Scooter & Hum: Day 635, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Giants Game 13 Review

The 'Fins put together a sloppy performance at home, and they were probably fortunate to come away with the victory. In a quick-moving game, the teams combined for just six penalties and a single turnover, but the Dolphins did just enough to earn its fifth straight win and keep scant playoff hopes alive.

Let's be honest: Miami got a lot of help in this one from a Giants team decimated by injury. New York got a shaky second half from former Pack standout Mike Glennon, had a number of dropped passes, and had some mind-boggling coaching decisions along the way.

On to the grateful recap ...

Offense

Miami managed just 297 offensive yards and 19 first downs, but did not commit a turnover and converted both red zone visits into touchdowns.
Tua Tagovailoa hit 30 of 41 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns, and he was sacked twice and added a single yard on two carries. Drops were an issue, but Tua was also not as accurate as he normally is, struggling with ball placement on a number of throws.
Myles Gaskin notched 15 carries for 44 yards, adding two receptions for five yards, while Salvon Ahmed rushed eight times for 23 yards. It's hard to say this about a player who has been on the roster for a couple of weeks, but Miami missed Phillip Lindsay's hard-running style in this one. Patrick Laird played two snaps before suffering a potentially significant knee injury.
Jaylen Waddle continues to be an emerging force, reeling in nine of 11 targets for 90 yards, with a long of 25. The return of DeVante Parker was important, as he secured all five targets for 62 yards, bailing out Tua with some stellar sideline grabs. Albert Wilson caught only half of his eight targets for a scant 26 yards, while Mack Hollins (one reception, five yards in nine snaps) and Isaiah "Zombie" Ford (one catch, two yards, in 14 snaps) made the most of their lone targets, each posting a touchdown catch. Preston Williams was invisible in his 14 snaps, leading to more questions about why Will Fuller still isn't practicing after 10 weeks out with a broken finger.
At tight end, Mike Gesicki was targeted 11 times, hauling in seven for just 46 yards. Rookie Hunter Long (10 snaps) made his first career catch on an eight-yarder, but Durham Smythe -- who had been a legit factor in recent weeks -- was shut out as Adam Shaheen sat out with injury again. Cethan Carter earned three snaps from scrimmage as well.
Up front, the Dolphins were held just to just 68 yards on 25 rushes (2.7 yards per attempt). However, the pass protection was average, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) -- and average is a win for this unit. Thanks to good work from guard Robert Hunt (88.5 PFF grade with zero pressures allowed) and rookie left tackle Liam Eichenberg (one pressure allowed for the second week in a row, though he did have a false start), Tua had 2.34 seconds to throw, which is workable for an attack predicated on short passes. Center Michael Deiter returned to the lineup and played every snap, giving the front an appreciable boost.

Defense

The 'Fins limited the depleted Giants offense to just 250 total yards and 16 first downs. The blitz packages seemed to confuse Glennon in the second half, with the Dolphins "D" generating 15 pressures and three sacks for the game.
On the edges, Andrew Van Ginkel continued his strong late-season play, with four tackles, a stop for loss, a batted pass, three pressures, and a quarterback hit, though he was whistled for an offsides. Rookie Jaelan Phillips was active again in just 29 snaps, notching a pair of sacks (giving him five in the past two games) among his three tackles, with a pair of hits and five pressures on the signal-caller to boot. Emmanuel Ogbah was quiet, notching a pair of assisted tackles.
On the interior, Christian Wilkins had five tackles and two quarterback hits and Adam Butler added a pair of solo tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hit. Zach Sieler and Raekwon Davis each notched two tackles, with Sieler committing a false start on a field goal attempt.
Jerome Baker had three solo tackles, two stops for losses, and a quarterback hit to pace the linebackers, with Elandon Roberts contributing two solo tackles, a stop for loss, a batted pass, and solid pass coverage (one catch allowed for negative yardage) on his way to an 80.0 run defense grade from PFF. Duke Riley had three tackles in 33 snaps, while Vince Biegel had a solo stop (two snaps) and Sam Eguavoen (three snaps) added a late quarterback pressure as the Dolphins continue to try to find reliable third and fourth linebackers.
At nickel, Nik Needham added five stops in 38 snaps, while Justin Coleman added a pair of tackles in 22 snaps. It's fair to say that Miami benefited from a slew of dropped passes from the Giants.
Xavien Howard had two tackles, a pass breakup, and a key interception to earn an 81.6 PFF coverage grade, while Byron Jones had five solo tackles at the other boundary corner spot. New York rarely challenged down the field, but the cornerbacks had solid position when they did.
At safety, Jevon Holland had five assisted tackles, two pass breakups, and a quarterback hit. Eric Rowe had a team-leading seven tackles filling in for the injured Brandon Jones, but the squad misses both players at their best positions. Rowe and Byron Jones combined to allow 13 catches for 102 yards according to PFF.

Special teams

Jason Sanders continues his rocky season, missing a 51-yarder and barely making a 48-yarder to put the game away. He did convert both extra point attempts and continues to get tremendous distance on his kickoffs.
Michael Palardy dropped three more punts inside the 20-yard line, averaging 48.3 yards on his six boots. He did have a 65-yarder, and if he can finally eliminate that one poor kick per game, he'd be considered among the best punters in the conference. Proof came when he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after the contest.
The 'Fins trotted Waddle back there on punts and kickoffs again, and the results were the same. He had 32 yards on a pair of kick returns and added a seven-yarder on punts, but he looks uncomfortable in the role and it's worth rethinking the risk/reward proposition of putting him in a position where he seems tentative.
In coverage, Clayton Fejedelem had a pair of special teams tackles, while Hollins added a solo special teams stop in his customary strong play in the third phase. Former first-rounder Noah Igbinoghene was active, though his lone contribution was committing an offsetting personal foul.

Momentum plays

An initial third-down conversion by the Giants got the first drive going, but what looked to be a poor spot on a 3rd & 10 catch led to New York surprisingly electing to punt from Miami territory.
Taking over at its own 11-yard line, the Dolphins got a couple of first downs on Tua-to-Waddle strikes, but a third-down pass for the rookie wideout feel incomplete amidst heavy pre-catch contact without a flag.
After Palardy uncorked a beautiful punt that pinned the Giants at their own 7-yard line, New York converted a 3rd & 11 with a shot from Mike Glennon to Evan Engram. Miami was fortunate to avoid a late hit penalty on Roberts on another first-down catch by Kenny Golladay. Glennon then went deep for Engram, but "X" attacked the ball in the air for a stellar interception. He was ruled down at the 3-yard line, nullifying a 54-yard return, but the turnover came at a crucial moment after a lackluster start.
A quick three-and-out featured Tua barely avoiding a safety on a sack that saw him take a bad drop. A meh Palardy punt set the visitors up in Miami territory at the 37-yard line.
Golladay beat Byron Jones on a 3rd & 6 play, but a pair of drops ended the Giants drive, leading to a 39-yard Graham Gano field goal and a 3-0 lead at the start of the second quarter.
A nifty run by Ahmed, an RPO hit to Parker, then a third-down grab by Parker jumpstarted the ensuing 'Fins drive. The refs missed a helmet-to-helmet hit on a short catch by Waddle, and an underthrow to Wilson on the next play led to a 48-yarder by Sanders to tie the score at 3.
A 16-yarder to Engram on 3rd & 9 sustained a New York possession, but Miami stiffened, forcing another Giants punt.
Stuck at their own 10-yard line, the Dolphins used a bevy of short -- and occasionally terrifying -- passes to move down the field. A deep fade to Parker was followed by a 3rd & 5 conversion to Waddle, and two plays later, Hollins bobbled a pass in the end zone before controlling it and dragging his back foot for the touchdown and a 10-3 lead with just 26 seconds left in the half.
A quick Miami three-and-out began the second half, and the Giants took advantage with a 3rd & 10 Glennon-to-Engram conversion. Saquon Barkley and Devontae Booker then ripped off back-to-back big runs, but two throws to the end zone fell incomplete, forcing New York to settle for a 34-yard field goal to trim the margin to 10-6.
Another Dolphins three-and-out gave the ball right back to the Giants, but the defense answered with a three-and-out of its own, highlighted by a near interception by Roberts and a drop by Slayton.
Yet another 'Fins three-and-out featured this trio of errors: a false start, a negative run, and a nine-yard sack.
Taking over in great position again at their own 46-yard line, the Giants had a 3rd & 2 pass dropped by Engram -- then elected to punt for reasons that no one could understand.
A 17-yarder to Waddle interrupted three straight three-and-outs, but the competence was short-lived. A drop on a slant by Waddle was followed by a poorly placed 3rd & 8 ball to Wilson that could have been caught, though there was good coverage on the play.
A well-placed Palardy punt pinned the Giants on their own 15-yard line, and Glennon missed a wide-open John Ross on a drag that had a lot of open field in front. Barkley converted the 3rd & 7 with a strong run, but Phillips got back-to-back sacks when Glennon held the ball for seemingly 10 seconds on consecutive plays.
Beginning the fourth quarter at its own 39-yard line, Miami got some energy when Waddle went up for an intermediate pass, though he fumbled, recovered, and was shaken up on the play. Wilson took a short pass, made a guy miss, and got another first down, then the Dolphins paid off a 3rd & goal play when New York had a rollout pass perfectly covered before a defender inexplicably let Ford drift to the sideline for a toe-tap touchdown and a 17-6 lead.
Back-to-back pressures from Baker were followed by a Butler sack when Ogbah forced Glennon to climb the pocket. The three-and-out was compounded when New York got off a weak punt and then committed a penalty on the return.
Starting at the Giants' 38-yard line, the Dolphins went three-and-out when Tua misfired high to an open G-Sick on third down. Sanders then missed the 52-yard field goal, giving the visitors good field position at their own 42-yard line.
After a Van Ginkel batted passed on 3rd & 2, New York finally went for it on fourth down on the ensuing possession, with Barkley converting on a run. A couple of near-miss pass connections led to a Gano 51-yarder to pull the Giants within a score at 17-9.
An insane sideline catch by Parker on 3rd & 6 led to a collective sigh of relief from the home crowd, then Tua followed with a dangerous 3rd & 4 throw to Gesicki, who made an incredible grab to keep the drive going. Miami ran Gaskin three straight times to get the clock under two minutes. Sanders missed again from 43 yards, but Sieler's offsides gave him another crack from 48, which he barely tucked inside the left upright for a 20-9 advantage with 1:11 remaining.
The 'Fins narrowly avoided a Baker late hit early in the following possession, which saw the Giants finally lean hard on Barkley in the passing game to move into Miami territory. With 14 seconds left, New York elected to try a long field goal to extend the game, but Gano missed just right from 56 yards away, allowing Tua to kneel on it to end the contest.