 Jeff Hostetler, who had led the Giants to a win in the Super Bowl, was named as the team's Opening Day starting quarterback.Though the Giants won their opening game in an NFC Championship Game rematch against the San Francisco 49ers 16–14, they lost three out of their next four games to drop to 2–3.Though they rallied to a record of 7-5 after a dramatic 21-14 win at Tampa Bay in week 13 and were in the hunt for a post-season spot, the Giants lost their next three behind Phil Simms who reclaimed his starting position when Hostetler went down with a broken back.