6Game time : 4:00 p.m. EDTGame weather : Light rain, 64 °F (18 °C)Game attendance : 75,891Referee : Bob McElwee TV announcers (CBS) : Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 42-yard field goal, 4:19. Giants 17–3 . Third quarter
PHO – Greg Davis 40-yard field goal, 11:32. Giants 17–6 .
PHO – Greg Davis 29-yard field goal, 2:09. Giants 17–9 . Fourth quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 27-yard field goal, 10:40. Giants 20–9 .
Top passers
PHO – Tom Tupa – 23/40, 230 yards, 2 INT
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 14/18, 200 yards, TD Top rushers
PHO – Johnny Johnson – 14 rushes, 73 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 22 rushes, 137 yards, TD Top receivers
Week 7: at Pittsburgh Steelers
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Week 7: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants 7
6
7 3 23
Steelers
0
0
3 17 20
at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date : October 14Game time : 9:00 p.m. EDTGame weather : Mostly cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)Game attendance : 57,608Referee : Red Cashion TV announcers (ABC) : Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 45-yard field goal, 13:41. Giants 10–0 .
NYG – Matt Bahr 40-yard field goal, 9:01. Giants 13–0 . Third quarter
Fourth quarter
PIT – Gary Anderson 39-yard field goal, 10:19. Giants 20–6 .
PIT – Louis Lipps 16-yard pass from Neil O'Donnell (Gary Anderson kick), 4:37. Giants 20–13 .
PIT – Eric Green 5-yard pass from Neil O'Donnell (Gary Anderson kick), 0:50. Tied 20–20 .
NYG – Matt Bahr 44-yard field goal, 0:04. Giants 23–20 .
Top passers
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 14/25, 116 yards, TD
PIT – Neil O'Donnell – 11/21, 152 yards, 2 TD Top rushers
Top receivers
NYG – Dave Meggett – 4 receptions, 34 yards
PIT – Dwight Stone – 2 receptions, 78 yards
Week 9: vs. Washington Redskins
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Week 9: Washington Redskins at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Redskins 0
0
7 10 17
Giants
10
3
0 0 13
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
NYG – Raúl Allegre 36-yard field goal, 1:40. Giants 13–0 . Third quarter
Fourth quarter
WAS – Gary Clark 54-yard pass from Mark Rypien (Chip Lohmiller kick), 12:50. Redskins 14–13 .
WAS – Chip Lohmiller 35-yard field goal, 0:51. Redskins 17–13 .
Top passers
WAS – Mark Rypien – 12/25, 159 yards, 2 TD, INT
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 14/21, 137 yards, INT Top rushers
WAS – Ricky Ervins – 20 rushes, 82 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 21 rushes, 83 yards, TD Top receivers
WAS – Gary Clark – 3 receptions, 70 yards, 2 TD
NYG – Stephen Baker – 3 receptions, 77 yards
Week 10: at Philadelphia Eagles
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Week 10: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants
0
0
7 0 7
Eagles 0
13
7 10 30
at Veterans Stadium , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date : November 4Game time : 9:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Mostly cloudy, 42 °F (6 °C)Game attendance : 65,816Referee : Johnny GrierTV announcers (ABC) : Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
PHI – Roger Ruzek 38-yard field goal, 14:09. Eagles 3–0 .
PHI – Keith Jackson 73-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Roger Ruzek kick), 7:23. Eagles 10–0 .
PHI – Roger Ruzek 36-yard field goal, 4:26. Eagles 13–0 . Third quarter
Fourth quarter
PHI – Roger Ruzek 25-yard field goal, 8:13. Eagles 23–7 .
PHI – James Joseph 1-yard run (Roger Ruzek kick), 3:19. Eagles 30–7 .
Top passers
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 9/17, 142 yards
PHI – Jim McMahon – 16/26, 229 yards, TD Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 11 rushes, 54 yards, TD
PHI – James Joseph – 18 rushes, 68 yards, 2 TD Top receivers
NYG – Odessa Turner – 1 reception, 55 yards
PHI – Keith Jackson – 4 receptions, 88 yards, TD
Week 11: at Phoenix Cardinals
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Week 11: New York Giants at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants 7
7
7 0 21
Cardinals
0
7
0 7 14
at Sun Devil Stadium , Tempe, Arizona
Date : November 10Game time : 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MSTGame weather : Overcast, 74 °F (23 °C)Game attendance : 50,048Referee : Gerry Austin TV announcers (CBS) : Dick Stockton and Merlin Olsen
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
NYG – Jeff Hostetler 4-yard run (Raúl Allegre kick), 3:46. Giants 21–7 . Fourth quarter
Top passers
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 12/21, 124 yards
PHO – Tom Tupa – 15/25, 175 yards, INT Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 24 rushes, 99 yards, TD
PHO – Johnny Johnson – 14 rushes, 37 yards, TD Top receivers
Week 12: vs. Dallas Cowboys
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Week 12: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cowboys
0
3
6 0 9
Giants 6
10
0 6 22
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Date : November 17Game time : 4:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Partly sunny, 41 °F (5 °C)Game attendance : 76,410Referee : Gordon McCarter TV announcers (CBS) : Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information
First quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 27-yard field goal, 4:15. Giants 3–0 .
NYG – Matt Bahr 37-yard field goal, 2:15. Giants 6–0 . Second quarter
DAL – Ken Willis 22-yard field goal, 10:07. Giants 6–3 .
NYG – Rodney Hampton 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 3:30. Giants 13–3 .
NYG – Matt Bahr 22-yard field goal, 0:39. Giants 16–3 . Third quarter
DAL – Ken Willis 31-yard field goal, 8:41. Giants 16–6 .
DAL – Ken Willis 18-yard field goal, 1:15. Giants 16–9 . Fourth quarter
Top passers
DAL – Troy Aikman – 16/25, 150 yards
NYG – Jeff Hostetler – 14/22, 182 yards, TD Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 13: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Week 13: New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants 7
0
7 7 21
Buccaneers
0
7
0 7 14
at Tampa Stadium , Tampa, Florida
Date : November 24Game time : 1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)Game attendance : 63,698Referee : Dale HamerTV announcers (CBS) : Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
NYG – Phil Simms – 10/14, 100 yards, TD
TB – Vinny Testaverde – 16/27, 122 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 15 rushes, 44 yards, TD
TB – Reggie Cobb – 22 rushes, 110 yards, TD Top receivers
NYG – Mark Ingram – 3 receptions, 56 yards
TB – Willie Drewrey – 5 receptions, 57 yards, TD
Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals
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Week 14: New York Giants at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants
7
7
3 7 24
Bengals 7
0
3 17 27
at Riverfront Stadium , Cincinnati, Ohio
Date : December 1Game time : 4:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Overcast, 39 °F (4 °C)Game attendance : 45,063Referee : Howard RoeTV announcers (CBS) : Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
NYG – Stephen Baker 13-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 12:49. Giants 14–7 . Third quarter
NYG – Matt Bahr 37-yard field goal, 10:12. Giants 17–7 .
CIN – Jim Breech 35-yard field goal, 4:55. Giants 17–10 . Fourth quarter
CIN – Harold Green 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick), 11:15. Tied 17–17 .
CIN – Jim Breech 35-yard field goal, 7:10. Bengals 20–17 .
CIN – Mitchell Price 78-yard punt return (Jim Breech kick), 4:17. Bengals 27–17.
NYG – Mark Ingram 19-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 1:02. Bengals 27–24 .
Top passers
NYG – Phil Simms – 26/44, 296 yards, 3 TD
CIN – Boomer Esiason – 17/30, 204 yards, TD Top rushers
Top receivers
NYG – Mark Ingram – 7 receptions, 116 yards, TD
CIN – Eddie Brown – 4 receptions, 95 yards
Week 15: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
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Week 15: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Eagles 0
10
3 6 19
Giants
7
7
0 0 14
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Date : December 8Game time : 1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Overcast, 52 °F (11 °C)Game attendance : 76,099Referee : Tom WhiteTV announcers (CBS) : Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
PHI – Roger Ruzek 46-yard field goal, 9:49. Giants 7–3 .
NYG – Dave Meggett 14-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 5:29. Giants 14–3 .
PHI – Calvin Williams 8-yard pass from Jeff Kemp (Roger Ruzek kick), 0:42. Giants 14–10 . Third quarter
PHI – Roger Ruzek 21-yard field goal, 3:04. Giants 14–13 . Fourth quarter
PHI – Roger Ruzek 51-yard field goal, 14:05. Eagles 16–14 .
PHI – Roger Ruzek 36-yard field goal, 1:53. Eagles 19–14 .
Top passers
PHI – Jeff Kemp – 10/19, 146 yards, TD, 2 INT
NYG – Phil Simms – 7/23, 100 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 16: at Washington Redskins
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Week 16: New York Giants at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants
3
7
7 0 17
Redskins 7
17
3 7 34
at RFK Stadium , Washington D.C.
Date : December 15Game time : 4:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Partly cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)Game attendance : 54,722Referee : Pat HaggertyTV announcers (CBS) : Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
NYG – Phil Simms 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 13:34. Giants 10–7 .
WAS – Gerald Riggs 1-yard run (Chip Lohmiller kick), 9:16. Redskins 14–10 .
WAS – Terry Orr 22-yard pass from Mark Rypien (Chip Lohmiller kick), 6:31. Redskins 21–10 .
WAS – Chip Lohmiller 36-yard field goal, 1:02. Redskins 24–10 . Third quarter
WAS – Chip Lohmiller 36-yard field goal, 4:42. Redskins 27–10 .
NYG – Mark Ingram 18-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 1:40. Redskins 27–17 . Fourth quarter
WAS – Gary Clark 50-yard pass from Mark Rypien (Chip Lohmiller kick), 14:52. Redskins 34–17 .
Top passers
NYG – Phil Simms – 23/41, 288 yards, TD, 2 INT
WAS – Mark Rypien – 9/19, 230 yards, 3 TD Top rushers
Top receivers
NYG – Mark Ingram – 6 receptions, 88 yards, TD
WAS – Gary Clark – 3 receptions, 129 yards, 2 TD
Week 17: vs. Houston Oilers
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Week 17: Houston Oilers at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Oilers
0
6
0 14 20
Giants 7
10
7 0 24
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
HOU – Al Del Greco 37-yard field goal, 13:46. Giants 7–3 .
NYG – Howard Cross 12-yard pass from Phil Simms (Matt Bahr kick), 7:40. Giants 14–3 .
NYG – Matt Bahr 54-yard field goal, 1:20. Giants 17–3 .
HOU – Al Del Greco 34-yard field goal, 0:03. Giants 17–6 . Third quarter
NYG – Lewis Tillman 4-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 9:04. Giants 24–6 . Fourth quarter
HOU – Warren Moon 6-yard run (Al Del Greco kick), 6:06. Giants 24–13 .
HOU – Ernest Givins 5-yard pass from Warren Moon (Al Del Greco kick), 1:28. Giants 24–20 .
Top passers
HOU – Warren Moon – 22/36, 236 yards, TD
NYG – Phil Simms – 15/17, 200 yards, TD Top rushers
HOU – Lorenzo White – 10 rushes, 82 yards
NYG – Rodney Hampton – 28 rushes, 140 yards, TD Top receivers
HOU – Ernest Givins – 6 receptions, 87 yards, TD
NYG – Howard Cross – 4 receptions, 51 yards, TD
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^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book , Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2 , p. 256^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book , Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2 , p.287^ Anderson, Dave (October 12, 1997). "Sports of the Times; Not a Quarterback Controversy. It's Simply a Contest" . The New York Times . ^ "Bill Belichick - Official New England Patriots Biography" . Archived from the original on June 2, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2007 .^ "1991 New York Giants Draftees" . Pro-Football-Reference.com
