1941 New York Giants season

Last updated

1941 New York Giants season
Head coach Steve Owen
Home field Polo Grounds
Results
Record8–3
Division place1st NFL Eastern
Playoff finishLost NFL Championship
(at Bears) 9–37

The 1941 New York Giants season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League.

Contents

Season recap

The Giants managed to put together quite a respectable team this year. Ed Danowski was lured out of retirement, Tuffy Leemans' back healed, and Mel Hein was talked out of a potential retirement. The Giants sailed through their first five games—only the Washington Redskins came within a touchdown of them as they outscored their first five opponents, 122–27. But the Brooklyn Dodgers, coached by Jock Sutherland and guided on the field by All-Pro Ace Parker, proved the Giants' most formidable opponents, dealing them two of their three defeats this year.

The Giants clinched the Eastern Division title weeks in advance of the regular season finale, but no NFL players could have been prepared for the Attack on Pearl Harbor to occur less than fifteen minutes before kickoff of week 14; the three games that day were not interrupted, but a bye week was observed before proceeding to the championship game.

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenue
1 Bye
2September 13at Philadelphia Eagles W 24–01–0 Philadelphia Municipal Stadium
3Bye
4September 28at Washington Redskins W 17–102–0 Griffith Stadium
5October 5at Pittsburgh Steelers W 37–103–0 Forbes Field
6October 12 Philadelphia Eagles W 16–04–0 Polo Grounds
7October 19 Pittsburgh Steelers W 28–75–0Polo Grounds
8October 26at Brooklyn Dodgers L 13–165–1 Ebbets Field
9November 2 Chicago Cardinals L 7–105–2Polo Grounds
10November 9 Detroit Lions W 20–136–2Polo Grounds
11November 16 Cleveland Rams W 49–147–2Polo Grounds
12November 23 Washington Redskins W 20–138–2Polo Grounds
13Bye
14December 7 Brooklyn Dodgers L 7–218–3Polo Grounds
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week Two: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week Three: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Period1234Total
Giants3140724
Eagles00000

at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 13
  • Game attendance: 25,478
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Fourth quarter

Week Four: at Washington Redskins

Week Four: New York Giants at Washington Redskins
Period1234Total
Giants707317
Redskins070310

at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.

  • Date: September 28
  • Game attendance: 35,677
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
  • WAS Masterson 10-yard FG
  • NYG Cuff 14-yard FG

Week Five: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Five: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers
Period1234Total
Giants30142037
Steelers307010

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: October 5
  • Game attendance: 13,458
Game information
First quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
  • NYG Poole 16-yard pass from Len Eshmont (Cuff kick)
  • NYG Frank Reagan 21-yard run (conversion failed)
  • NYG Reagan 8-yard run (Cuff kick)

Week Six: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week Six: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
Period1234Total
Eagles00000
Giants730616

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

  • Date: October 12
  • Game attendance: 30,842
Game information
First quarter
  • NYG Poole 5-yard blocked punt return (Cuff kick)
Second quarter
  • NYG Marefos 38-yard FG
Fourth quarter
  • NYG Yeager 39-yard run (conversion failed)

Week Seven: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Seven: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers
Period1234Total
Steelers07007
Giants0771428

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

  • Date: October 19
  • Game attendance: 34,604
Game information
Second quarter
Third quarter
  • NYG Leemans 1-yard run (Cuff kick)
Fourth quarter
  • NYG Marefos 1-yard run (Marefos kick)
  • NYG Reagan 3-yard run (Marefos kick)

Week Eight: at Brooklyn Dodgers

Week Six: New York Giants at Brooklyn Dodgers
Period1234Total
Giants0103013
Dodgers077620

at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York

  • Date: October 26
  • Game attendance: 28,675
Game information
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Week Nine: vs. Chicago Cardinals

Week Nine: Chicago Cardinals at New York Giants
Period1234Total
Cardinals073010
Giants70007

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

  • Date: November 2
  • Game attendance: 29,829
Game information
First quarter
  • NYG Leemans 6-yard run (Cuff kick)
Second quarter
Third quarter
  • CHC Daddio 16-yard FG

Week Ten: vs. Detroit Lions

Week Ten: Detroit Lions at New York Giants
Period1234Total
Lions060713
Giants733720

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

  • Date: November 9
  • Game attendance: 27,875
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
  • NYG Cuff 30-yard FG
Fourth quarter
  • NYG Leemans 2-yard run (Cuff kick)
  • DET Belichick 8-yard run (Augie Lio kick)

Week Eleven: vs. Cleveland Rams

Week Eleven: Cleveland Rams at New York Giants
Period1234Total
Rams770014
Giants14217749

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

  • Date: November 16
  • Game attendance: 32,740
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
  • NYG Yeager 6-yard pass from Ed Danowski (Cuff kick)
  • CLE Maury Patt 2-yard pass from Hall (Adams kick)
  • NYG Yeager 65-yard pass from Danowski (Cuff kick)
  • NYG Doug Oldershaw 26-yard interception return (Cuff kick)
Third quarter
  • NYG Franck 44-yard pass from Leemans (Marefos kick)
Fourth quarter

Week Twelve: vs. Washington Redskins

Week Twelve: Washington Redskins at New York Giants
Period1234Total
Redskins0001313
Giants00101020

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

  • Date: November 23
  • Game attendance: 49,317
Game information
Third quarter
  • NYG Franck 3-yard run (Cuff kick)
  • NYG Marefos 23-yard FG
Fourth quarter

Week Fourteen: vs. Brooklyn Dodgers

Week Fourteen: Brooklyn Dodgers at New York Giants
Period1234Total
Dodgers077721
Giants00077

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

  • Date: December 7
  • Game attendance: 55,051
Game information
Second quarter
  • BRK Manders 3-yard run (Condit kick)
Third quarter
  • BRK Manders 65-yard interception return (Condit kick)
Fourth quarter
  • BRK Manders 2-yard run (Condit kick)
  • NYG Eakin 38-yard pass from Soar (Soar kick)

Playoffs

RoundDateOpponentResultVenueRecap
Championship December 21at Chicago Bears L 9–37 Wrigley Field Recap

1941 NFL Championship: at Chicago Bears

1941 NFL Championship: New York Giants at Chicago Bears
Period1234Total
Giants60309
Bears36141437

at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: December 21
  • Game attendance: 13,341
Game information
First quarter
  • CHB Bob Snyder 14-yard FG
  • NYG Franck 31-yard pass from Leemans (conversion failed)
Second quarter
  • CHB Snyder 39-yard FG
  • CHB Snyder 37-yard FG
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Standings

NFL Eastern Division
WLTPCTDIVPFPASTK
New York Giants 830.7276–2238114L1
Brooklyn Dodgers 740.6366–2158127W2
Washington Redskins 650.5455–3176174W1
Philadelphia Eagles 281.2001–6–1119218L3
Pittsburgh Steelers 191.1001–6–1103276L2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

See also

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