Scooter & Hum: Day 1,309, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Giants Game 5 Review

Miami committed six penalties, ran 14 fewer plays than its opponent, was soundly whipped in the turnover battle (3-0), and dramatically lost in time of possession (35:59 to 24:01).

And won handily.

When your team can play their "C" game (or worse) and win by two touchdowns, you may start to believe you have a squad.

On to the that-was-revealing recap ...

Offense

The Dolphins averaged a staggering 9.7 yards per play, racking up 524 total yards and 222 rushing yards (also averaging 9.7 yards per carry). Miami converted three of eight third-down attempts and didn't go for it on fourth down, scoring two touchdowns on three red-zone visits along the way. Despite the relative lack of possession, the 'Fins were extremely efficient and transactional offensively.
Tua Tagovailoa connected on 22 of 30 passes for 308 yards and a pair of touchdowns, averaging 10.3 yards per attempt, while rushing twice for six yards. However, he was sacked once and threw two interceptions, including a damaging pick-six in the red zone. The good news is you won't likely see many 60.4 QBRs or 56.5 grades from Pro Football Focus from Tua -- especially in victories.
Devin Achane was once again a revelation at running back, carrying 11 times for 151 yards and a touchdown while adding a 14-yard catch for an end-around score. He averaged 13.7 yards per rush, contributed a 76-yard TD jaunt, fumbled once, and earned an 83.7 PFF grade in his 26 snaps before getting injured. Raheem Mostert led the way in snaps (32), toting the ball 10 times for 65 yards and a touchdown and grabbing two receptions for 13 yards. However, he fumbled for the third time in two games, which is something to monitor with Achane sidelined for multiple weeks. Alec Ingold (19 snaps, 53.8 PFF grade) and Chris Brooks (seven snaps) failed to record statistics, though Ingold stood out with his lead blocking on a few plays. The return of Jeff Wilson will help, but the loss of Achane for several weeks will remove a vital cog in this offense.
At receiver, it's safe to say that Tyreek Hill made the most of his 25 snaps, reeling in eight of nine targets for 181 yards and a touchdown on his way to a 93.3 PFF grade, which was offset only by a taunting penalty. Jaylen Waddle led the way in snaps (44) and targets (10), catching five passes for 35 yards and a score. Cedrick Wilson got a surprising 29 snaps, hauling in all four targets for 52 yards, with a long of 23 and a 75.3 PFF grade. Braxton Berrios was targeted twice, catching both for 13 yards in his 20 snaps. Robbie Chosen got 10 snaps, but was not targeted and earned a 55.0 PFF grade.
Neither Durham Smythe (44 snaps) nor Julian Hill (14) was targeted at tight end, but PFF apparently liked what Hill did in the blocking game (89.55 grade) and did not like what Smythe did (47.4 grade).
Every offensive linemen played 54 snaps, with right guard Robert Hunt grading out best (83.9 overall, 84.7 in run blocking, and 80.8 in pass blocking). Austin Jackson picked up 78.3 (pass blocking) and 67.2 (run blocking) grades at right tackle, displaying his athleticism in downfield blocking. Left guard Isaiah Wynn was called for a false start and graded poorly, with PFF assigning him a 35.6 overall mark, 55.8 in pass blocking, and 40.2 in run blocking. Center Connor Williams also had a subpar day, getting whistled for holding and picking up a low pass-blocking (54.9) grade, which was somewhat offset by a respectable run-blocking mark (70.1) and the absence of fumbled snaps. Kendall Lamm was solid in replacing Terron Armstead's big shoes at left tackle, earning a 68.8 pass-blocking grade and a 70.5 run-blocking grade. Liam Eichenberg played a single snap at guard, grading out at 74.1 in his lone pass-blocking rep. The line consistently sealed the edge on perimeter runs and got to the second level on blocks as Miami dominated on the ground.

Defense

The 'Fins limited the Giants to just 268 total yards and 3.9 yards per play, surrendering only 15 first downs -- including two on penalty. Miami held New York to five of 17 on third-down attempts and one of two on fourth downs, while not allowing a touchdown on either red-zone trip by the Giants. The Dolphins did not force a turnover, but collected seven sacks and held the visitors to just 85 rushing yards (2.9 yards per carry).
Up front, both Christian Wilkins (91.4 PFF grade) and Zach Sieler (67.5 PFF grade), had big games, with Sieler notching seven tackles, two sacks, three stops for losses, and three quarterback hits in 46 snaps. Wilkins had four assisted tackles, half a sack, and two quarterback hits in 49 snaps. Emmanuel Ogbah contributed two tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two quarterback hits in 27 snaps to earn a 58.0 PFF mark. The line teed off against a weak offensive line -- can it duplicate the effort against better opposition?
On the interior, Raekwon Davis had three tackles and a stop for loss in his 30 snaps, earning a 64.9 PFF grade. Da'Shawn Hand notched a quarterback hit in his 26 snaps, grading out at 86.8 overall and 74.4 in pass rushing by PFF.
Both Bradley Chubb (86.8 PFF grade) and Andrew Van Ginkel (85.9 PFF grade) were borderline dominant at outside linebacker. In 56 snaps, Chubb recorded seven tackles, five solos, a stop for a loss, and a quarterback hit, despite being robbed of another half-sack. Displaying his crazy motor, Van Ginkel tallied three solo stops, a sack, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hit in his 59 snaps. Van Ginkel leads the team in sacks (four) and has the 10th-best PFF pass-rush grade (86.2) among NFL edge rushers. When Jaelen Phillips is healthy, the 'Fins have proven to have a formidable pass-rushing trio in he, Chubb, and Van Ginkel, with the latter also offering positional flexibility at inside linebacker.
David Long led the way at inside 'backer, registering nine tackles and a stop for loss on his way to an 80.7 PFF grade for his 66 snaps. Jerome Baker racked up eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two quarterback hits in his 72 snaps, earning a 61.7 PFF grade. Cameron Goode went without a statistic in his two reserve snaps.
At cornerback, Kader Kohou had a bit of a bounceback game (75.7 pass-coverage grade from PFF), picking up seven tackles, a stop for loss, and a quarterback hit in 72 snaps. In the same number of plays, Xavien Howard had four tackles, a pass breakup, and flags for both illegal substitution and illegal contact on his way to a 55.1 overall grade from PFF. Playing 65 snaps on the boundary, Eli Apple turned in a solid performance, collecting nine tackles, eight solos, half a sack, a stop for loss, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hit to earn a 60.4 pass-coverage grade. Justin Bethel had an assisted tackle in his six snaps. It's becoming clear that Kohou is best at the nickel spot, and he responded that way in this contest. With Howard being a bit of a flag magnet this year, the Dolphins could really use more respectable outings from Apple to bide time until the position group gets healthier.
Jevon Holland and DeShon Elliott both played 72 snaps at safety, with Elliott notching six tackles and five solos on his way to a 61.6 pass-coverage PFF grade. Holland recorded four solos and a pass breakup, earning a 68.9 pass-coverage mark from PFF.

Special teams

Jason Sanders had another accurate day, hitting a 40-yard field goal and drilling all four extra points.
Jake Bailey punted twice for a 34.5-yard average, putting one inside the 20-yard line, but his 20-yard flub could have been damaging against a better foe.
Berrios had a 25-yard kickoff return and Miami was held without a punt return.
Smythe's 12 special-teams plays led offensive players, while Campbell (one tackle in the kicking game) and Riley each played 21 snaps to pace defensive players in the third phase. A week after struggling on defense, Brandon Jones got 19 snaps on special teams but got no scrimmage reps.

Momentum plays

After an initial first down by the Giants, Miami forced a punt before going 89 yards in just eight plays to take a 7-0 lead. The Dolphins used 20+ gains by Achane (24), Waddle (20) and Wilson (23) to set up a Tua rollout connection with Waddle for a 2-yard touchdown.
New York countered with a 13-play drive -- that covered 38 yards. Following a third-down sack that saw Ogbah, Wilkins, and Chubb all hit the quarterback simultaneously, Graham Gano missed a 55-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.
Taking over in good field position, the 'Fins converted a 3rd & 3 on a short pass to Hill, but Achane fumbled at the end of solid run to give the ball back to the G-Men. However, the Dolphins "D" responded with a three-and-out after third-down pressure from Wilkins.
Miami was pinned at its own 6-yard line after a strong punt, but Tua avoided a safety to find Hill for 18 yards to give the home team some breathing room. On the very next play -- perhaps upset at his fumble a possession earlier -- Achane found a crease off the left side, hit the sideline, and casually outraced the safety for a 76-yard touchdown and a 14-0 advantage.
The Giants responded with another 13-play drive that featured two third-down conversions and a successful fourth-down try. A Sieler sack led to a 49-yard Gano field goal that trimmed the lead to 14-3.
The 'Fins wasted little time in moving the ball yet again, with Hill taking a screen and racing 64 yards into the red zone on the kind of play you rarely see him tackled on. A missed pass interference call on second down set up a third-down force by Tua, who threw into triple coverage and saw the pass tipped into the waiting arms of Jason Pinnock, who sped 102 yards for a pick-six to salvage the game for New York at 14-10.
Tua went right back to work with the first-half clock dwindling, hitting Berrios and Wilson for 13 yards each. Back-to-back completions to Waddle covered 13 yards, and a 10-yarder to Wilson was offset by a sack. The quarterback was forced to keep for a seven-yard scramble, leading to a spike and a 40-yard Sanders field goal to close the half at 17-10.
On its first drive after halftime, the 'Fins only needed three plays to strike. On a play that the media reported was drawn up on his own by Tua, the signal-caller found Hill in single coverage down the right sideline on an easy 69-yard touchdown to push the advantage to 24-10.
New York once again used a significant number of plays (eight) to cover an inadequate number of yards (31). The Giants converted a 3rd & 6, but an inability to get chunk plays led to another punt.
Miami got a 39-yard burst from Mostert on the first play of its next possession, but a late holding flag on Williams nullified the gain. Achane picked up 12 yards on an end-around, but an awful 3rd & 3 decision by Tua led to a gimme Giants interceptions, setting the visitors up on the Dolphins' 23-yard line. However, the defense made a big stand on a three-and-out, limiting New York to a 37-yard field to make the score 24-13.
Two touches for Achane covered 22 yards, then Mostert ripped off a pair of runs totaling 34 yards. Mostert finished off the eight-play drive -- which featured seven runs -- with a physical two-yard touchdown to stake the Dolphins to a 31-13 advantage.
The fourth quarter started with a New York three-and-out on the strength of two Chubb pressures, but Miami responded with a three-and-out of their own that got worse when Bailey hit an awful 20-yard punt.
Taking over near midfield, the Giants managed to pull together a 10-play drive that featured a 4th & 8 conversion -- and covered 18 yards. After a Sieler sack, New York settled for a 51-yard field goal to make it 31-16.
After Miami somehow managed to come up short on a 3rd & 1 completed pass, the visitors got another shot to trim the lead. With Tyrod Taylor in for an injured and battered Daniel Jones, the Giants went 66 yards in 13 plays. After converting a 4th & 1, New York went for it on 4th & 3 from the red zone, but Van Ginkel brought down Taylor a bit short on a scramble.
Three straight Mostert touches covered 12 yards and ran out the clock, allowing Tua to kneel on the ball to close out a strange contest.