No. 12 – 1986 New York Giants

“Little bit of a chip on their shoulder. A little bit of: You can hit me and I’m just going to get back up and hit you harder.” – Harlan Coben

NFL.com: “The 1986 New York Giants went 14-2 and dominated in the playoffs, defeating their three opponents by a total score of 105 to 23. The Giants defense starred Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who had a career-high 20.5 sacks and was named league MVP. Other Pro Bowl players on defense included Leonard Marshall, along with Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson, whose Gatorade showers of head coach Bill Parcells became must-see-TV during the season. On offense, QB Phil Simms led an attack whose stars included 5-foot-7 running back Joe Morris (1,516 yards rushing, 14 TDs rushing) and tight end Mark Bavaro (66 catches for 1,001 yards). The Giants allowed the second fewest points per game (14.8) and tightened the screws even further during the playoffs. They beat San Francisco 49-3, Washington 17-0, and then the Broncos, 39-20 in Super Bowl XXI. Simms completed 22 of 25 passes for 3 touchdowns in a Giants Super Bowl triumph.”

Fennelly: This team was built to win, and it did. Any Giant fan who was old enough to enjoy this season will tell you that it just might be the best season ever. There wasn’t very much to worry about after losing the opener to Herschel Walker and the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. There was only one other loss after that — a hiccup in Seattle. The rest were all victories. They made the plays they needed to made practically every time: the 4th-and-17 from Simms to Bobby Johnson in Minnesota; George Martin’s pick six off John Elway and a playoff run that saw them outscore two of their nemeses — San Francisco and Washington — by a combined score of 66-3. The Super Bowl was a celebration of Giant fans old and young, as Big Blue won their first NFL title in 30 years.

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