Record: 7-9 (3rd place in NFC East)
Playoffs: Missed playoffs
Head Coach: Tom Coughlin
Notable Assistants: Ben McAdoo (Offensive Coordinator) Perry Fewell (Defensive Coordinator) Robert Nunn (Defensive Line) Peter Giunta (Secondary/Cornerbacks)
Regular Season Overview
The Giants had one of the worst starts to their season in franchise history by losing their first six games. In four of those six losses, the Giants were defeated by more than 14 points and out of their nine losses they were defeated by more than 17 points in five games.
Despite all of their struggles and losses in the first six games, the Giants were actually capable of competing for the NFC East late in the season.
The NFC East was a very weak division for the most part of the season and at one point the Giants were just two games out of first place.
The Giants were historically bad on both sides of the ball this season. There were many issues at the running back position and it started with David Wilson who just couldn’t get anything going as the early starter.
He was eventually hurt and the Giants ended up with Brandon Jacobs and Andre Brown at the running back spots and they also had their ups and downs throughout the season.
Without the running game, quarterback Eli Manning had to throw the ball quite a lot this year. Unfortunately for him, more balls landed in the opposing teams’ hands than his own receivers in the end zone.
A major reason that Manning had to throw the ball so much this year was because the offense was playing catch up in almost every game. The defense was one of the worst New York has seen in recent years. In the 16 games the Giants played, the defense surrendered at least 20 points or more in 11 of those games.
Even with 29 takeaways this year, their turnover differential was -15 due to the 29 interceptions by Manning and the 15 fumbles on offense. This ranks the Giants 31st in the NFL in the turnover differential. Clearly much work needs to be done offensively and defensively so that they can become viable to the NFC East once again.
Biggest Win
The biggest win for the New York Giants came in Week 8 where they defeated their division foes, the Philadelphia Eagles, 15-7.
Not a single touchdown was scored for the Giants and kicker Josh Brown nailed a career high five field goals to seal the win.
Eli Manning also threw 246 passing yards and passed Phil Simms for the most career passing yards in Giants history.
The reason this was their biggest win of the season was because this game gave the Giants a little momentum after a six game winless streak and winning against the Vikings the week before.
It is also always a big win for a team when they defeat a division rival in their own city. With this win it put the Giants at 2-6 at that point of the season and the NFC East was open for the taking by any team who could work up a winning streak. The Giants were on the verge of doing so after this big win in Philadelphia.
Toughest Loss
The toughest loss for the Giants was in Week 12 at home against the Dallas Cowboys where they were defeated 24-21 in a heartbreaker.
The Giants were riding a four game winning streak and looked to be a possible team to be in contention for the NFC East.
Andre Brown and the Giants running attack was the best that it was all year with 202 yards. The Giants were down the whole game until they tied it up late in the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass from Eli Manning and a two-point conversion from Brown.
Unfortunately for the Giants, Tony Romo and the Cowboys had way too much time left on the clock and drove down the field for a Dan Bailey game winning field goal.
If there was any chance that the Giants wanted to make a run for the division, they had to win this game. Since they lost, it pretty much eliminated them from any kind of playoff contention barring a major meltdown from other teams. It made it even a tougher loss being that it was at home and against their division rivals the Dallas Cowboys.
Offensive MVP
The offensive MVP would have to be wide receiver Victor Cruz. He led the team with 73 receptions, four touchdowns and 998 receiving yards.
Despite missing his last two games with an injury, Cruz averaged 13.7 yards per catch and 71.3 yards per game.
His biggest performance of the year came on opening day in Dallas against the Cowboys where he racked up 118 yards on five catches and three touchdowns.
Defensive MVP
The defensive MVP for the Giants would be their safety, Antrel Rolle. Rolle was able to attain 98 tackles with six interceptions, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. His best performance of the season was in Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles where he recorded five tackles, one sack, one interception and a forced fumble.
Most Disappointing Player
The most disappointing player for the Giants this season would be none other than Eli Manning. You could argue that David Wilson was the most disappointing player being that he had high hopes as the starting running back and panned out to be a bust for this season, but he didn’t play enough games for me to consider him a disappointment. Manning threw a career high 27 interceptions and seven fumbles. His completion percentage was 57.5 percent which was his lowest since 2007 and his total passing yards were his lowest numbers since 2008. Manning has a lot of work to do in the offseason if he wants to improve his game for next year.
Best Rookie
There wasn’t a standout rookie performance for the Giants in the 2013 season. The one who contributed the most was the 6’4”, 301 pound Justin Pugh who was the 19th overall pick in the draft and ended up being a starting offensive guard for the Giants.
Statistical Leaders
QB Eli Manning: 3,818 pass yards, 18 touchdowns, 57.5 completion percentage, 27 interceptions
RB Andre Brown: 492 rush yards, three touchdowns, 20 receptions, 103 receiving yards, three fumbles
WR Victor Cruz: 73 receptions, 998 receptions yards, four touchdowns, one fumble
TE Brandon Myers: 47 receptions, 522 receiving yards, four touchdowns
Tackles: Antrel Rolle – 98
Sacks: Justin Tuck – 11
Interceptions: Antrel Rolle - 6