After missing the first series of the second half while undergoing an IV treatment, Odell Beckham Jr. returned to the field and caught two touchdown passes to lead the Giants to a sorely needed 31-24 victory over the Dolphins on Monday night at Sun Life Stadium while further cementing his status as the most exciting receiver in the NFL.
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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) With the score tied in the fourth quarter, Odell Beckham Jr. somehow slipped 5 yards behind the secondary.
The Giants have lost five games this season in which they squandered fourth-quarter leads, most recently eight days earlier at the Meadowlands against the New York Jets.
“We got the coverage we wanted”, Manning said.
Manning concluded the day by performing at his season’s best, completing 27 of 31 passes for a total 337 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
Manning finished the game with a quarterback passer rating of 151.5, marking his best performance since the 2009 season.
“We’ve got three to go, and it’s strictly playing for the love of the game”, he said.
It’s possible Tom Coughlin’s face, which didn’t fare very well when the Giants and Packers squared off in that memorable NFC title game at Lambeau in arctic conditions, could be in for another rough evening at TCF. Just a minute into the game, the Miami offense seemed to be humming, and Ryan Tannehill completed a pass to Dion Sims.
On first down, Manning threw an 8-yard out to Beckham who – gah! – stepped out of bounds to stop the clock, allowing the Dolphins to save their two timeouts.
Another week, another sensational game from Beckham to keep the Giants thick in the NFC East divisional race.
“I know for me it comes from a team that’s dying for a win right now and we’re going to get everything they’ve got”, he said.
Eli Manning was nothing short of spectacular on Monday Night Football. The Dolphins fell to 41-41 on Monday Night Football. The biggest problem with the run defense was in the tackling, where on Miller’s 38-yard touchdown run, at least three Giants defenders missed him. Dolphins safety Reshad Jones misread the play as just a slant and jumped the route, which resulted in a wide-open Beckham and an 84-yard go-ahead score.
Even that question feels like make-believe, since the Dolphins aren’t going to be in an actual playoff situation for some time. He told them it was time to step up and make plays.
Beckham made a 45-yard reception to set up a touchdown and had a 6-yard scoring catch. “We played with tremendous heart the entire game”. Just a week prior to the game, Ereck Flowers was on crutches yet he ended up toughing it out and starting the game. The Giants are supposed to be disciplined and instead they’re consistently making sloppy errors, like the fumble late in the second half by Andre Williams on a handoff from Eli Manning. The pass was ruled incomplete originally, but a review showed Beckham got both feet inbounds, and the call was overturned.
Does that mean receivers are getting open more against Grimes this year? Dolphins running back Lamar Miller scampered into the endzone for a 14-yard touchdown.
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Fifty years of all-time Dolphin memories couldn’t trump 60 minutes of real-time Dolphin disappointment on Monday night. The game was a microcosm of the Giants’ season – with their warts exposed for all to see, yet with opportunities still presenting themselves for success.
