The Packers and Giants have nearly a century of history together. These two teams first crossed paths all the way back in 1928, a 6-0 barnburner victory for the New York Giants, who were fresh off a victory over the fearsome Pottsville Maroons the previous week. The Packers would get their revenge over their big-city counterparts later in the season, besting the Giants 7-0 in the second meeting between the two franchises.
The point is, both of these teams have been around a while, and the Packers
have had plenty of opportunities to put up big numbers against the Giants. Here are the best performances Packers players have posted against the New York Giants across their 64 meetings (including the postseason).
Most passing yards – 404 (Aaron Rodgers, 2010)
An Aaron Rodgers concussion nearly ruined the Packers’ 2010 Super Bowl run before it started. Late in the year, Rodgers got rattled badly against the Detroit Lions missing most of that game and the following week — the Packers lost both. At 8-6, they approached their Week 16 game against the Giants badly in need of a win, and got a big one. They torched the Giants 45-17, and Rodgers applied a lot of the heat. He completed 25 of 37 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns, powering a Packers offense that was getting hot at the right time.
Most rushing yards – 189 (Jim Taylor, 1961)
The Packers’ showdown with the Giants on December 3, 1961 was an NFL Championship preview. The Packers would meet the Giants four weeks later with the NFL crown on the line, and it’d be a blowout as Vince Lombardi secured his first championship with a 37-0 win over his former employer.
The first meeting, though, was a lot tighter, and the Packers needed every yard the mighty Jim Taylor could muster. He was happy to oblige, extracting 186 yards and two touchdowns from the Giants’ defense on 27 carries, a workhorse in every sense of the word.
Most receiving yards – 175 (James Lofton, 1980)
As far as Packers history is concerned, James Lofton is the king of the big play. Five times in his career (twice in Green Bay) he averaged more than 20 yards per catch for an entire season, and a sixth time he averaged 19.9. He got yards in bunches.
Lofton was at his best in the Packers’ 1980 loss to the Giants. In his third NFL season, Lofton put up 175 yards and a score on just eight catches, a tidy average of 21.9 yards per catch. It was, to that point, the best receiving game of his career, though he’d later better that number three times.
Most points scored – 19 (Paul Hornung, 1961)
Paul Hornung didn’t have the best volume stats, but he scored in bunches, and in the aforementioned 1961 NFL Championship game, Hornung scored more than half of the Packers’ 37 points. He contributed a touchdown, three field goals, and four PATs as the Packers piled it on to win their first title under Lombardi.
Most sacks – 3.5 (Tony Bennett, 1992)
Tony Bennett isn’t a terribly auspicious figure in Packers history, but he was solid. Across eight NFL seasons (four with the Packers, four more with the Colts) he accounted for 64.5 career sacks, including 36 with the Packers.
In 1992, Bennett took down Jeff Hostetler 3.5 times (George Koonce grabbed the other half sack), but it wasn’t enough to overcome a three-interception day by Brett Favre, one of which was returned for a touchdown as the Giants won 27-7. Bennett would finish the season with 13.5 sacks, and would later record a pretty solid series of Christmas songs with Lady Gaga. Unless that’s some other Tony Bennett, but that seems unlikely.
Most tackles – 11 (Na’il Diggs, 2004; Brad Jones, 2013)
Na’il Diggs never made a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro team, but he was a solid, workmanlike linebacker for a long, long time. He appeared in 170 NFL games over his 12 year career, the first six of which took place in Green Bay. In 2004, his fifth season with the Packers, Diggs recorded 11 solo tackles (and four assists) in a 14-7 loss to the Giants.
Jones, meanwhile, also played six seasons with the Packers. Once named a “secret superstar” by Pro Football Focus, Jones was a solid if unspectacular player on Dom Capers’ defense. Like Diggs, he also racked up 11 tackles in a game against the Giants, but three of his tackles went for a loss, possibly giving him a slight edge over Diggs in terms of impact.
Most interceptions – 3 (Joe Laws, 1944)
Six players have had a multi-interception game against the Packers (including Charlie Brock, who did it twice), but only Joe Laws has managed three interceptions in a single contest. In a 1944 matchup, Laws intercepted former Packers passer Arnie Herber three times (Herber through four interceptions in total that day) as the Packers managed a 14-7 victory.
