Dolphins swarm Giants to stay in playoff contention
MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins’ defense was swarming once again, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the offense did enough while a pair of rookies set team records Sunday.
The Dolphins continued their surge that started halfway through the season, defeating the ailing New York Giants, 20-9, at Hard Rock Stadium and extending their winning streak to five games.
The five consecutive victories match the Dolphins’ longest streak under coach Brian Flores. With Miami now 6-7, the Dolphins are putting themselves in the AFC playoff picture before their bye week with four games remaining in the regular season. They remain 1 ½ games out of a wild-card spot.
“We’re just kind of focused on today,” Flores said as his team has gone from seven consecutive losses to five straight wins. “A tough victory in a 60-minute ball game, and we just try to take it one day at a time and not think about what’s happened in the past or talk about the future too much.”
Tagovailoa was 30 of 41 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, avoiding mistakes with mostly underneath throws and extending late drives to preserve Miami’s lead.
“I’m glad we won, but I think there’s a lot of things that we left out there on the field,” Tagovailoa said. “A lot of plays that we wish we could have back, but then again, it falls down to the execution of us. It starts with me and the center, and then it being communicated out there.”
The Miami defense kept New York (4-8) out of the end zone, intercepting journeyman backup Mike Glennon once and holding him to 23-of-43 passing for 187 yards. Glennon was playing for injured starter Daniel Jones, and he was also without such playmakers as receivers Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney.
“We have the mentality now that, ‘Don’t let anybody score,’ “said linebacker Jerome Baker as the Dolphins’ defense has not allowed a touchdown in seven consecutive quarters, going back to the first period of the previous week’s win against the Carolina Panthers. “We believe that, and it’s showing.”
The Dolphins’ two 2021 firstround picks each set rookie records in the win. Receiver Jaylen Waddle had nine receptions for 90 yards against the Giants, which now gives him 86 on the season, surpassing Jarvis Landry’s club record of 84 set in 2014.
Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips added two sacks to his season total, and the 8 ½ he now has on the season also established a Miami franchise mark, edging the eight that Bill Stanfill had in 1969 and
Lorenzo Bromell in 1998.
The Dolphins scored a touchdown with 26 seconds left in the first half to take their first lead and go into halftime up, 10-3.
Tagovailoa threw a pass up to Mack Hollins in the corner of the end zone from 5 yards out for Hollins’ fourth touchdown catch on the season, which is tied with Waddle and running back Myles Gaskin for the team lead. The drive went 14 plays for 89 yards and took 3:52.
Miami increased its advantage to two possessions, 17-6, when Tagovailoa rolled out and found receiver
Isaiah Ford tip-toeing by the pylon for a touchdown from third-andgoal at the 2-yard line with 11:06 remaining.
With Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders missing a 52-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and Giants’
Graham Gano hitting from 51 with 4:59 left, New York crept back within one possession. Miami then put it away with a 48-yard field goal by Sanders with 1:11 remaining after extending the drive with a pair of first downs, one an acrobatic catch by DeVante Parker on the sideline as he returned from injured reserve Sunday.
Aside from the first touchdown, Miami’s other big first-half play came on an Xavien Howard interception the first quarter. Glennon threw deep into double coverage between Howard and safety Jevon Holland, and Howard came down with the interception at the Miami 3-yard line. He was ruled down by contact at the spot but originally had a lengthy return that would’ve started the Dolphins in Giants territory.
Before the touchdown, Miami
and New York exchanged second-quarter field goals. Gano connected from 39 yards out, and the Sanders was good from 48 yards.
Gano also hit a 34-yard field goal in the third quarter after the Giants got into range for it on back-toback Saquon Barkley and Devontae Booker runs. Safety Eric Rowe’s pressure on a blitz forced Glennon into a rushed, errant third-down pass to the end zone.
Along with Phillips’ two sacks, Adam Butler had another for the Dolphins. Giants rookie outside linebacker Quincy Roche, a Miami Hurricane last year, also had a sack in his first game back at Hard Rock Stadium.
Barkley finished with 11 carries for 55 yards and six receptions for 19. Giants tight end Evan Engram had four receptions for 61 yards.
Sunday’s game marked just the fourth time the Dolphins hosted the Giants. Miami lost the previous three games in 2015, 1996 and 1993. The teams’ 2007 meeting, a scheduled home game for the Dolphins, was played in London.
The Dolphins now have their bye week with four games remaining on the other side of it, beginning with hosting the other New York team, the AFC East-rival Jets, on Dec. 19.