Login
Login

1938 New York Giants season

{{short description|NFL team 14th season}}

{{About|the football team|the baseball team of the same name in 1938|1938 New York Giants (MLB) season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NFL team season

| logo = 1937-Giants-mediaguide.jpg

| team = New York Giants

| year = 1938

| record = 8–2–1

| division_place = 1st NFL Eastern

| coach = Steve Owen

| stadium = Polo Grounds

| playoffs = Won NFL Championship
(vs. Packers) 23–17

| shortnavlink = Giants seasons

}}

The {{nfly|1938}} New York Giants season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League.

Schedule

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}}"| Week

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}}"| Date

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}}"| Opponent

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}}"| Result

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}}"| Record

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}}"| Venue

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}}"| Recap

style="background:#cfc"

! 1

| September 11

| at Pittsburgh Pirates

| W 27–14

| 1–0

| Forbes Field

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193809110pit.htm Recap]

2

|colspan="6"| Bye

style="background:#fcc"

! 3

| September 25

| at Philadelphia Eagles

| L 10–14

| 1–1

| Philadelphia Municipal Stadium

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193809250phi.htm Recap]

style="background:#fcc"

! 4

| October 3

| Pittsburgh Pirates

| L 10–13

| 1–2

| Polo Grounds

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193810030nyg.htm Recap]

style="background:#cfc"

! 5

| October 9

| at Washington Redskins

| W 10–7

| 2–2

| Griffith Stadium

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193810090was.htm Recap]

style="background:#cfc"

! 6

| October 16

| Philadelphia Eagles

| W 17–7

| 3–2

| Polo Grounds

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193810160nyg.htm Recap]

style="background:#cfc"

! 7

| October 23

| Brooklyn Dodgers

| W 28–14

| 4–2

| Polo Grounds

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193810230nyg.htm Recap]

8

|colspan="6"| Bye

style="background:#cfc"

! 9

| November 6

| Chicago Cardinals

| W 6–0

| 5–2

| Polo Grounds

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193811060nyg.htm Recap]

style="background:#cfc"

! 10

| November 13

| Cleveland Rams

| W 28–0

| 6–2

| Polo Grounds

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193811130nyg.htm Recap]

style="background:#cfc"

! 11

| November 20

| Green Bay Packers

| W 15–3

| 7–2

| Polo Grounds

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193811200nyg.htm Recap]

style="background:#ffc"

! 12

| November 24

| at Brooklyn Dodgers

| T 7–7

| 7–2–1

| Ebbets Field

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193811240bkn.htm Recap]

style="background:#cfc"

! 13

| December 4

| Washington Redskins

| W 36–0

| 8–2–1

| Polo Grounds

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/193812040nyg.htm Recap]

style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}}"

|colspan="8"| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

=Week 1: at Pittsburgh Pirates=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week One: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates

|date=September 11

|road=Giants

|R1=6 |R2=14 |R3=0 |R4=7

|home=Pirates

|H1=7 |H2=7 |H3=0 |H4=0

|stadium=Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

|attendance=17,340

|scoring=

;First quarter

;Second quarter

;Fourth quarter

  • NYG Soar 1-yard run (Cuff kick)

}}

=Week 3: at Philadelphia Eagles=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week Three: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

|date=September 25

|road=Giants

|R1=0 |R2=7 |R3=3 |R4=0

|home=Eagles

|H1=0 |H2=7 |H3=0 |H4=7

|stadium=Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

|attendance=23,877

|scoring=

;Second quarter

;Third quarter

  • NYG Cuff 23-yard FG

;Fourth quarter

  • PHI Joe Carter 92-yard fumble return (Reese kick)

}}

=Week 4: vs. Pittsburgh Pirates=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week Four: Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Giants

|date=October 3

|time=Night

|road=Pirates

|R1=0 |R2=7 |R3=0 |R4=6

|home=Giants

|H1=7 |H2=0 |H3=3 |H4=0

|stadium=Polo Grounds, New York, New York

|attendance=18,805

|scoring=

;First quarter

  • NYG Cuff 18-yard pass from Danowski (Cuff kick)

;Second quarter

  • PIT Bill Sortet 24-yard pass from Filchock (Niccolai kick)

;Third quarter

  • NYG Cuff 10-yard FG

;Fourth quarter

  • PIT Sortet 13-yard pass from Filchock (kick failed)

}}

=Week 5: at Washington Redskins=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week Five: New York Giants at Washington Redskins

|date=October 9

|road=Giants

|R1=3 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=7

|home=Redskins

|H1=0 |H2=7 |H3=0 |H4=0

|stadium=Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC

|attendance=37,500

|scoring=

;First quarter

  • NYG Cuff 17-yard FG

;Second quarter

;Fourth quarter

}}

=Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week Six: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

|date=October 16

|road=Eagles

|R1=0 |R2=0 |R3=7 |R4=0

|home=Giants

|H1=0 |H2=14 |H3=3 |H4=0

|stadium=Polo Grounds, New York, New York

|attendance=33,187

|scoring=

;Second quarter

  • NYG Bull Karcis 76-yard fumble return (Cuff kick)
  • NYG Leemans 3-yard run (Cuff kick)

;Third quarter

}}

=Week 7: vs. Brooklyn Dodgers=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week Seven: Brooklyn Dodgers at New York Giants

|date=October 23

|road=Dodgers

|R1=0 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=14

|home=Giants

|H1=7 |H2=21 |H3=0 |H4=0

|stadium=Polo Grounds, New York, New York

|attendance=36,228

|scoring=

;First quarter

  • NYG Howell 31-yard pass from Danowski (Cuff kick)

;Second quarter

;Fourth quarter

}}

=Week 9: vs. Chicago Cardinals=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week Nine: Chicago Cardinals at New York Giants

|date=November 6

|road=Cardinals

|R1=0 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=0

|home=Giants

|H1=0 |H2=0 |H3=0 |H4=6

|stadium=Polo Grounds, New York, New York

|attendance=19,648

|scoring=

;Fourth quarter

  • NYG Leemans 5-yard run (kick failed)

}}

=Week 10: vs. Cleveland Rams=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week Ten: Cleveland Rams at New York Giants

|date=November 13

|road=Rams

|R1=0 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=0

|home=Giants

|H1=7 |H2=14 |H3=7 |H4=0

|stadium=Polo Grounds, New York, New York

|attendance=25,000

|scoring=

;First quarter

  • NYG Karcis 1-yard run (Cuff kick)

;Second quarter

  • NYG Karcis 1-yard run (Cuff kick)
  • NYG Hanken 27-yard pass from Leemans (Richards kick)

;Third quarter

  • NYG Danowski 31-yard run (Cuff kick)

}}

=Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week Eleven: Green Bay Packers at New York Giants

|date=November 20

|road=Packers

|R1=0 |R2=0 |R3=3 |R4=0

|home=Giants

|H1=0 |H2=0 |H3=9 |H4=6

|stadium=Polo Grounds, New York, New York

|attendance=48,279

|scoring=

;Third quarter

;Fourth quarter

  • NYG Mel Hein 50-yard interception return (kick failed)

}}

=Week 12: at Brooklyn Dodgers=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week Twelve: New York Giants at Brooklyn Dodgers

|date=November 24

|road=Giants

|R1=0 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=7

|home=Dodgers

|H1=7 |H2=0 |H3=0 |H4=0

|stadium=Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York

|attendance=17,400

|scoring=

;First quarter

;Fourth quarter

}}

Ed Danowski's pass to Dale Burnett was the last Giants touchdown on offense on Thanksgiving Day until 2022.

=Week 13: vs. Washington Redskins=

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week Thirteen: Washington Redskins at New York Giants

|date=December 4

|road=Redskins

|R1=0 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=0

|home=Giants

|H1=14 |H2=0 |H3=10 |H4=12

|stadium=Polo Grounds, New York, New York

|attendance=57,461

|scoring=

;First quarter

  • NYG Soar 43-yard run (Cuff kick)
  • NYG Karcis run (Cuff kick)

;Third quarter

  • NYG Cuff 36-yard FG
  • NYG Cuff 96-yard interception return (Cuff kick)

;Fourth quarter

  • NYG Chuck Galatka pass from Leemans (kick failed)
  • NYG Galatka 7-yard interception return (kick failed)

}}

The Giants won the Eastern Division in a 36-0 romp of the defending champion Washington Redskins, and a right to play in the championship.

NFL Championship Game

{{main|1938 NFL Championship Game}}

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|New York Giants|year=1938|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=1938 NFL Championship: Green Bay Packers at New York Giants

|date=December 11

|road=Packers

|R1=0 |R2=14 |R3=3 |R4=0

|home=Giants

|H1=9 |H2=7 |H3=7 |H4=0

|stadium=Polo Grounds, New York, New York

|attendance=48,120

|scoring=

;First quarter

  • NYG Cuff 14-yard FG. Giants 3-0.
  • NYG Leemans 6-yard run (kick failed). Giants 9-0.

;Second quarter

  • GB Carl Mulleneaux 40-yard pass from Arnie Herber (Engebretsen kick). Giants 9-7.
  • NYG Charles Barnard 21-yard pass from Danowski (Cuff kick). Giants 16-7.
  • GB Hinkle 1-yard run (Engebretsen kick). Giants 16-14.

;Third quarter

  • GB Engebretsen 15-yard FG. Packers 17-16.
  • NYG Soar 23-yard pass from Danowski (Cuff kick). Giants 23-17.

;Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays

|stats=

;Top passers

  • GB - Arnie Herber - 5/14, 123 yards, 1 TD
  • NYG - Ed Danowski - 7/11, 74 yards, 2 TD

;Top rushers

  • GB - Charlie Hinkle - 18 rushes, 64 yards, 1 TD
  • NYG - Hank Soar - 20 rushes, 68 yards

;Top receivers

  • GB - Wayland Becker - 2 receptions, 78 yards
  • NYG - Hank Soar - 3 receptions, 41 yards, 1 TD

}}

Standings

{{1938 NFL Eastern standings}}

All-Star Game

Five weeks after winning the championship, the Giants defeated the NFL All-Stars 13–10 in the first Pro Bowl on January 15, 1939. The game was played at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, California, where poor weather caused an attendance of just {{nowrap|15,000.{{cite news |title=Giants beat Stars; Ward Cuff is hero |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bapQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GiIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6408%2C3438343 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |date=January 16, 1939 |agency=United Press |page=L-7 |access-date=April 24, 2018 |archive-date=April 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424055526/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bapQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GiIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6408,3438343 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BK5eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ky8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=2941%2C1075945 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=New York's Giants defeat All-Stars |date=January 16, 1939|page=6}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iE0bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KkwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4738%2C4615797 |work=Pittsburgh Press |agency=United Press |last=McLemore |first=Henry |title='Super' pro grid game proves flop on Coast |date=January 16, 1939 |page=19}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i35IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OoMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4945%2C4318659 |work=Youngstown Vindicator |location=(Ohio) |agency=United Press |last=Guenther |first=Jack |title=Giants down professional all-star grids in charity tilt |date=January 16, 1939 |page=9}}}}

See also

References

{{reflist}}

{{New York Giants seasons}}

{{1938 New York Giants}}

{{New York Giants}}

{{1938 NFL season by team}}

Category:New York Giants seasons

New York Giants

Category:NFL championship seasons

New York Giants

Category:1930s in Manhattan

Category:Washington Heights, Manhattan

{{NewYorkGiants-season-stub}}