Days before the Giants beat the Dolphins 31-24 to save their season and keep their playoff hopes alive, the 34-year-old Manning planted the seeds of victory with a passionate speech to his struggling teammates. But his touchdown catch against the Dolphins might’ve been the most impressive display of body control yet. Beckham Jr. caught seven passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns – his seventh catch while sprawled on the ground for a final first down to seal the win.
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Next week, NY must do everything they can to attack that vaunted Panthers defense. He only threw four incompletions and completed his passes 27 times for 337 yards along with four touchdowns. Even Ruben Randle looked like he cares for once, with just one targeted pass at him not ending as a completion.
Lastly, they finish their season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, in which that game could be a playoff elimination game depending on what happens in the wild & insane NFC East with both of those teams and the Washington Redskins at 6-7.
Odell Beckham scored the last two touchdowns of the game, securing the win for the Giants.
None of those games will be easy, and none of them call for any other kind of game plan.
The Dolphins (5-8) were mathematically eliminated from the playoff race, which extends their postseason drought to a franchise-record seven consecutive seasons. Miami rushed 22 times for 128 yards, but the running game wasn’t a factor in the fourth quarter when it could have taken some pressure off Tannehill.
The fact that Manning and Beckham could collaborate just hours before kickoff on what would become the winning play also speaks to the receiver’s relentless preparation and desire to win. The Giants came to play and won 31-24 thanks to some big plays by Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Campbell said, “They’ve got enough fight in them”.
On their first score, the Dolphins took advantage of a blitz by Giants safety Craig Dahl.
Cornerback Jamar Taylor and seldom-used safety Shamiel Gary were the closest defenders, but Manning hit Beckham in stride at midfield and he sprinted to the end zone for his 12th TD this year.
“I’ve been here six years”, Campbell said Tuesday, “and nothing has gone the way we wanted it to be”.
“The corner was supposed to follow up and go over the top”, Jones said, “which he didn’t”.
Beckham made a 45-yard reception to set up a touchdown and had a 6-yard scoring catch. It was so close that the play originally was ruled incomplete and out of bounds, but Tom Coughlin challenged it. “He’s just continuing to do what he does”.
Seeing that, Beckham ran into the locker room early in the third quarter, received two bags of intravenous fluid, then came back to dominate the second half.
That is 15 years of frustration for a once-proud franchise that still hangs on to being the only ideal team in National Football League history – 17-0 in 1972-73.
“This is the first that I’ve heard of, that he was OK to go in the second (half), if that’s what he told you guys”, Campbell said.
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The team also didn’t seem to want to stick with the run-which seemed to be working most of the time. Coughlin said left tackle Ereck Flowers was “very effective” while playing through a left ankle sprain that put him on crutches for part of the practice week.
