In an attempt to keep playoff hopes alive, the Miami Dolphins took down the New York Giants 20-9. New York, which is without Daniel Jones due to injury, looked flat at best, and the Tua Tagovailoa-led Dolphins offense looked much better than earlier in the season.
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This win brings the Dolphins to 6-7 while the Giants drop to 4-8. Next week, Miami will get a needed bye week while the Giants will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa has come a long way this season since the trade rumors involving Deshaun Watson to Miami arose. Impressively, Tagovailoa went 30-for-42 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, resulting in an 80.9 passing grade on the first review. He finished with an 82.5 adjusted completion percentage and didn’t record a single turnover-worthy play.
Running Back
As usual, Myles Gaskin led the team in rushing. He is one of the young offensive pieces that will make this Miami team a fairly good squad in the future. Sunday, he rushed 15 times for 44 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. He also caught both of his targets for five total yards.
Salvon Ahmed was the guy behind Gaskin with eight carries for 23 yards.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
The Tagovailoa-Jaylen Waddle reunion tour has been a sight to behold this season. Waddle went off, yet again, with nine receptions for 90 yards and five first downs. There was a moment of worry when Waddle appeared to be injured. Fortunately for Miami fans, the receiver just cramped up.
Another flashy target for Tagovailoa this season has been Mike Gesicki. Sunday, he looked great with seven catches for 46 yards and two first downs.
Finally, Devante Parker looked phenomenal, snagging all five of his targets for 61 yards and five first downs. Mack Hollins and Isaiah Ford each caught a touchdown pass.
Offensive Line
Say what you will about the Dolphins’ offensive line, but Sunday, it appeared to give Tagovailoa enough time to throw the ball, as the quarterback had a 2.34-second average time to throw.
From a pass-protection perspective, the line looked average. Four of the five starters graded below a 60.0, upon first review, and the unit registered 14 total negatively graded pass protection plays.
The standout on the line was Robert Hunt, who graded 88.5 in pass protection and didn't allow a pressure.
Defensive Line
With a backup quarterback like Mike Glennon in Sunday for New York, you would imagine that the game plan was to pressure him, which is just what Miami's defensive front was able to do.
The line generated 15 total pressures, including three sacks. The best of the bunch though was Andrew Van Ginkel, as he recorded three pressures and four tackles.
Jaelan Phillips had two sacks and five total pressures while Adam Butler sacked Glennon once and had three total pressures.
Linebacker
When it came to stopping the Giants’ rushing attack, the Dolphins’ linebacking corps took care of business.
Elandon Roberts racked up one tackle, an assist and a stop on the way to an 80.0 run defense grade on PFF’s first review. Roberts also only allowed a single reception on four targets for negative yardage.
Duke Riley also made a big impact with two tackles.
Secondary
Miami’s secondary looked great Sunday in coverage against the Giants, allowing only 15 receptions for 135 yards and seven first downs.
Xavien Howard stood out with an 81.6 coverage grade upon first review, as he allowed didn’t allow a single reception on three targets and even intercepted a pass.
Byron Jones and Eric Rowe both looked ugly in coverage, though, as the duo allowed a combined 13 catches for 102 yards.
New York Giants
Quarterback
With Daniel Jones out with a neck injury, Mike Glennon took the reins. While he didn’t look great, going 23-for-44, he still put up 187 passing yards. He finished the day with a 40.7 passing grade on PFF’s first review.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley is the heart and soul of the Giants’ offense and that showed during Sunday’s loss. Barkley rushed 11 times for 55 yards and failed to find the endzone, as did the rest of the team.
Barkley was a solid receiving target for Glennon, catching six of his nine targets for 19 yards and two first downs.
Devontae Booker was a solid second rushing option, carrying the ball six times for 35 yards.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
While the Giants’ record may not show it, their receiver corps is a pretty good, albeit raw, unit that is full of talent.
The game's leading pass catcher was Evan Engram, who caught four of his five targets for 61 yards.
Glennon did a good job of spreading the wealth — seven of the 11 receivers that played a receiving snap were targeted at least three times.
A Solid Day for the Giants’ Receivers vs. Miami
| Player | Receiving Grade | Receptions | Targets | Receiving Yards |
| Evan Engram | 76.2 | 4 | 5 | 61 |
| Kenny Golladay | 65.3 | 3 | 5 | 37 |
| Pharoh Cooper | 62.4 | 2 | 3 | 21 |
| Saquon Barkley | 38.1 | 6 | 9 | 19 |
| Devontae Booker | 61.1 | 4 | 4 | 18 |
| Kyle Rudolph | 62.4 | 2 | 3 | 18 |
| Darius Slayton | 56.4 | 7 | 9 | 13 |
Glennon obviously isn’t the ideal option for the Giants at quarterback, but at least he can spread the receiving love around.
Offensive Line
While the team came up short, the Giants’ offensive line did an average job of blocking for Glennon and Barkley.
Two of the five starters graded in the 60s for run blocking while the other three are in the low 50s or 40s. Pass blocking was better, however. Andrew Thomas was the best New York offensive lineman Sunday, posting a 70.1 overall grade on the first review. Center Billy Price, on the other hand, looked disappointing, posting eight negatively graded pass-blocking plays and a 45.9 overall grade.
Defensive Line
Recording eight pressures, the New York defensive line did a decent job of forcing Tagovailoa and the Dolphins to beat them.
Azeez Ojulari led the way, recording a sack and two hurries while earning a 74.5 pass-rushing grade on the first review. He also recorded two tackles and an assist. Quincy Roche was behind him with a 73.1 pass-rushing grade, a sack and a hurry.
Dexter Lawrence was a beast in run defense. He finished with four tackles on the way to a 75.0 run defense grade on the first review.
Linebacker
Tae Crowder looked good in coverage, as he allowed four receptions for just 31 yards. He also recorded five tackles, which makes him the best performing Giants linebacker Sunday.
Secondary
New York’s secondary was the worst defensive unit Sunday. The highest-graded member, Jarren Williams, finished with a 71.0 coverage grade. As a unit, the secondary allowed 20 receptions on 28 targets for 169 yards and both of the Dolphins’ touchdowns.
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