August 13, 2026
August 13, 2026
2000 New York Giants: Return of Big Blue
The late 1990s were not a kind time for the New York Giants, as the team struggled to find its identity. Aside from spoiling the Denver Broncos’ bid for a perfect regular season in 1998, the Giants had not done anything noteworthy on the football field. At the turn of the 21st century, however, that would change, as the 2000 New York Giants signaled a positive shift for the franchise. That season, the team went 12-4, winning the NFC East by just one game over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Quarterback Kerry Collins started all 16 regular season games for the Giants and completed 311 of 529 pass attempts for 3,610 yards and 22 touchdowns, while throwing 13 interceptions. With the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft, the Giants selected running back Ron Dayne, a bruising runner from the University of Wisconsin who had won the Heisman Trophy the year before and pounded the ball up the middle for New York. In four starts, Dayne had 228 rushing attempts for 770 yards and 5 touchdowns. Running back Tiki Barber had 213 rushing attempts for 1,006 yards and 8 touchdowns, while also adding 70 receptions for 719 yards and 1 touchdown.
Fullback Greg Comella had 36 receptions for 274 yards. Wide receiver Amani Toomer had 78 receptions for 1,094 yards and 7 touchdowns, while also running the ball 5 times for 91 yards and 1 touchdown. Wide receiver Ike Hilliard had 55 receptions for 787 yards and 8 touchdowns. Wide receiver Joe Jurevicius had 24 receptions for 272 yards and 1 touchdown. Tight end Dan Campbell had just 8 receptions for 46 yards, but he found the end zone on 3 touchdown catches. On special teams, Tiki Barber had 39 punt returns for 332 yards, and wide receiver Ron Dixon was an explosive kick returner, tallying 31 kick returns for 658 yards.
New York’s defense became something to be reckoned with again, led by linebacker Jessie Armstead, who had 76 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. Armstead was selected to the Pro Bowl for the NFC. Middle linebacker Michael Barrow had 72 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. Defensive end Michael Strahan had 50 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and 4 fumble recoveries. Defensive tackle Keith Hamilton had 43 tackles and 10 sacks. Linebacker Ryan Phillips had 1.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 1 forced fumble. Defensive end Cedric Jones had 3.5 sacks, and defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin had 5 sacks.
Free safety Shaun Williams had 68 tackles, 3 interceptions for 52 yards, and 1 fumble recovery. Cornerback Jason Sehorn had 60 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. Cornerback Dave Thomas had 55 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. Strong safety Sam Garnes had 51 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception. Cornerback Emmanuel McDaniel had 1 sack, 6 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery.
The key turning point of the regular season for the Giants came when they dropped back-to-back games to fall to 7-4. Sensing that his team was slipping, head coach Jim Fassel boldly guaranteed during a press conference that the Giants would make the playoffs, declaring that anyone who wanted in or out needed to decide which way to go. From there, the Giants finished the regular season on a 5-game winning streak, starting with a 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 on November 26 and ending with a 28-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17 on December 23.
The winning did not stop for the Giants after making the playoffs, as they defeated their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-10 in the NFC Divisional Round on January 7 at Giants Stadium. Kerry Collins, who experienced a revival of his playing career with the Giants, completed 12 of 19 passes for 125 yards. At 14:43 in the first quarter, Ron Dixon immediately started things off with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. At 14:55 in the second quarter, kicker Brad Daluiso kicked a 37-yard field goal, and then, with 1:40 remaining before halftime, Jason Sehorn returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown to give the Giants a 17-0 lead. With 0:26 remaining before halftime, kicker David Akers answered with a 28-yard field goal for the Eagles. With 8:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, Daluiso kicked a 25-yard field goal. With 1:56 remaining in the game, wide receiver Torrance Small had a 10-yard touchdown reception for Philadelphia, but the Eagles fell short.
On January 14 at Giants Stadium, the Giants reminded their fans that the return of “Big Blue” was coming in the 2000s, and the NFC Championship Game was the first proof of that. The Giants destroyed the Minnesota Vikings in a 41-0 shutout to advance to the Super Bowl. Kerry Collins had one of the best games of his career, completing 28 of 39 passes for 381 yards and 5 touchdowns while throwing just 2 interceptions. Ike Hilliard was great in the receiving game, with 10 receptions for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns.
At 13:03 in the first quarter, Hilliard had a 46-yard touchdown reception. At 12:47, Greg Comella had an 18-yard touchdown reception. At 14:56 in the second quarter, Daluiso kicked a 21-yard field goal. At 10:24, Joe Jurevicius had an 8-yard touchdown reception. At 5:22, Daluiso kicked a 22-yard field goal, and then, with 0:12 remaining before halftime, Hilliard had a 7-yard touchdown reception. At 12:06 in the third quarter, Amani Toomer had a 7-yard touchdown reception of his own, finishing the game with 6 receptions for 88 yards.
Super Bowl XXXV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, was the exact opposite of the NFC Championship Game for the Giants, as they were on the receiving end of a blowout at the hands of the AFC Champion Baltimore Ravens, losing 34-7 on January 28. The 2000 New York Giants would remain relevant through most of the decade because of key changes to the roster, most notably at head coach and quarterback.
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