Giants @ Dolphins
Final Score: Dolphins 20, Giants 9
Writer: Ryan Radel (@RadelFF on Twitter)
The ailing Giants came into Hard Rock Stadium looking to veteran backup QB Mike Glennon to lead them to victory. If the score didn’t give it away, that’s usually not great for your chances of victory these days. They kept it somewhat respectable, but in the end, it was never really close. The Dolphins, on the other hand, have now won five straight since falling to the Bills back in October. It took a bit for some actual scoring to happen as both teams came out of the gate slow (the first touchdown wasn’t scored until 26 seconds left in the first half,) but Tua eventually put it together and lead his squad to victory.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Mike Glennon: 23/44, 187 yards, INT, 3 Sacks
Mike Glennon stepped in at quarterback in relief of the injured Daniel Jones. Needless to say, it was not pretty. The Giants were playing from behind halfway through the second quarter and had to rely on Glennon to move the ball, or at the very least, keep the defense honest to open it up for his running backs. Unfortunately he didn’t do either of those things very well as Glennon showed why is a career backup for a reason. His best drive of the day came in the first quarter, going seven plays for 45 yards, but ended the drive with a pick. Against a lesser defense, this might’ve been a different story, but with a bunch of injuries on the offensive side of the ball combined with a backup quarterback, there is not a lot of hope in New York right now. Glennon has a cute kid, though!
Ladies and gentlemen, today's starting Quarterback for your New York #GIANTS…#MikeGlennon
🙄 God save us 🙏🏻 #TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/WhWdcSwnHm— Mister B. (@rock_giants) December 5, 2021
Running Back
Saquon Barkley: 11 carries, 55 yards | 9 targets, 6 receptions, 19 yards
Devontae Booker: 6 carries, 36 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 18 yards
While the Giants averaged 5.4 yards per carry on the day, they simply weren’t able to run the ball as they found themselves behind early in the game. If you tell me my running backs averaged 5.4 yards per carry, I would tell you we need to run the ball at least 30 times a game. The Giants were only able to do roughly half that due to game script. While he only caught six of the targets, the Giants still drew up 20 plays for Saquon Barkley. With Barkley’s health always a concern, the Giants will continue to sprinkle in Booker as a spell back to keep Barkley fresh, much like today. I, for one, will never complain about my running back getting 20 touches. Don’t let the average fool you though – the Dolphins defense kept the Giants bottled up all game. The Giants run game only looks as good as it does thanks to two big runs, one for 17 yards from Devontae Booker, and this 23-yard scamper from Saquon:
THERE HE GOES ⚡️
📺: @NFLonFOX & Giants App pic.twitter.com/Ey8oz03Jpd
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 5, 2021
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Evan Engram: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 61 yards
Kenny Golladay: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 37 yards
Pharoh Cooper: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 21 yards
Kyle Rudolph: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards
Darius Slayton: 7 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards
John Ross: 1 target
With how badly Glennon struggled, there’s not a lot to write about from this group. There was no pace to the Giants’ offense with Glennon under center, and it seemed like the majority of the “splash” plays for the Giants came when the Dolphins were lazy on third down. We had a brief Kenny Golladay sighting before he left with an injury, but he did manage to return at halftime. It’s reported as a rib injury that can linger, so monitor his practice status the next few days. Evan Engram had a very quiet 61 yards, and it should trouble any coach when your receiving leader has just 61 yards. Glennon looked to Engram to make plays on third down, and it did work out a few times as Engram had a couple of nice 15+ yard plays to convert on third down, helping his QB out. Personally, I think Engram would benefit from a fresh start on a new team. Pharoh Cooper and Kyle Rudolph both chipped in with two catches each but otherwise also had quiet days. One stat of note was that Glennon looked to Darius Slayton a ton, as he lead the team in targets with seven while only securing two of them. Glennon also threw his interception while targeting Slayton. The usage was great. The result was not.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa: 30/41, 244 yards, 2 TD, 2 Sacks | 2 carries, 1 yard
The day started off slow for Tua Tagovailoa, who wasn’t able to put points on the board until halfway through the second quarter. I was worried about the lefty signal-caller early in the game, as the Dolphins failed to cross midfield on their first two drives, the second of which ended with a punt after Tua took a six-yard sack at his own two-yard line. The momentum started to build during the third drive for Tua as he completed 6-of-7 passes during a drive that ultimately ended up with a field goal. With 4:18 left in the second quarter, Tua went to work, going 11-for-12 and capping off the drive with this dart, leaving just 26 seconds left on the clock before the half:
.@Tua connects with @mackhollins for 6️⃣! 🙌
📺: Watch #NYGvsMIA on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/6Pb7X3WNz8
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 5, 2021
Even when you know it’s coming, stuff like this is hard to stop. It’s great to see the Dolphins calling up plays like this that utilize Tua’s strengths. The rest of the game wasn’t nearly as pretty as these two drives were, but Tua managed the game well and came out with another win for the Dolphins.
Running Back
Myles Gaskin: 15 carries, 44 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 5 yards
Salvon Ahmed: 8 carries, 23 yards
A quiet day from this group as they averaged just 2.7 yards per carry against a tough Giants front seven. Patrick Laird went down with a knee injury in the first quarter and never returned. Patrick Lindsay wasn’t available due to an ankle injury, which left just two players to carry the rock for the Dolphins. Neither Myles Gaskin nor Salvon Ahmed really got it going. Gaskin was given 17 touches on the day but managed a meager 49 yards. Another example of good usage with a very sad result. The Dolphins’ offense could’ve scored way more than 20 points on the day, but the running game lacked the efficiency to extend drives. However, the passing game was basically an extension of the run game today with Tua’s average pass going for just 6 yards, nearly a yard and half less than his season average of 7.3 yards.
Where are you supporting the squad from?#FinsUp x @BudLight pic.twitter.com/rB6aTZnTcI
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 5, 2021
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jaylen Waddle: 11 targets, 9 receptions, 90 yards
DeVante Parker: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 62 yards
Mike Gesicki: 11 targets, 7 receptions, 46 yards
Albert Wilson: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 26 yards
Hunter Long: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards
Mack Hollins: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards, TD
Isaiah Ford: 1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards, TD
Durham Smythe: 1 target
Jaylen Waddle continues to impress as he is peppered with targets from his former college teammate. As a matter of fact, this is the sixth time on the season Waddle has hit double-digit targets. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a ton of depth on these targets, as mentioned previously about Tua. Waddle did leave the field in the fourth quarter with cramps but had fun with the crowd as he jogged off under his own power. Mike Gesicki tied Waddle in targets, managing to secure seven of them. 11 targets for a tight end is a fantasy goldmine, but Gesicki hasn’t been very consistent in that regard. With how well the Dolphins are playing, Gesicki might be someone to monitor as we close out the fantasy season. Several other pass catchers were involved in catching one of the 30 completions from Tua, but no completion stood out more than this nice sideline snag from DeVante Parker on third down to keep the drive alive:
OH MY, @DeVanteParker11! 😱
📺: Watch #NYGvsMIA on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/vxpa5AxKOc
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 5, 2021
The shade, Logan! He has a family!
“I’m a lot like Tua, I can throw two yard passes to the left.”
– Giants DB Logan Ryan on his availability as emergency QB
via @ZackBlatt pic.twitter.com/C4EwyzbWQD
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 5, 2021
— Ryan Radel (@RadelFF on Twitter)