The Impossible Had Happened On November 14, 1976

[Wolverine1975]

While I highly doubt that there had been a full moon on the night of November 13, 1976, the Giants did something that was considered unthinkable the next day.  The youthful Giants, at the time one of the youngest teams in the league, had defeated their greatest foe: the over-the-hill Redskins at Giants Stadium, 12-9 in front of 72,975 fans who were still wondering if the Giants would ever win a game that season (prior to the game they were 0-9).

GIANTS REFUSE TO BECOME UNGLUED
by Vinny DiTrani

BERGEN RECORD, November 15, 1976

EAST RUTHERFORD--"Just another interception," was Jim Stienke's immediate thought as he tumbled toward the Giant Stadium turf, grasping the ball which seconds before had left Joe Theismann's right hand.
     Stienke didn't realize until after the game that he had come up with the winner, the play that preserved the 12-9 win over the Redskins and halted the Giants' season-long losing streak.  "I was just playing the down-and-distance," he claimed.  "There wasn't enough time to analyze the situation."
     Washington had taken a time out to analyze this situation: third-and-two, ball on the Giant seven, 41 seconds to play.  The Skins were down by three to a team whose offense boasted a long-gain run of nine yards and a long-gain pass of 13.  But the Giants were winning the battle of the field goals, four to three.
     After a consultation, the Skins set up for what proved to be their final offensive play from scrimmage.  "It was a questionable call, but I'm glad they called it," said Stienke, the right cornerback, who like most Giants was looking for a running play into the line which could have set up a tying field goal. 
     Theismann, however, rolled to his left with a run-pass option.  The blitzing Harry Carson took away the run part.  So the quarterback looked for his intended receivers, running back Mike Thomas and tight end Jean Fugett.  Neither was on his pattern, so Theismann tried to toss the ball out of the end zone.  But Stienke interceded.
     "I didn't have time to think.  I just reacted to the ball," said Stienke.
     The interception was the culmination of a fine defensive play by the Giant unit which hasn't allowed a touchdown in 10 quarters.  Tackle John Mendenhall wiped out a blocker, allowing middle linebacker Carson free access on his blitz.
     Linebacker Brad Van Pelt jammed tight end Fugett, who blocked on Van Pelt before trying to slip out for the pass.  Stienke bumped Thomnas off his pattern and jarred him enough to send him into Fugett, effectively disrupting both Skins' patterns. 
     So instead of another final-minute loss, like the opening game in Washington, or an overtime situation, the Giants and John McVay had their first win.  "Gosh, that was exciting," said McVay, who counted down the final seconds with the hometown fans, and later shook hands with every player in the locker room.
     "That's a gutty, gutty bunch of guys, to get slapped around in ball games they played well enough to win, and to stick together like they did today," lauded McVay.
     While the offense did enough to get 12 points on four Joe Danelo field goals, the defense was exceptional in holding the Skins to three Mark Moseley three-pointers.  Even when the Redskins were marching toward a possible win or a tie, the defensive huddle was void of deja vu.
     "You can't think back to what happened in the past," said linebacker Brian Kelley, "because you're sure to lose then."
     "I was thinking about the field-goal try and how I had to do something about blocking it," said Van Pelt about the kick that never was made.
     GIANT NOTES--Had Moseley gotten that final field-goal attempt, it would have set an NFL record for most attempts in a game by both teams.  The six Moseley and five Danelo tries tied the NFL mark...Last time Giants won without a touchdown was by 9-3 score over the Chicago Cardinals at Yankee Stadium in 1959...Craig Morton (sore right elbow) could have played, but McVay decided to stay with Norm Snead for the whole game despite three-of-14 for 26 yards passing stats.  In Snead's defense, Walker Gillette dropped a sure touchdown and Ray Rhodes muffed a bomb...George Martin had two sacks, one against Thomas on a halfback option on which he stripped the ball and recovered the fumble.  Dan Lloyd clobbered kick returner Eddie Brown and covered his bobble in the second period...72,975 attended and 3,634 stayed home.