Giants clinch fifth straight losing season, are now in midst of worst stretch in more than four decades

The Giants lost to the Chargers, 37-21, on Sunday to clinch their fifth consecutive losing season. New York is currently 4-9 on the season with four games remaining on the schedule.

It continues a recent trend for the Giants.

Since making the playoffs in 2016, the Giants have accumulated an 18-46 record (that’s not including the current 2021 season). During that time, the team has had four different head coaches and struggled to maintain any level of consistency. 

• During the 2017 season, Ben McAdoo served as the Giants head coach and lost 10 of the team’s first 12 games before being fired. 
• When McAdoo was fired, Steve Spagnuolo took over as the interim head coach and the Giants went 1-3 over the final four games of that season.
• Over the next two seasons, Pat Shurmur served as the franchise’s head coach and also had his fair share of struggles. He had a 9-23 record in his two years with the Giants before being fired following the 2019 season.
• Joe Judge is the current Giants head coach and went 6-10 in his first season with the team in 2020.

One of the biggest reasons for the Giants’ struggles has been the quarterback position. That was obviously something that the franchise didn’t need to worry about in the 2000s when they had two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning under center. But the team hasn’t exactly enjoyed a ton of stability at the position since he retired after the 2019 season. 

Prior to Manning’s final season, the Giants selected quarterback Daniel Jones with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Jones’ tenure in New York has been inconsistent. He’s completed 62.7 percent of his passes while throwing 45 touchdowns and 29 interceptions as the team’s starting quarterback.

But Jones has also missed time due to injury, which has led to the likes of Mike Glennon and Geno Smith being forced to start games for the team. 

All of this adds up to the Giants currently being in the midst of their worst stretch as a franchise in over four decades. The team hasn’t had five consecutive losing seasons since they had a sub .500 record from 1973 to 1980. 

Here’s a closer look at how that dark era went for the Giants:

1973 season

• Record: 2-11-1
• Head coach: Alex Webster
• QB that started the most games: Norm Snead (7 starts)
• Biggest loss: 40-6 to the Los Angeles Rams

1974 season

• Record: 2-12
• Head coach: Bill Arnsparger
• QB that started the most games: Craig Morton (7 starts)
• Biggest loss: 35-11 to the Philadelphia Eagles

1975 season

• Record: 5-9
• Head coach: Bill Arnsparger
• QB that started the most games: Craig Morton (14 starts)
  
  
• Biggest loss: 40-14 to the Green Bay Packers

1976 season

• Record: 3-11
• Head coach: Bill Arnsparger, followed by John McVay
• QB that started the most games: Craig Morton (12 starts)
• Biggest loss: 24-7 to the Minnesota Vikings

1977 season

• Record: 5-9
• Head coach: John McVay
• QB that started the most games: Joe Pisarcik (11 starts)
• Biggest loss: 24-7 to the Minnesota Vikings

1978 season

• Record: 6-10
• Head coach: John McVay
• QB that started the most games: Joe Pisarcik (12 starts)
• Biggest loss: 41-17 to the Buffalo Bills

1979 season

• Record: 6-10
• Head coach: Ray Perkins
• QB that started the most games: Phil Simms (11 starts)
• Biggest loss: 31-3 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1980 season

• Record: 4-12
• Head coach: Ray Perkins
• QB that started the most games: Phil Simms (13 starts)
• Biggest loss: 35-3 to the Philadelphia Eagles

Perkins coached the Giants into the playoffs in 1981, where they lost in the Divisional Round to the 49ers. Following another losing season in 1982, New York hired Bill Parcells in 1983.

Three years later, the team won Super Bowl XXI over the Broncos.

A Super Bowl may seem like a pipe dream right now to the Giants, but at this point the only place for them to go is up.