2004 New York Giants season

2004 New York Giants season
Head Coach	Tom Coughlin
Home Field	Giants Stadium
Results
Record	6–10
Place	2nd NFC East
Playoff Finish	did not qualify
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
2003	2005

The 2004 NFL season was the 80th season for the New York Giants. After starting the season 5–2, the Giants finished 6–10, 2nd in the NFC East.

Offseason

Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin was hired to replace Jim Fassel, who was fired following the conclusion of the 2003 season.

NFL draft

The San Diego Chargers selected Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning with the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Manning, however, refused to play in San Diego, and the New York Giants, who had selected North Carolina State quarterback Phillip Rivers with their first pick of the draft (the #4 overall pick) were able to trade Rivers (along with other compensation) to the Chargers, in return for the highly-touted Manning. The Giants also selected former Boston College offensive guard Chris Snee, Auburn linebacker Reggie Torbor, and strong safety Gibril Wilson. All four of these picks would start at least once during the season, and remain with the Giants for at least four seasons.

Round	Player	Position	School/Club Team
1	Philip Rivers (traded to Chargers)	Quarterback	NC State

Regular season

Although the Giants had traded for Eli Manning, the season began with veteran quarterback and former league MVP Kurt Warner as the starter. After a season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Warner and the Giants enjoyed surprising success, starting a four-game winning streak that included road victories over the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Following a Halloween rout of the Minnesota Vikings, 34–14, the Giants were 5–2, trailing the then-undefeated Philadelphia Eagles by just two games.

The high-water mark of the Giants season came on November 7, when the Giants led the Chicago Bears 14–0 at the end of the first quarter. Over the rest of the game, though, the Giants turned the ball over five times, allowed the Bears to score 28 unanswered points (20 in the second quarter) and lost by a score of 28–21. After another loss, this time on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, Giants coach Tom Coughlin decided to replace Warner with Manning. The decision did not show immediate success, as the Giants turned the ball over ten times in the next four games, scoring a total of 37 points.

Close losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals followed, dropping the Giants to 5–10. The season did end with a glimmer of hope, however, as the Giants rallied from a 16–7 fourth quarter deficit to end the season with a 28–24 victory over the arch-rival Dallas Cowboys. Manning threw two fourth quarter touchdown passes, and Tiki Barber scored the game winner.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 12, 2004	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 31–17	67,532
2	September 19, 2004	Washington Redskins	W 20–14	78,767
3	September 26, 2004	Cleveland Browns	W 27–10	78,521
4	October 3, 2004	at Green Bay Packers	W 14–7	70,623
5	October 10, 2004	at Dallas Cowboys	W 26–10	64,018
6	Bye
7	October 24, 2004	Detroit Lions	L 28–13	78,841
8	October 31, 2004	at Minnesota Vikings	W 34–13	64,012
9	November 7, 2004	Chicago Bears	L 28–21	78,786
10	November 14, 2004	at Arizona Cardinals	L 17–14	42,297
11	November 21, 2004	Atlanta Falcons	L 14–10	78,793
12	November 28, 2004	Philadelphia Eagles	L 27–6	78,830
13	December 5, 2004	at Washington Redskins	L 31–7	87,872
14	December 12, 2004	at Baltimore Ravens	L 37–14	69,856
15	December 18, 2004	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 33–30	78,836
16	December 26, 2004	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 23–22	64,606
17	January 2, 2005	Dallas Cowboys	W 28–24	78,500

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Philadelphia Eagles	13	3	0	.813	6–0	11–1	386	260	L2
Dallas Cowboys	6	10	0	.375	2–4	5–7	293	405	L1
New York Giants	6	10	0	.375	3–3	5–7	303	347	W1
Washington Redskins	6	10	0	.375	1–5	6–6	240	265	W1

See also

• List of New York Giants seasons