Grading the Giants in NFL Week 13 vs. Miami Dolphins

OFFENSE: F

It’s hard to imagine how things would have been all that much better with Daniel Jones playing, but backup quarterback Mike Glennon certainly wasn’t the sparkplug that the moribund offense needed. The offense totaled just 250 yards, the fourth consecutive game the Giants gained fewer than 300. Saquon Barkley is now good for one meaningful play per game it seems; he had one 23-yard run and just 32 yards on his other 10 carries. He also caught 6 passes for 19 yards but had a negative net until the last meaningless possession when he had back-to-back 11-yard receptions. In the span of four key possessions in the third and fourth quarter the Giants ran a total of 15 snaps and netted two total yards. In an odd twist, the Giants’ turnover on the deep interception may have been their best play of the game. It pinned the Dolphins at their own 3, flipped the field position, and after a clutch defensive three-and-out, led to their first field goal

DEFENSE: C

The Dolphins pecked them into submission, completing 30 passes with just one play over 20 yards the entire game. There was some miscommunication on each of the two touchdowns they allowed. When the Giants needed a stop or a takeaway after closing within 8 in the fourth quarter the defense allowed a 10-play drive that ate up 3:48 and ended with a field goal. Miami gained 297 yards, the second-lowest total by a Giants opponent this season (the Panthers had 173 yards on Oct. 24), and had just 68 rushing yards (also second-lowest this season to the Panthers who had 56). Rookies Azeez Ojulari and Quincy Roche each had a sack. Ojulari set a Giants rookie record with 6.5 on the season.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C

Graham Gano kicked field goals of 39, 34 and 51 yards to account for all of the Giants’ scoring. He did miss a desperation 56-yard attempt in the final minute, but the Giants would have needed an onside kick recovery, touchdown and two-point conversion to even tie the score at that point. Pharoh Cooper had some decent punt returns and gives the Giants a bit of a spark but there were two he probably should have let go rather than field inside the 10. Practice squadder Jarren Williams had a nice tackle. Riley Dixon punted a season-high six times and put two inside the 20 with one touchback.

COACHING: D

Joe Judge’s biggest whiff of the game may have come after the loss when he told reporters he saw things that were "moving in the right direction." Whatever direction these Giants are heading in, it’s clearly not the right one. The Giants had to burn timeouts late in the first and third quarters and had an ugly possession that included a delay of game that pinned them back at their own 3. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham let the Dolphins offense do exactly what it has been doing during its recent hot streak rather than force them to change from their strengths (as he did against the Eagles last week). Offensive creativity was recognizable in the second week of the Freddie Kitchens and Co. scheme, including a play with Barkley motioning to a receiver position from the backfield (uncovered by the Dolphins) and a shovel pass to Barkley on a jet sweep-type play. Neither worked. They also had a nice screen lined up for Barkley early on, but guard Matt Skura couldn’t get out to block for him so he got left on his own and tackled for a 2-yard gain.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.