1990 Giants Ranked Amongst All-Time Influential Teams in NFL History

The New York Giants' last two Super Bowl teams might not have gotten any love from an analytics perspective from ESPN, but according to Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame, the Giants' Super Bowl-winning teams are among the most influential in the league's history, and in particular, the 1990 team that upset the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV.

"The 1990 Giants were a unicorn in their time, and they remain one in many ways," Verderame wrote. "But they were the precursor of a dynasty that took place a few hours north in New England."

"That year, the Giants predominantly ran a 3–4 defense that, under coordinator Bill Belichick, morphed time and again in the playoffs, a staple Belichick would become known for in his six Super Bowl victories as a head coach of the New England Patriots."

"In Super Bowl XXV, Belichick faced the league’s top-scoring offense in Buffalo, which averaged 47.5 points per game in the AFC playoffs. In a stunning twist, the Giants invited first-team All-Pro running back Thurman Thomas to run the ball while playing only two defensive linemen. The idea was to punish receivers and slow down the no-huddle with speed. New York won, 20–19."

Belichick's game plan was truly an example of thinking outside the box. Whereas most defenses would have focused on shutting down the run--in this case, Bills running back Thurman Thomas--Belichick gave up the run to focus more on stopping the Bills' "K-gun" passing attack as led by quarterback Jim Kelly by having the defensive backs rough up the Bills future Hall of Fame receivers Andre Reed and James Lofton.

Our job was to punish the receivers,within to confines of the rules, and it seemed to work throughout the game. Our defense tackled well! https://t.co/KgumwYlp3T
— Mark Collins Sr. (@2FIVESPORTS) February 6, 2024

The plan worked to perfection. While Thomas ran for 135 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown (with a long of 31 yards), Reed was held to 62 yards on eight receptions and a long of 20, while Lofton's lone catch went for 61 yards.

Head coach Bill Parcells reflected on that season and what made that team so successful.

“We had versatile players on defense," he said. "We had a couple of linebackers who could play inside and outside. So that gave us some flexibility that way. We had enough defensive linemen. Our base was a three-man front, but we could use a four-man front. We had enough depth on the team there.

"Offensively, we were a highly disciplined team. We set the record for the fewest turnovers in a season that year. We played 19 games and turned the ball over only 14 times. We didn’t help our opponents very often, and we were good under pressure.”

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