2004 New York Giants season
OwnerWellington Mara
Robert Tisch
General managerErnie Accorsi
Head coachTom Coughlin
Home fieldGiants Stadium
Results
Record6–10
Division place2nd NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersRB Tiki Barber

The 2004 season was the New York Giants' 80th in the National Football League (NFL). After starting the season 5–2 the Giants lost eight games in a row before winning the final game of the season to finish 6–10, good enough for second place in the NFC East by tiebreaker.

Off-season

Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin—who was the Giants' wide receivers coach under Bill Parcells from 1988 to 1990—was hired to replace Jim Fassel, who was fired following the conclusion of the 2003 season.

AdditionsSubtractions
QB Kurt Warner (Rams)QB Kerry Collins (Raiders)
RB Mike Cloud (Patriots)RB Dorsey Levens (Eagles)
C Shaun O'Hara (Browns)C Chris Bober (Chiefs)
G Jason Whittle (Buccaneers)T Ian Allen (Eagles)
DT Fred Robbins (Vikings)DT Cornelius Griffin (Redskins)
DT Norman Hand (Seahawks)DE Kenny Holmes (Packers)
LB Barrett Green (Lions)LB Micheal Barrow (Redskins)
LB Carlos Emmons (Eagles)LB Brandon Short (Panthers)
CB Terry Cousin (Panthers)LB Dhani Jones (Eagles)
S Brent Alexander (Steelers)CB Ralph Brown (Vikings)
K Steve Christie (Jaguars)S Ryan Clark (Redskins)
K Matt Bryant (Colts)

Longtime veteran defensive tackle Keith Hamilton, the longest-tenured Giant on the roster, would also retire. His 173 games played tied Harry Carson for the sixth-most in franchise history.[1]

NFL draft

The Giants' poor record for 2003 resulted in their being tied with the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals for the worst record in the league. By virtue of a series of tiebreakers, the Giants landed at the fourth pick in the draft and were forecast to select Robert Gallery, an offensive tackle from Iowa, or Ben Roethlisberger, a quarterback from Miami of Ohio, with the pick. Another scenario was also listed as a possibility, and would prove to be the move the Giants would make.

Entering the draft, the consensus top pick was Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning. However, Manning had said prior to the draft that he did not want to play for the Chargers and would not sign with them if he was drafted. The Chargers would strike a deal with the Giants before the draft that would shape the future of both franchises. The Chargers would select Manning first overall, as they had intended to. The Giants would then draft quarterback Philip Rivers of North Carolina State, and then swap him and two 2005 draft picks for Manning.

The Giants also selected former Boston College offensive guard Chris Snee, Auburn linebacker Reggie Torbor, and strong safety Gibril Wilson.

2004 New York Giants draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 4 Philip Rivers *  QB NC State Traded to SD
2 34 Chris Snee  OG Boston College
4 97 Reggie Torbor  DE Auburn
5 136 Gibril Wilson  S Tennessee
6 168 Jamaar Taylor  WR Texas A&M
7 203 Drew Strojny  OT Duke
7 253 Isaac Hilton  DL Hampton
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[2]

Undrafted free agents

2004 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Jared Lorenzen Quarterback Kentucky
Curtis Deloatch Cornerback North Carolina A&T
Jim Maxwell Linebacker Gardner–Webb
Keylon Kincade Running back SMU

Roster

2004 New York Giants final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 51 active, 18 inactive, 8 practice squad

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 13 Kansas City Chiefs W 34–24 1–0 Giants Stadium Recap
2 August 19 at Carolina Panthers L 20–27 1–1 Bank of America Stadium Recap
3 August 27 at New York Jets L 10–17 1–2 Giants Stadium Recap
4 September 2 Baltimore Ravens L 17–27 1–3 Giants Stadium Recap

Regular season

Although the Giants had traded for Eli Manning, the season began with veteran quarterback and former league MVP Kurt Warner as the starter. After a season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Warner and the Giants enjoyed surprising success, starting a four-game winning streak that included road victories over the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Following a Halloween rout of the Minnesota Vikings, 34–14, the Giants were 5–2, trailing the then-undefeated Philadelphia Eagles by just two games.

The high-water mark of the Giants season came on November 7, when the Giants led the Bears 14–0 at the end of the first quarter. Over the rest of the game, though, the Giants turned the ball over five times, allowed the Bears to score 28 unanswered points (20 in the second quarter) and lost by a score of 28–21. After another loss, this time on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, Giants coach Tom Coughlin decided to replace Warner with Manning. The decision did not show immediate success, as the Giants turned the ball over ten times in the next four games, scoring a total of 37 points.

Close losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Bengals followed, dropping the Giants to 5–10. The season did end with a slight possibility of succeeding, as the Giants rallied from a 16–7 fourth quarter deficit to end the season with a 28–24 victory over division rival Dallas Cowboys. Manning threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, and Tiki Barber scored the game winner. The Giants finished 6–10, in a three-way tie for 2nd place in the NFC East with the Cowboys and the Redskins.

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 12 at Philadelphia Eagles L 17–31 0–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
2 September 19 Washington Redskins W 20–14 1–1 Giants Stadium Recap
3 September 26 Cleveland Browns W 27–10 2–1 Giants Stadium Recap
4 October 3 at Green Bay Packers W 14–7 3–1 Lambeau Field Recap
5 October 10 at Dallas Cowboys W 26–10 4–1 Texas Stadium Recap
6 Bye
7 October 24 Detroit Lions L 13–28 4–2 Giants Stadium Recap
8 October 31 at Minnesota Vikings W 34–13 5–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Recap
9 November 7 Chicago Bears L 21–28 5–3 Giants Stadium Recap
10 November 14 at Arizona Cardinals L 14–17 5–4 Sun Devil Stadium Recap
11 November 21 Atlanta Falcons L 10–14 5–5 Giants Stadium Recap
12 November 28 Philadelphia Eagles L 6–27 5–6 Giants Stadium Recap
13 December 5 at Washington Redskins L 7–31 5–7 FedEx Field Recap
14 December 12 at Baltimore Ravens L 14–37 5–8 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
15 December 18 Pittsburgh Steelers L 30–33 5–9 Giants Stadium Recap
16 December 26 at Cincinnati Bengals L 22–23 5–10 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
17 January 2 Dallas Cowboys W 28–24 6–10 Giants Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 1: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 3 0717
Eagles 14 10 7031

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 2: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 2: Washington Redskins at New York Giants – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Redskins 7 0 0714
Giants 0 20 0020

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 3: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 3: Cleveland Browns at New York Giants – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 0 0 01010
Giants 7 3 71027

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 4: at Green Bay Packers

Week 4: New York Giants at Green Bay Packers – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 0 7714
Packers 0 0 707

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: October 3
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Partly sunny, 61 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 70,623
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
Game information

Week 5: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 5: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 3 3 71326
Cowboys 0 10 0010

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

  • Date: October 10
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 65 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,018
  • Referee: Bill Leavy
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
Game information

Week 7: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 7: Detroit Lions at New York Giants – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 7 0 71428
Giants 7 3 0313

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 52 °F (11 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,841
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
Game information

Week 8: at Minnesota Vikings

Week 8: New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 10 10 7734
Vikings 0 0 01313

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: October 31
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 64,012
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Cris Collinsworth, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
Game information

Week 9: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 9: Chicago Bears at New York Giants – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 20 0828
Giants 14 0 0721

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Clear, 71 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,786
  • Referee: Tom White
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
Game information

Week 10: at Arizona Cardinals

Week 10: New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 7 0014
Cardinals 0 10 7017

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: November 14
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST/2:15 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 42,297
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Brian Baldinger and Kevin McCabe
Game information

Week 11: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week 11: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 7 0014
Giants 0 0 7310

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 21
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,793
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
Game information

Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 12: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 7 13727
Giants 3 3 006

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 28
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly sunny, 61 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,830
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
Game information

Week 13: at Washington Redskins

Week 13: New York Giants at Washington Redskins – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 0 707
Redskins 7 14 3731

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: December 5
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Clear, 61 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 87,872
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Bill Maas and Chris Myers
Game information

Week 14: at Baltimore Ravens

Week 14: New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 7 0714
Ravens 10 17 10037

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 48 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 69,856
  • Referee: Bill Carollo
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Brian Baldinger and Jay Glazer
Game information

Week 15: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 15: Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Steelers 10 10 31033
Giants 14 0 10630

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Mostly sunny, 42 °F (6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,836
  • Referee: Gerry Austin
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Bonnie Bernstein
Game information

Week 16: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 16: New York Giants at Cincinnati Bengals – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 13 3622
Bengals 7 3 7623

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: December 26
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 24 °F (−4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,606
  • Referee: Scott Green
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Bill Maas and Chris Myers
Game information

Week 17: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 17: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 6 7824
Giants 0 7 02128

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Standings

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Philadelphia Eagles 13 3 0 .813 6–0 11–1 386 260 L2
New York Giants 6 10 0 .375 3–3 5–7 303 347 W1
Dallas Cowboys 6 10 0 .375 2–4 5–7 293 405 L1
Washington Redskins 6 10 0 .375 1–5 6–6 240 265 W1

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Zinser, Lynn (February 7, 2004). "Pro Football: After 12 seasons with Giants, Hamilton retires". New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  2. ↑ "2004 NFL Draft Results – Round 1". Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2008.
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