Nobody saw it coming. Honestly, if you look back at the 2007 New York Giants schedule during the preseason, you’d probably have bet your house that Tom Coughlin was getting fired by October. The vibe around Big Blue was tense. Tiki Barber had retired and was busy taking shots at Eli Manning from the broadcast booth. Michael Strahan was holding out, considering retirement, and basically skipped all of training camp. It was a mess.
But that’s the thing about the NFL. Sometimes the hardest schedules create the toughest teams.
The Brutal Start and the September Slide
The season kicked off with a primetime disaster. Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys was a high-scoring nightmare where the Giants gave up 45 points. Eli threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns, but he also tossed three picks. It felt like the same old story. Then came Week 2 against Green Bay. Brett Favre picked them apart at Giants Stadium, leaving New York with a 0-2 record.
Fans were calling for Coughlin’s head. The media was relentless.
Then, something clicked.
In Week 3, the Giants went to Washington. They were down 17-3 at halftime. It looked over. But the defense woke up, stopping the Redskins on a crucial fourth-and-goal at the end of the game to secure a 24-17 win. That single goal-line stand might be the most underrated moment of the entire season. Without it, they’re 0-3, and the locker room likely implodes.
The Six-Game Winning Streak
Winning fixes everything. Following that scare in D.C., the Giants went on a tear. They absolutely demolished the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4. How bad was it? They tied an NFL record with 12 sacks in a single game. Osi Umenyiora had six of them by himself. Poor Winston Justice, the Eagles' tackle that night, still probably has nightmares about Osi’s speed rush.
The 2007 New York Giants schedule then took them to some interesting places:
- A "home" game in London against the Miami Dolphins (the first-ever regular season game outside North America). It was a muddy, ugly 13-10 win, but it counted.
- A blowout against the Jets.
- Gritty wins over the Falcons and 49ers.
By the time they hit their bye week, they were 6-2. The defense, led by Strahan and a young Justin Tuck, was becoming a terrifying unit. They weren't just winning; they were hurting people.
The Mid-Season Reality Check
The back half of the 2007 New York Giants schedule was much less kind. They hit a rough patch in November. They lost a close one to Dallas again, then got shut out at home by the Vikings in a game where Eli Manning threw four interceptions—three of which were returned for touchdowns. It was arguably the worst game of Manning’s career. People started whispering again: Can we really win with this guy?
They managed to scrape together wins against Chicago and Philadelphia, but the consistency wasn't there. They were a wild card team, nothing more. Or so we thought.
The Game That Changed the World: Week 17
By the time Week 17 rolled around, the Giants had already clinched a playoff spot. They were locked into the #5 seed. Normally, teams rest their starters in this scenario. But the 15-0 New England Patriots were coming to town, looking for a perfect season.
Coughlin made a decision that changed the franchise's DNA. He played everyone.
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The Giants lost 38-35, but they went toe-to-toe with the greatest team ever assembled. Eli was sharp. The receivers were making plays. Most importantly, the defensive line realized they could get to Tom Brady. Even though the "L" went in the standings, the Giants left that field believing they were the best team in the league.
That loss gave them the blueprint for the Super Bowl.
The Road Warrior Postseason
Because of how the 2007 New York Giants schedule finished, they had to do everything on the road. No home games. No easy weather. Just three of the toughest environments in football.
- Tampa Bay: A business-like 24-14 win. The defense stifled Jeff Garcia, and Eli played mistake-free football.
- Dallas: The Cowboys had beaten them twice already. Jessica Simpson was in the stands, Tony Romo had just come back from Cabo, and the Giants were massive underdogs. R.W. McQuarters iced it with an interception in the end zone. The Giants were headed to the Frozen Tundra.
- Green Bay: The NFC Championship game was -1°F with a wind chill of -23°F. Tom Coughlin’s face turned a shade of purple that didn't look healthy. After a back-and-forth battle and a missed field goal by Lawrence Tynes, Corey Webster intercepted Favre in overtime. Tynes got a third chance and nailed a 47-yarder.
The Giants were going to the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XLII: The Rematch
Everything came full circle in Glendale, Arizona. The Patriots were 18-0. The Giants were the pesky wild card.
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The game was a defensive slog. The Giants' front four—Strahan, Tuck, Umenyiora, and Barry Cofield—kept Brady under constant pressure. Then came "The Drive." 12 plays, 83 yards. The David Tyree helmet catch is the one everyone remembers, and rightfully so. It’s the most improbable play in sports history. But people forget the 3rd-and-11 pass to Steve Smith right after it, or the fade to Plaxico Burress that actually won the game.
Giants 17, Patriots 14. The perfect season was dead.
Why This Schedule Matters Today
When you look at the 2007 New York Giants schedule, you see more than just wins and losses. You see the evolution of a quarterback who went from a "bust" to a legend. You see a coach who learned to soften his "drill sergeant" persona to connect with his players.
The 2007 season remains the gold standard for "getting hot at the right time." It proved that it doesn't matter how you start in September, as long as you have the grit to survive December.
Critical Takeaways for Football Historians
- The Week 17 gamble: Coughlin’s decision to play starters against the Pats is widely cited by coaches today as the reason momentum is more important than rest.
- The 9-0 road record: Including the playoffs, the Giants won 10 straight games away from home. That’s a level of mental toughness we rarely see.
- The pass rush revolution: This team proved that a "NASCAR" package (four defensive ends on the field at once) could neutralize an elite passing offense.
If you’re looking to study how a locker room stays together under fire, start with the 2007 Giants. They weren't the most talented team on paper, but they were the most resilient.
To truly understand this era, you should compare the 2007 defensive stats with the 2011 championship run. While 2007 was defined by a historic pass rush, 2011 relied more on Manning’s late-game heroics. Digging into the game logs of the October winning streak also reveals how much the Giants relied on a "running back by committee" approach with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw after Tiki Barber’s departure. Analyzing the yardage-after-contact stats from that specific stretch shows exactly how they wore teams down before the winter months even hit.