The 1999 season was the New York Giants' 75th in the National Football League (NFL) and their third under head coachJim Fassel. The team failed to improve on their 8–8 record from the previous season, winning only seven games and missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season.[1] This was the last season that the team had the script "GIANTS" on the helmet, being replaced with the NY logo for the 2000 season.
Down in Tampa for their first game of the 1999 season—the Giants' 75th in franchise history—their offense shriveled up in the stifling Florida heat, earning only four first downs, converting 1-of-13 third downs and gaining just 107 yards, the second-fewest in a game in franchise history, but the defense—featuring five new starters from the previous year—forced five turnovers and scored on two of them, which was enough to earn a 17-13 win over the Buccaneers.
The first takeaway came on Tampa Bay's third play from scrimmage, as quarterback Trent Dilfer was hit from behind by Jessie Armstead and lost the ball, which defensive tackle Christian Peter—starting for the injured Robert Harris—grabbed on a bounce and raced 38 yards for a touchdown.
Each team traded three-and-outs before the Buccaneers used their running back tandem of Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott, plus a 12-yard crossing pass from Dilfer to wide receiver Jacquez Green on 3rd-and-8, to advance into New York's red zone. But on second down, Dilfer was sacked by linebacker Corey Widmer, and they were forced to settle for a 23-yard Martin Gramatica field goal at the start of the second quarter.
The Giants' offense struggled to gain traction against Tampa Bay's vaunted defensive line, as Warren Sapp frequently put pressure on quarterback Kent Graham, and rookie running back Sean Bennett—starting for the injured Gary Brown—failed to find space. It wasn't until almost five minutes remained in the first half when an 11-yard pass to Amani Toomer gave them their initial first down. Fortunately, New York's defense was equal to the task, as the swarming play of Widmer and cornerback Phillippi Sparks kept it a 7-3 game.
However, in the final minute, wide receiver Bert Emanuel beat cornerback Jeremy Lincoln—starting because of injuries to Jason Sehorn and Conrad Hamilton—down the left sideline and caught a Dilfer pass for 39 yards down to the 1-yard line. Dilfer threw a touchdown to tight end Dave Moore on the next play, giving the Buccaneers a 10-7 halftime lead.
Both offenses had their first drives of the third quarter stall near midfield, as Dilfer had a third-down snap from center Tony Mayberry go over his head before he managed to recover and throw away, and Graham had a pass to wide receiver Joe Jurevicius deflected away by cornerback Brian Kelly. After another pair of three-and-outs, Brad Maynard boomed a 52-yard punt that hopped out of bounds inside the 1; three plays later, Dilfer's pass from the end zone was intercepted by rookie cornerback Andre Weathers, who ran it in for another defensive score.
Facing boos from the crowd, Dilfer atoned near the end of the period by hitting Moore for a 26-yard gain, which led to another Gramatica field goal to cut New York's lead to 14-13. But after a Giants punt, Dilfer was pressured and picked off on the ensuing play by safety Percy Ellsworth, setting the Giants up at Tampa Bay's 24; however, New York gained only six yards in three plays, so Brad Daluiso came on and just barely made a 36-yard field goal to extend their lead to 17-13.
Three plays later, Dilfer's day went from bad to worse as he scrambled around the backfield, and then launched a deep ill-advised pass as he was heading out of bounds, where it was intercepted again by Ellsworth. Replays showed that Dilfer actually had stepped out of bounds before throwing the ball, but the Buccaneers didn't challenge the play. However, the Giants failed to capitalize on great field position, as Graham was flagged for an illegal forward pass to fullback Charles Way after crossing the line of scrimmage and then sacked by Sapp on third down to knock them out of field goal range.
Dilfer was benched for Eric Zeier on the next series, but Tampa Bay's offense fared no better, as neither team gained a first down throughout the fourth quarter. After the two-minute warning, Zeier appeared to find wide receiver Karl Williams for a 28-yard gain across midfield; but the play was reviewed in the NFL's new instant replay system, and although it appeared inconclusive, the call was reversed to an incomplete pass. Three plays later, Zeier's 4th-and-2 pass was deflected off Emanuel's hands and intercepted by Sparks, securing an ugly Giants win.
It was their third straight opening day win under head coach Jim Fassel, and the first time in three tries they had beaten Tampa Bay with him.
Week 2: vs. Washington Redskins
Week 2: Washington Redskins at New York Giants – Game summary
WAS – Stephen Alexander – 5 receptions, 86 yards, 2 TD
NYG – Ike Hilliard – 8 receptions, 114 yards, TD
The Giants' home opener against a revamped Redskins team coming off an epic collapse against Dallas under new owner Daniel Snyder featured a bizarre reversal from Week 1, as the defense was shredded for 50 points, their most allowed since giving up a league-record 72 in Washington back in 1966, with running back Stephen Davis setting the tone with three first-quarter touchdowns.
The Redskins took the opening kickoff and promptly drove 68 yards in nine plays, with quarterback Brad Johnson hitting wide receiver Michael Westbrook for 19 yards on 2nd-and-17 and tight end Stephen Alexander for 27 yards down to the 1-yard line, where Davis punched it in. Tiki Barber answered with a 41-yard kickoff return; but three plays later, wide receiver Ike Hilliard was flagged for offensive pass interference on a catch, which resulted in a punt.
In three plays, Washington then drove from their own 12 to New York's 9 on a 24-yard run by Davis, a 35-yard pass interference on Jeremy Lincoln, and a 20-yard screen pass to Alexander. Davis fumbled on the next play, but recovered, and scored again two plays later. After a Giants three-and-out, the Redskins took over at their own 46; aided by a roughing the passer penalty on Michael Strahan, they drove to New York's 19. On second down, Davis was stood up just beyond the line of scrimmage, but as the defense relaxed, he slipped out of Corey Widmer's grasp and raced to his left all the way for his third touchdown, making the score 21-0 still in the first quarter.
By now the crowd was booing the home team, but the Giants' offense finally woke up, with Kent Graham finding Hilliard on third down and then for 38 yards on a flea flicker. On 3rd-and-1, running back LeShon Johnson was dropped for a loss by defensive end Kenard Lang; they went for it on fourth down, and Graham found tight end Pete Mitchell for a first down into the red zone. Two plays later, Charles Way rumbled in from the 7, giving the Giants their first offensive touchdown of the season.
The pace finally slowed down, as Washington punted on their next two possessions before New York drove down to the 20 on a 13-yard pass to Joe Jurevicius and a quarterback sneak on 3rd-and-inches. But rookie left guard Luke Petitgout was flagged for a false start on 2nd-and-2, and Graham's ensuing screen pass was read and intercepted—his first in his last 131 attempts—by linebacker Shawn Barber, who took it 70 yards the other way for a touchdown; Brett Conway's extra point was blocked by George Williams, keeping the score 27-7.
With 3:15 remaining in the first half, David Patten returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to Washington's 46; then Graham hit Amani Toomer for a 35-yard gain, and Johnson ran it in on the next play. But after the two-minute warning, Brad Johnson answered by completing passes to Westbrook, Albert Connell and Irving Fryar, often targeting Lincoln in coverage. Then on 3rd-and-2 from New York's 16, Lincoln was flagged again for pass interference in the end zone; Johnson hit Alexander for a touchdown on the next play with six seconds to go. Davis was stopped on the two-point conversion, but the Redskins had a 33-14 halftime lead, with the Giants committing seven penalties and being credited for 12 missed tackles.
Any thoughts of a New York comeback were quickly buried at the start of the third quarter, as the running of Davis led to a 48-yard Conway field goal, and a fumble by LeShon Johnson led to Brad Johnson finding Westbrook, who made Percy Ellsworth miss another tackle before running in for a touchdown to make the score 43-14.
The Giants got a 40-yard run by Sean Bennett and a 38-yard pass to Toomer on the ensuing drive down to the 7-yard line; but the drive stalled, and Graham was sacked on fourth down by Lang to end the threat. In the fourth quarter, Johnson hit fullback Larry Centers for 17 yards on 3rd-and-13, with multiple Giants missing tackles. Three plays later, Johnson hit an open Alexander for a 27-yard touchdown, putting Washington at 50 points for the first time since 1991.
Graham gave the Giants a garbage-time touchdown pass to Hilliard before Jim Fassel benched him for free agent acquisition Kerry Collins, who completed his first three passes before their last drive stalled at Washington's 30, with defensive back Matt Stevens getting a fourth-down interception.
It was the most points the Giants had allowed at home since giving up 52 to the Browns in 1964, on the back of four turnovers and a reported 19 missed tackles, with Davis running roughshod with 126 yards on 23 carries.
Week 3: at New England Patriots
Week 3: New York Giants at New England Patriots – Game summary
The Giants and Patriots clashed in Foxborough on Sunday Night Football, and New England came away with a 16-14 win, thanks to three Adam Vinatieri field goals and New York's inability to convert big play opportunities.
It started well for them, as defensive tackle Keith Hamilton sacked Drew Bledsoe on third down, and Kent Graham completed his first five passes, hitting Ike Hilliard for a 27-yard gain and then LeShon Johnson for a 6-yard touchdown due to blown coverage. However, their next two drives were stopped because of a miscommunication on a pass from Graham to Tiki Barber and a throw to Hilliard just out of his reach. But a stop of a third-down draw for running back Terry Allen by Michael Strahan and Cedric Jones kept the Giants up 7-0 early in the second quarter.
However, the Patriots got untracked with Bledsoe hitting wide receiver Shawn Jefferson for 11 yards on third down, and then finding Terry Glenn deep against Phillippi Sparks for 45 yards down to New York's 2-yard line; Allen scored two plays later to tie the game.
Graham answered by hitting Amani Toomer for 21 yards into Patriots' territory on the Giants' next play from scrimmage; but Johnson was stopped a yard short of the first down on 3rd-and-2, so they lined up to go for it on fourth down. However, right guard Ron Stone lurched forward before the snap, drawing a false start penalty and forcing New York to punt. The play of Percy Ellsworth, Sam Garnes and Jason Sehorn—making his first appearance since missing all of 1998 with torn knee ligaments and the preseason with a strained hamstring—limited Bledsoe's impact, but the Giants' two-minute drill wilted short of midfield, keeping the score 7-7 at halftime.
The Giants went three-and-out on their first possession of the third quarter, with Graham barely overthrowing David Patten on a deep third-down pass, while Bledsoe hit wide receiver Troy Brown for 25 yards on 3rd-and-8 to set up a 38-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal. Barber returned the ensuing kickoff all the way out to midfield, but the next three plays netted only nine yards, so New York's offense again lined up on 4th-and-1; this time they got the snap off, but Graham was stopped short on a quarterback sneak.
The passing of Bledsoe and running of Allen drove the Patriots down towards the Giants' goal line; but on third down from the 1, Bledsoe's play-action pass to tight end Ben Coates was incomplete, so they opted for the chip shot field goal to extend their lead to 13-7.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Giants' next drive appeared to stall at New England's 40 on a third-down sack by safety Larry Whigham after Graham missed on deep throws to Hilliard and Pete Mitchell. But in the ensuing scrum over the ball, linebacker Tedy Bruschi was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing it at Luke Petitgout and hitting him in the helmet, giving New York a first down. It led to Brad Daluiso coming on for a 41-yard field goal attempt; but he hooked it wide left, keeping them down by six with nine minutes left.
The Patriots took time off the clock by running with Allen and Bledsoe completing passes to Jefferson and Glenn, or ramming it through on a sneak on 3rd-and-inches. The drive eventually stalled, so Vinatieri kicked his third field goal of the night, putting New England up 16-7 with 3:12 to go.
With one time-out remaining, the Giants took over at their own 30; Graham picked up two quick first downs on passes to Toomer and Barber. Five plays later, he found Mitchell for 14 yards on 3rd-and-5 down to the 4-yard line, as the clock ticked under two minutes. After a run by Barber down to the 1, New York took their last time-out; passes to Mitchell and Toomer were deflected by Ty Law, which brought up fourth down. They went for it, and Graham's swing pass to Barber went for a touchdown, as he beat Bruschi to the end zone with 1:14 left. However, Daluiso's onside kick was fielded cleanly by Coates, securing a Patriots win.
New England joined the Titans as the NFL's only 3-0 teams thus far, while the Giants again struggled to run the ball without Gary Brown, falling to 1-2 for the second consecutive season.
Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 4: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – Game summary
