NEW YORK | The Monday night game between the Giants and Dolphins determined the matchup for the Sunday night game in two weeks.
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Miller scored the first touchdown of the game on an eight-yard run, but the New York Giants responded with a touchdown of their own to give themselves a temporary lead.
“I think we had to throw it. We had to throw, we had to get the first (down)”, Manning said when asked why they threw the ball instead of running it in that situation. Neither defense could stop big plays.
But rather than just talk, he showed leadership by playing last night, completing 27-of-31 passes (a franchise record 87.1 percent) for 337 yards and four touchdowns.
Coming into Week 14 there was a three way tie at the top of the division, and with the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles winning on Sunday, the Giants now know they must win to keep pace with the pack at the top.
In a game that glorified 50 seasons of Dolphins football, memorializing the all-time greats like Dan Marino, Mercury Morris and Don Shula, the Fins of today did their best to live up to that Hall of Fame pedigree, but were simply unable to contain the electrifying Odell Beckham, Jr. The Dolphins have not won a playoff game since going 1-1 in the 2000 postseason.
Miami (5-7) shares the same record as the Giants but have already just about kissed their playoff chances goodbye.
“Obviously, this is not where we want to be”, Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill said, “but here we are”. He went for 7 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants average 292.8 yards through the air over their past five games.
Beckham outplayed his close friend and former LSU teammate, Miami’s Jarvis Landry, who made 11 catches for 99 yards but was flagged for a costly personal foul penalty with his team trailing in the fourth quarter.
“People may not see it, but he’s definitely a vocal leader”, Newhouse said.
Beckham made another outstanding catch, wowing with a toe-tapping touchdown reception in the third quarter that was initially ruled incomplete by the officials.
However, tonight under the bright lights and nostalgia that makes up Monday Night Football, America gets the opportunity to not only watch one meager football game, but also a game that honors one of the country’s most historic franchises.
Watching the Giants burn the final 4:39 off the clock with a seven-point lead was as galling as anything that happened, and a whole lot of bad stuff happened.
“A little double move”, Manning said of the play.
Lamar Miller had two rushing touchdowns for the Dolphins, including a spectacular 38-yarder in the second quarter.
The Dolphins again answered New York’s score with a touchdown drive, this one covering 67 yards.
NY tied the score 24-24 on a 6-yard TD pass to Beckham in the right corner.
First Tannehill hooked up with Kenny Stills on a 47-yard touchdown strike.
Coughlin was flattened in the fourth quarter when Giants CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie ran to the sidelines and straight into Coughlin.
HOBBLED: Injuries took a toll on the Giants. “We played so many close games, every one, and we had found a way to win”. Beckham Jr., of course, was the best player on the field Monday night.
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“Our guys have hung in there”, Coughlin said.
