The 1980 season was one of the worst in the history of the New York Football Giants. After a 41-35 road victory against the St. Louis Cardinals to open the season, Big Blue lost eight straight games before they would win another.
That win came in Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys, a team they had lost 12 consecutive and 14 out of 15 games to. Their last win over Dallas had come in 1974, their last home win in 1970.
On Nov. 9, the Cowboys came into Giants Stadium with a 7-2 record and were headed back to their usual spot in the NFC playoffs. The Giants were headed to the bottom of the NFC East and a 4-12 season that would earn them the second overall pick in the 1981 NFL draft (which turned out to be Lawrence Taylor).
In a textbook case of “any given Sunday,” the Giants, coached by Ray Perkins and led by second-year quarterback Phil Simms, rose up and bit Tom Landry’s bunch in a shootout.
In a back-and-forth game, the Cowboys took a 35-28 lead into the fourth quarter. The Giants scored 10 unanswered points to close out the game — a 20-yard TD pass from Simms to tight end Tom Mullady tied the game at 35, and Joe Danelo’s 27-yard field goal with 27 seconds to play was the winner.
The kick was set up by a flea flicker from Simms to running back Leon Perry back to Simms and then downfield to tight end Mike Friede. The Giants ran three running plays after that to set Danelo up for the win.
The defense allowed 35 points but was the key to the game as they intercepted Cowboys quarterback Danny White five times, four of those resulting in points.
Two of the interceptions were made by Pro Bowl linebacker Brad Van Pelt, who had been publicly lobbying the team to trade him, preferably to the Detroit Lions in his native state of Michigan.
“I had forgot what it feels like to win,” said the eight-year veteran after the game.
Simms threw for 351 yards in the game, the most by a Giants quarterback since Fran Tarkenton had 327 yards against St. Louis in 1969.
Friede, who played just two seasons, both for the Giants, had the best game of his career with seven receptions for 137 yards.
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