Commanders–Giants rivalry

Notable rivalry moments

• In 1937, their first season in Washington, D.C., the Washington Redskins were set to meet the New York Giants in the season finale in New York City at the Polo Grounds with the winner earning the right to play in the NFL Championship. The owner of the Washington Redskins, George Preston Marshall, loaded 12,000 fans and a 150 piece marching band onto trains and had them march an impromptu parade through New York City, all the while belting out "Hail to the Redskins". The tactic appeared to work as the Redskins went on to beat the Giants 49–14, going on to defeat the Chicago Bears in the 1937 NFL Championship.
• The Giants paid the Redskins back in 1938 with a 36–0 victory of their own, a win which propelled them to their own victory in the 1938 NFL Championship.
• In 1939 the Giants and Redskins again met in the last game of the season. Having tied in their first meeting 0–0 and having identical records (8–1–1) the two teams were playing for a spot in the NFL Championship game. The game was very competitive and the Redskins trailed 9–7 in the final moments. The Redskins attempted a field goal in the last seconds, seemingly giving them a victory. However, the field goal was called no good allowing the Giants to escape with a victory. The Redskins were irate, with one player even punching referee Bill Haloran. The outcome was so controversial that rumor has it George Preston Marshall, the Redskins owner, tried to pull strings to get Haloran fired from his day job as post master of Providence R.I., unsuccessfully. The Giants went on to lose the NFL Championship to the Green Bay Packers 27–0.
• On November 27, 1966 the Giants and Redskins participated in the highest combined scoring game in NFL history. The two teams combined for 16 touchdowns, 9 of which were of 30 yards or more. While the game was an offensive frenzy, the most memorable score was a Redskins field goal attempted with a few seconds remaining and the Giants trailing 69–41. Otto Graham, the Redskins head coach, claimed it was called merely to allow his kicker practice, but some claim that the field goal was ordered by Redskins middle linebacker and former Giant Sam Huff out of spite. In either case the final score was 72–41 and with 113 combined points the matchup remains the highest scoring game in league history.
• On November 18, 1985 in a Monday Night Football contest, the Redskins defeated the Giants 23–21. However, the win did not come without a loss as on one play the Redskins ran a flea-flicker, the Giants defense was not fooled by the play and Lawrence Taylor came from the outside and sacked quarterback Joe Theismann. The play is famous as that the sack injured Theismann's leg and effectively ended his career in the NFL. The Redskins missed the playoffs that season.
• The Giants and Redskins met in the playoffs for only second time in the 1986 NFC Championship game. The Giants were coming off a convincing victory over the 49ers in the previous round while the Redskins beat the Bears in the previous week. On a cold and windy day at Giants Stadium, the Giants scored 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the game and never were threatened. The Giants won 17-0, the first time a Joe Gibbs team had been shut out.
• On September 11, 2011 was opening day for the Giants' Super Bowl XLVI championship season of 2011. It also coincided with tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks; hence the NFL scheduled the Giants and the Redskins to meet that day, as the cities they represent were two metropolitan areas attacked on that day. FedExField was a patriotically and emotionally charged atmosphere as the two rivals took the field. Led by Eli Manning, the Giants took an early 7–0 lead in the first quarter. Washington responded on a Tim Hightower touchdown run in the second. The two teams took a 14–14 tie into halftime. Washington took the lead in the third after Ryan Kerrigan intercepted a pass from Manning and scored. Washington's defense prevented New York from scoring in the second half and the Redskins ended a six-game losing streak to the Giants. The Redskins defeated the Giants at MetLife Stadium in Week 15, their first season sweep of the Giants since 1999.
• In 2012 the rivalry intensified significantly after a special NFL commission headed by Giants owner John Mara imposed a $36 million salary cap penalty on the Redskins (and a smaller one on the Dallas Cowboys) for the organization's approach to structuring contracts in the 2010 NFL season. After beating the Giants, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder within earshot of numerous media personnel, told a team employee that "I hate those motherf***ers" in the victorious locker room after the game.
• On September 25, 2016, the winless Redskins visited the undefeated Giants. This game was significant due to the ongoing feud between star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and cornerback Josh Norman. In the previous season, Norman and Beckham had many on-field scrums during a game when Norman played for the Carolina Panthers. The Redskins won by a score of 29–27, sealing the win on an interception by Su'a Cravens. Beckham had an impressive 7 receptions and 121 yards, but was noticeably frustrated by Norman, and was especially apparent when he took his helmet and hit the kicker's practice net on the sidelines, causing it to fall on him. Giants center Weston Richburg was the first to ever be ejected by the new rule of being ejected after two unsportsmanlike penalties, one of which cost Beckham and the Giants a significant play.
• On November 23, 2017, the Redskins hosted the Giants in their first home Thanksgiving game in franchise history. The game was very defensive throughout, with both teams struggling to get anything going offensively in the first half. In the 3rd quarter, with the game tied 3–3, Kirk Cousins threw a 15-yard touchdown to Jamison Crowder to give the Redskins a 10–3 lead. The Giants tied the game later in the quarter after Janoris Jenkins returned a Cousins' interception 53-yards for a touchdown. The Redskins pulled away late in the fourth quarter with 10 straight points to win 20–10.
• The Giants got their 100th regular season victory over the Redskins on December 9, 2018, winning 40–16 at FedExField.
• On September 15, 2024, the Giants became the first team in NFL history to score three touchdowns, allow no touchdowns and lose in regulation, by a score of 21–18 to the Commanders.

Season-by-season results

|- | | Tie 0–0 14–6** | Braves 1–0–1 | Braves join the NFL as an expansion team. Braves' win against the Giants was the franchise's first win. Braves record their first tie result. |- | | Tie 1–1 7–0** 21–20** | Redskins 2–1–1 | Braves change their name to "Redskins". Both teams are placed in the NFL Eastern division as the league splits into two divisions. Giants lose 1933 NFL Championship. |- | 3–0** 16–3** | Giants 3–2–1

| 17–6** 20–12** | Giants 5–2–1

| | Tie 1–1 14–0** 7–0** | Giants 6–3–1 | Last season Reskins played as a Boston-based team. Redskins lose 1936 NFL Championship. |- | 49–14** 13–3** | Giants 6–5–1 | Redskins relocate to Washington D.C. In New York, Redskins clinch the Eastern Division and eliminate the Giants from playoff contention with their win. Redskins win 1937 NFL Championship. |- | 36–0** 10–7** | Giants 8–5–1

| 9–7** | Tie 0–0 | Giants 9–5–2 | AFter the tie, the Redskins go on a 11-game home winning streak. Giants clinch the Eastern Division and eliminate the Redskins from playoff contention with their win. Giants lose 1939 NFL Championship.

| | Tie 1–1 21–7** 21–7** | Giants 10–6–2

| 20–13** 17–10** | Giants 12–6–2

| | Tie 1–1 14–7** 14–7** | Giants 13–7–2 | Giants' win was the Redskins' only loss in the 1942 season. Redskins win 1942 NFL Championship. |- | 14–10** 31–7** | Giants 15–7–2 | Giants swept the Redskins in the final two games of the regular season. Both teams finished with 6–3–1 records, setting up a tiebreaker playoff game. |- style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" | 1943 Playoffs 28–0 | | Giants 15–8–2 | First postseason meeting. NFL Eastern Division. Redskins go on to lose 1943 NFL Championship. |- | 16–13** 31–0** | Giants 17–8–2

| 24–14** 17–0** | Giants 17–10–2

| | Tie 1–1 31–0** 24–14** | Giants 18–11–2 | Giants lose 1946 NFL Championship. From 1933–1946, either the Giants or Redskins won the NFL Eastern Division. |- | | Tie 1–1 35–10** 28–20** | Giants 19–12–2 | |- | 28–21** 41–10** | Giants 19–14–2 | |- | 23–7** 45–35** | Giants 21–14–2 |

| 24–21** 21–17** | Giants 23–14–2

| 28–14** 35–14** | Giants 25–14–2 | |- | | Tie 1–1 27–17** 14–10** | Giants 26–15–2 | |- | 24–21** 13–9** | Giants 26–17–2 | |- | 24–7** 51–21** | Giants 28–17–2 | |- | 35–7** 27–20** | Giants 30–17–2 | |- | | Tie 1–1 28–14** 33–7** | Giants 31–18–2 | Giants move to Yankee Stadium. Giants win 1956 NFL Championship. |- | | Tie 1–1 31–14** 24–20** | Giants 32–19–2 | |- | 30–0** 21–14** | Giants 34–19–2

| 45–14** 24–10** | Giants 36–19–2

| | Tie 24–24 17–3** | Giants 37–19–3 | |- | 53–0** 24–21** | Giants 39–19–3 | Redskins open D.C. Stadium (now known as Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium). In New York, Giants record their largest victory over the Redskins with a 53–point differential and score their most points in a game against the Redskins. Giants lose 1961 NFL Championship. |- | 49–34** 42–24** | Giants 41–19–3 | In New York, Giants accumulated 602 yards, setting a franchise record for most yards in a game (broken in 2012). Giants lose 1962 NFL Championship. |- | 44–14** 24–14** | Giants 43–19–3

| | Tie 1–1 13–10** 36–21** | Giants 44–20–3

| | Tie 1–1 23–7** 27–10** | Giants 45–21–3 | |- | | Tie 1–1 13–10** 72–41** | Giants 46–22–3 | In Washington, Redskins set an NFL record for most points scored by one team and the game's final score is the highest-scoring game in NFL history (113 points). Giants win was their only win in their 1966 season. |- | | no game 38–34** | Giants 46–23–3

| 48–21** 13–10** | Giants 48–23–3 | |- | | no game 20–14** | Giants 48–24–3 |

| 35–33** 27–24** | Giants 50–24–3 | As a result of the AFL–NFL merger, the Giants and Redskins are placed in the National Football Conference (NFC) and the NFC East, once again becoming divisional rivals. In New York, Giants overcame a 33–14 fourth quarter deficit. |- | 30–3** 23–7** | Giants 50–26–3

| 23–16** 27–13** | Giants 50–28–3

| 21–3** 27–24** | Giants 50–30–3 | Due to renovations at Yankee Stadium, Giants temporarily play at Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut. In Washington, Redskins overcame a 21–3 deficit. |- | 13–10** 24–3** | Giants 50–32–3

| 21–13** 49–13** | Giants 50–34–3 | Giants home game was played at Shea Stadium in New York. In Washington, Redskins record their largest victory over the Giants with a 36–point differential. |- | | Tie 1–1 12–9** 19–17** | Giants 51–35–3 | Giants open Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Redskins win 11 straight meetings (1971–1976). Giants get their first win of the season after starting 0–9. |- | 20–17** 17–6** | Giants 53–35–3 | |- | | Tie 1–1 17–6** 16–13 (OT)** | Giants 54–36–3 | |- | | Tie 1–1 14–6** 27–0** | Giants 55–37–3 |

| 23–21** 16–13** | Giants 55–39–3 | |- | | Tie 1–1 30–27 (OT)** 17–7** | Giants 56–40–3 | |- | 27–17** 15–14** | Giants 56–42–3 | Both games played despite players strike reducing the season to 9 games. Game in New York marked the 100th meeting. Redskins win Super Bowl XVII. |- | 33–17** 31-22** | Giants 56–44–3

| | Tie 1–1 37–13** 30–14** | Giants 57–45–3 | |- | | Tie 1–1 17–3** 23–21** | Giants 58–46–3 | In Washington, a sack by Giants LB Lawrence Taylor fractured Redskins QB Joe Theismann's right leg and effectively ended his NFL career. Both teams finished with 10–6 records, but the Giants clinched a playoff berth based on a better conference record, thereby eliminating the Redskins from playoff contention. |- | 27–20** 24–14** | Giants 60–46–3 | Giants win Super Bowl XXI. |- style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" | 1986 Playoffs 17–0 | | Giants 61–46–3 | Second postseason meeting. NFC Championship Game. Giants go on to win Super Bowl XXI. |- | 38–12** 23–19** | Giants 61–48–3 | In Washington, Redskins overcame a 19–3 second half deficit. Redskins win Super Bowl XXII. |- | 27–20** 24–23** | Giants 63–48–3 | |- | 20–17** 27–24** | Giants 65–48–3 |

| 21–10** 24–20** | Giants 67–48–3

| 17–13** 34–17** | Giants 67–50–3

| | Tie 1–1 28–10** 24–7** | Giants 68–51–3 | |- | 20–6** 41–7** | Giants 70–51–3 | |- | 31–23** 21–19** | Giants 72–51–3 | |- | 20–13** 24–15** | Giants 74–51–3 | |- | 31–10** 31–21** | Giants 74–53–3 | |- | 30–10** | Tie 7–7 (OT) | Giants 75–53–4 | Redskins open Jack Kent Cooke Stadium (now known as Northwest Stadium). First tie game in the series since the 1974 introduction of overtime. Giants clinch the NFC East with their win. |- | | Tie 1–1 31–24** 21–14** | Giants 76–54–4 | |- | 50–21** 23–13** | Giants 76–56–4 |

| | Tie 1–1 16–6** 9–7** | Giants 77–57–4

| | Tie 1–1 23–9** 35–21** | Giants 78–58–4 | |- | 19–17** 27–21** | Giants 80–58–4 | |- | | Tie 1–1 20–7** 24–21 (OT)** | Giants 81–59–4 | |- | | Tie 1–1 20–14** 31–7** | Giants 82–60–4

| | Tie 1–1 36–0** 35–20** | Giants 83–61–4 | |- | 19–3** 34–28** | Giants 85–61–4 | |- | | Tie 1–1 22–10** 24–17** | Giants 86–62–4

| 16–7** 23–7** | Giants 88–62–4

| 23–17** 45–12** | Giants 90–62–4 |

| 31–7** 17–14** | Giants 92–62–4

| 23–10** 28–14** | Giants 92–64–4 | Redskins sweep the season series against the Giants for the first time since the 1999 season. Giants win Super Bowl XLVI. |- | | Tie 1–1 27–23** 17–16** | Giants 93–65–4 | |- | 20–6** 24–17** | Giants 95–65–4 | |- | 24–13** 45–14** | Giants 97–65–4 | |- | | Tie 1–1 32–21** 20–14** | Giants 98–66–4 | |- | | Tie 1–1 29–27** 19–10** | Giants 99–67–4

| | Tie 1–1 18–10** 20–10** | Giants 100–68–4 | Game in Washington was played on Thanksgiving. Giants record their 100th win over the Redskins, becoming only the second team in NFL history to record 100 wins over a single opponent (joining the Green Bay Packers, who defeated the Detroit Lions 100 times). |- | | Tie 1–1 20–13** 40–16** | Giants 101–69–4 | |- | 24–3** 41–35 (OT)** | Giants 103–69–4

| 20–19** 23–20** | Giants 105–69–4

| 22–7** 30–29** | Giants 105–71–4 | In Washington, Washington's K Dustin Hopkins missed the game-winning field goal, but a Giants offside gave him another chance, which he successfully made. Washington's first season series sweep against the Giants since the 2011 season. |- | | Tie 20–20 (OT) 20–12** | Giants 106–71–5 | Washington Football Team adopts the "Commanders" name. First tie result since the 1997 season. |- | 14–7** 31–19** | Giants 108–71–5 | |- | 27–22** 21–18** | Giants 108–73–5 | |- | 29–21** 21–6** | Giants 108–75–5 | |- | Regular season | Giants 57–32–3 | Giants 50–42–2 | |- | Postseason | Tie 1–1 | Tie 1–1 | no games | NFL Eastern Division: 1943 NFC Championship: 1986 |- | Regular and postseason | Giants 58–33–3 | Giants 50–42–3 | Giants have a 3–2 record in Boston. Redskins/Commanders have a 2–0 record at Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut (1973), (1974), both accounted for as Giants' home games. |-

Players who played for both teams

References

References

1. "All Matchups, Washington Commanders vs. New York Giants".
2. DeArdo, Bryan. (July 1, 2020). "NFL Throwback Thursday: Browns-Broncos among the classic rivalries during the 1980s".
3. Hanlon, Greg. (November 30, 2008). "Top 10 Moments in the Giants-Redskins Rivalry". The New York Times.
4. Doug Farrar. (2012-12-04). "Dan Snyder's profane joy in Redskins win based on salary cap penalties". Sports.yahoo.com.
5. Fitzgerald, Gary. (September 11, 2011). "For Openers, Redskins Defeat Giants 28–14". Redskins.com.
6. Jones, Mike. (December 19, 2011). "Redskins/NFL". The Washington Post.
7. Benton, Dan. (December 9, 2018). "Giants blow out Redskins 40-16: Studs, duds, and studly duds". USA Today.
8. Schwartz, Paul. (September 15, 2024). "Giants doomed by kicker calamity in absurd last-second loss to Commanders".