The NFL’s hottest three teams entering Week 13: the New England Patriots, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the … Miami Dolphins? Strange, but true. The Dolphins (5-7) have the NFL’s second-longest active winning streak (4) and just played their most complete game of the season last week in a 33-10 thrashing of the Carolina Panthers. The New York Giants (4-7), meanwhile, haven’t won consecutive games all season and will be without starting quarterback Daniel Jones, who was ruled out with a neck injury.
New York Giants vs. Miami Dolphins storylines
Dolphins tickets could be had on the secondary market for as little as $8 during Miami’s seven-game losing streak. But with a heavy Giants population in South Florida, plus the allure of picture-perfect weather for vacationers, Dolphins vs. Giants is a scarce ticket, with the cheapest get-in on StubHub Saturday north of $80.
That excitement is most certainly regional, however. FOX is sending the game to just a handful of markets outside of Miami and the New York Metropolitan area.
What can the Giants expect from Mike Glennon?
Not much, if history is any guide. Mike Glennon will start in place of Jones, who has a neck injury so worrisome that the Giants are making no assurances he’ll play again this year.
Glennon has appeared in 35 games in his nine-year NFL career, starting 27. Almost all of his game action came early in his career, as he started 18 games in his first two seasons. Glennon has completed 61.2% of his passes with 44 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He’s averaged 6.4 yards per attempt for a lifetime passer rating of 83.1. That includes when Glennon went 16 of 25 for 196 yards with a touchdown and an interception in relief of Jones earlier this season.
[bet-promo id=”160605″ ]But that was with Jason Garrett calling plays. Garrett is gone, and now Freddie Kitchens is on the headset.
“I haven’t had a whole lot of opportunities to start in the NFL. So anytime you get one of those opportunities, it’s something that there will be a little nerves,” Glennon said Friday. “But I think there was nerves when I was a starter for longer. It’s just kind of an excitement to get out there and play again, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Has Tua Tagovailoa turned the corner?
There’s little that will trigger a sports fan south of Jupiter more than Tua Tagovailoa slander. The Tua Hive swarms like murder hornets when anyone pipes up with even the mildest criticism. But Tagovailoa deserves the support. Between a long list of injuries, the team’s open dalliance with Deshaun Watson, and an offensive line that has the NFL’s 32nd-ranked pass-block win rate, he’s been dealt a bad hand.
And yet, Tua’s completed over 80% of his passes in consecutive weeks and is second in EPA + CPOE composite since Week 6. But there are legitimate questions about the viability of an offense that needed Tagovailoa to complete 87.1% of his passes to average 4.4 yards per play. The Giants have a very good pass defense.
“It always feels good winning but the thing we can’t do as a team is be satisfied with the win the previous week,” Tagovailoa said.
“That’s the game of football that we play. You enjoy it for that day, that night, come into work, learn from your mistakes, and then you’re really moving forward from it. I would say if you can’t do that, it’s hard for you to stack together good days and really get a win at the end of the day or at the end of the week for your team.”
Has Brian Flores saved his job?
Wins in the next two weeks — against a hurt Giants team and a terrible Jets club — would probably ensure Brian Flores is back in 2022. That would mean the Dolphins will have won six straight after a seven-game losing streak.
Owner Stephen Ross has hired three head coaches since buying the team in 2009, and at this point in his football life, craves stability and success. No doubt, the Dolphins have some real issues, no matter how the rest of the season goes. The offensive line is a big-time liability despite tons of resources being thrown at it. Additionally, Flores’ teams are 7-17 in the first half of his three seasons. Another slow start probably doomed the Dolphins’ 2021 playoff chances, but a great finish will probably guarantee Flores one more chance to get it right in 2022.
“I think if we just continue to come in and prepare the right way, work the right way in meetings, walkthrough and practice, you will make those improvements and over time, hopefully you play better,” Flores said this week.
“There’s a lot that goes into it. Whether it’s playing disciplined or being able to change game plans or shift a game plan, there’s a lot that goes into that. There’s a lot of kind of things you have to, from a foundational standpoint, that you have to have in place in order to make certain adjustments later in the season that you need to make. Every team deals with that, but in order to make those you just have to, on a day-to-day basis, try to get better.”
Giants vs. Dolphins betting line and game prediction
- Spread: Dolphins -6.5 (courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Moneyline: Dolphins -265, Giants +215
- Total: 40
Giants vs. Dolphins Prediction: Dolphins 24, Giants 16