MNF Miami Dolphins Versus New York Giants Post Game Analysis. By Tony Nicoletti
31 to 24 was the final score in the Giants favor.
What can I say? It was a mediocre game played by two mediocre teams that were both, 5 and 7. There was not much good that can be derived from this loss. The New York Giants had a little more incentive to win than the Dolphins, I guess. Of course, in a division where a 6 and 7 record has you in a three-way tie for the division lead. Yeah, they had something to play for. Miami is in the wrong eastern division to get breaks like that.
I'm not going to give you a blow by blow since it was a nationally televised, Monday night game. Besides, I really didn't get to watch the game much. (I saw glimpses of it during commercials while my brother in law was watching his usual, 3-hour Monday Night Raw Wrestling)! I'm going to offer my impressions from what I did see with a few statistics sprinkled in for good measure.
On the negative side; It appears that Odell Beckham got the better of his LSU Collegiate teammate and friend, (Jarvis Landry) on this afternoon. But not by much. Beckham Jr caught 7 passes for 166 yards, 2 TD's and his longest play was 84 yards for a TD.
Landry had an equally stellar game in a utilitarian way. He caught 11 passes for 99 yards, 0 TD's with a long play of 25 yards. Landry also contributed 66 yards on two kickoff returns and another 30 yards on a pair of punt returns. Still, I think Landry would rather have the win to go along with his stats.
The defense played stout for portions of the game but looked gassed near the end. You can't allow a veteran QB like Eli Manning any comfort zone or he will pick you apart. Especially with receivers like Odell Beckham. The Dolphins allowed several big plays to gash the defense. Manning was getting the ball out so fast that our pass rush seemed to always be a half step too late.
Miami's banged-up secondary did not challenge or disrupt the Giants receivers enough to break Manning's timing or rhythm. It proved to be the Dolphins downfall. Especially in the second half where Eli got 183 yards of his 337 total passing yards. He connected on 27 of 31 pass attempts, (an 87% completion rate) and 4 TD's. It's a wonder the Dolphins only lost by 7 points when your QB is racking up stats like that.
There were only a few positives to consider in this match up for Miami. If you want to call them positives?
For the second week in a row, Miami did not allow their opponent to rush for more than 100 yards. (92 yards on 32 carries for a 2.9-yard average and we had 5 stops for a loss totaling 13 yards). New York didn't get any negative yardage plays on our rushing attack which produced a solid 128 total yards on 22 attempts and a 5.8 yard per carry average. Miller had a good day rushing 12 times for 89 yards, 2 TD's and a long run of 38 yards for one score.
Ryan Tannehill played a decent game and was better utilized, adding 24 rushing yards on 4 carries with a long of 12 yards. He also rolled out and scrambled more to avoid the rush and to buy some time. He completed 25 of his 41 attempts, (60% completion rate) for 236 yards and a TD, with no interceptions. He also audibled out of a few plays that had successful outcomes. He spread the ball around well, too.
But it seemed that just about the time we needed Ryan Tannehill to step up and put the team on his shoulders, the offensive line would fail him and send him running for his life. He almost avoided the only sack in the game when he didn't quite make it back to the line of scrimmage on one play. He's still getting mauled in the back field and hit too much.
I think another week or two in this offensive game plan and this team will start putting points up on a more consistent basis. The defense is playing good enough to help us win, but we can't continue the offensive, "three and outs" which puts a tired defense back on the field.
Unfortunately, with only three games left to play, I think we can expect to see major changes for the Miami Dolphins in the off season. I like the play calling in this game which stretched and forced the Giants to defend the entire field of play. We did score 24 points which, in the NFL, is almost enough to win.
It will be interesting to see how the Dolphins finish the season and what kind of character they will show. Yes, they are definitely out of the playoffs but still have a lot to play for. The players and coaches are basically auditioning for jobs next year. Be it with the Dolphins, or some other team.
It is a disappointment for many of the Dolphin loyals to endure another mediocre season. But this is who the Dolphins are right now. It's been a growing experience since Ross bought this team. All we can hope for is that he has learned enough from his past mistakes to make the right decisions this time around.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. I know I am a a homer and an eternal optomist where our beloved Dolphins are concerned. Have been for their entire 50 years of existernce. I just hope and pray that this storied franchise gets their act together and return to their former glory, real soon.
Thanks for your time in reading, and please tell us your side of this games story!
