 The Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 27 – 7 in their fifteenth game of the season in front of 75 @,@ 261 fans at Giants Stadium . Joe Morris ran for 179 yards and three touchdowns , but had three fumbles . Phil Simms struggled , but the offense was effective nonetheless ; of the Giants 313 total yards , 252 came on the ground , while only 62 came from the passing game . The Giants defense controlled the Cardinals throughout the game , particularly in the first half ; the Cardinals ' first four possessions ended in third @-@ down sacks and fourth @-@ down punts . The Giants committed only two penalties for a total of ten yards , and their defense set a franchise record with nine sacks , despite sending Lawrence Taylor into pass coverage for most of the game . With the victory the Giants clinched their first NFC East division crown . 
