These are five wins in a row.
Now it is 6-7 records.
This is the ongoing climb of the Miami Dolphins from holes 1-7 with a 20-9 win on Sunday over the struggling New York Giants.
Here are 10 thoughts on the game:
1. Game statistics: Nine points of giants. Three balls from the field. It is easy to see what led to this winning streak. It wasn’t just Sunday’s game where the Dolphins ‘defense held back the Giants’ troubled attack with backup defender Mike Glennon. Look at what the Dolphins defense surrendered in five wins: 9 points in favor of Houston; 10 to Baltimore; 17 at the New York Jets; and 10 to Carolina.
2. Tua Tagovailoa as a good point guard.making a smart pass to an open guy. On Sunday, he completed 30 assists from 41 for 244 yards and two touchdowns. In the final minutes, he finished the match twice, losing third place, one to Devante Parker (see below) and the second to Mike Gesicki. Basically, he did what was asked for, gaining enough points, but not making mistakes that could be worth the day.
3. Xavien Howard recorded his second interception. in two games and a third takeaway in four games when you add forced fumble and rebound against Baltimore. His 26 steals since 2017 are the most in the NFL. It was hard to imagine he could have another dozen league leaders and franchise records last year. But he still has four games left and has those four steals and two force fumbles and rebounds. (The other won the New England game. In other words, Howard continues to show why he’s the best talent on the team.
4. Receiver clock:
* Jaylen Waddle broke the record for most tricks for a Dolphins rookie with his 85th catch in the third quarter. He had nine catches at 90 yards on Sunday and continues to keep up with the times to set an NFL take-over record for a rookie. Anquan Boldin set the record in 2003 with 101 hauls for Arizona. In 13 games, Waddle made 86 catches. He left the game after catching in the third quarter with a spasm, according to the WQAM broadcast, but stood on the sideline and looked normal.
* Another emerging rookie defender Jelan Phillips fired Glennon in a row at the end of the third quarter, breaking the Dolphin rookie record set by Bill Stanfill in 1969. a loss. The second came after Glennon waited and waited until he found an open receiver, but couldn’t. Phillips has 8 1/2 – and seven in his last five games.
5. You saw what the dolphins missed. without Parker in the fourth quarter catch for the first down. He finished third and sixth off the Dolphins’ 29-yard line from 4:16 to the end. Parker walked down the left sideline and Tua threw him a bet. Parker went up and got a 16-yard win and that kind of first down that won. Parker is not a polished runner. But he can make such great games. In his sixth game of the year, he made five catches at 62 yards. He hasn’t played since October 31st.
6. Jason Sanders just missed. A field goal or extra point in six of the last eight games, as researched by David Fourones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He made 42 yards to seal the game with less than two minutes left. But a 52-yard shot in the fourth quarter that would have given the Dolphins a 20-6 lead was missed. Instead, the Giants responded with a field goal to make the score 17-9 and the drama remained. Last year, Sanders scored 36 out of 39 field goals. This year he’s 16 out of 22 in them.
7. Improving the running game stays on the shopping list this offseason. This means an offensive line and running backward. Since Philip Lindsay’s test run was limited to last week’s injury, the Dolphins running game went much like what you’d expect the 31st racing game to take place on Sunday. They had 25 carries at 68 yards. Miles Gaskin also appears to have missed the third-quarter blitz that led to Tagovailoa being fired. Patrick Laird was eliminated from the game with a knee injury, which means that the Dolphins lost to runners Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed. Nevertheless …
8. Sakwon Barkley is just one exhibit. why you don’t pick early backing in the draft. He had 11 carries at 55 yards. Last week against the Dolphins, Christian McCaffrey of Carolina, eighth overall pick in 2017, ended the season with an ankle injury. A week earlier in the Dolphins-Jets match, Jets newcomer Michael Carter retired from injury. Look through the list of high-paying fugitives and you will see the problem of paying them big money.
9. Quick calls:
* Mac Hollins caught his fourth touchdown to raise the Dolphins – 7-3. By the number of landings, he makes a draw in the team.
* Tua has scored 21 first-half appearances to become Delphins’ top quarterback since 2000.
* In the third quarter, the Giants had fourth and two positions on the Dolphins’ 46-yard line and shot. It’s hard to look at if you are a fan of giants. The Dolphins got the ball in 20th position, shot from 39th, and the Giants got the ball back on their 18. However, the losing team must go for it.
* Elandon Roberts lost an interception in the third quarter. In a low offense game, such games are of great importance.
10. Next week: Bye. Then it’s New York Jets at Dolphins. The second half of New York, NY for the Dolphins, featuring two of the darkest teams in the league. The Dolphins beat the Jets at Meadowlands a couple of weeks ago. Now comes the rematch at Hard Rock Stadium, which should differ only in that Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson is playing and veteran Joe Flacco is out.
