Category: Giants Wire Features

4 Giants worthy of Pro Bowl consideration

2020 Pro Bowl rosters will be revealed on Tuesday, and here are four New York Giants worthy of consideration.

The New York Giants are not having a great season. In fact, they’re not really having a great decade, having gone through four head coaches (if you count Steve Spagnuolo), two general managers, multiple different offensive and defensive systems, and once again appear poised for major change.

Currently, they are 3-11 on the season and even those three wins are surprising. They are slated to select second overall in the 2020 NFL Draft and could soon embark on a head coaching and general manager search.

Despite all of that, there are a few bright spots. And with the 2020 Pro Bowl rosters scheduled to be revealed on Tuesday night, we here at Giants Wire wanted to take a look at a few players worth of consideration.

Enjoy.

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Dalvin Tomlinson

Because the Giants defense has been so poor this season, quality players such as Tomlinson are likely to be overlooked. And while that’s understandable, it’s also unfortunate because the third-year defensive lineman is actually playing quite well this year.

Tomlinson has become a force along the Giants’ defensive line and currently sports a 77.7 Pro Football Focus grade on the heels of a game against the Miami Dolphins in which he graded out with an 82.

In 14 games this season, Tomlinson has recorded 45 tackles, four stuffs, one forced fumble and 3.5 sacks.

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What we learned from Giants’ 36-20 victory over Dolphins

The New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins, 36-20, in Week 15 and here’s some of what we learned from that win.

It finally happened. The New York Giants got their third win of the season. It came at home against the equally struggling Miami Dolphins, but it came.

So many things happened in New York this week — before, during and after the game. Here’s what we learned from the Giants’ 36-20 victory over the Dolphins:

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Eli Manning is loved

For the last 16 years, Eli Manning has taken the blame for everything that has gone wrong in New York. Never mind his Super Bowl wins or his ability to mount a comeback, if there was a problem with the Giants, it was Eli’s fault.

On Sunday, all of his hard work and putting up with the garbage thrown at him, Eli learned that he is loved by Giants fans. The crowd sent him off the field with an amazing and incredibly loud ovation, and there were three hours of chanting his name.

Even Dolphins head coach Brian Flores burned a timeout just so Eli could enjoy his moment. Talk about class.

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Stock up, down after Giants’ 36-20 victory over Dolphins

Whose stock is up and whose is down following the New York Giants’ victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 15?

On Sunday, the New York Giants didn’t leave MetLife Stadium with a loss. Instead, they left with a victory. The losing streak ended at nine, as the Giants won 36-20 against the Miami Dolphins.

For the first time since Week 4 against the Washington Redskins, the Giants got a victory. Since late September, the Giants were in the midst of some awful football and a lot of losing.

But for at least one Sunday, there was no talk of a losing streak, no talk of coaches and a general manager getting fired. Instead, it was all about a victory. A much-needed victory — one that many will remember for a long time because of everything that surrounded it.

Whose stock was up and down after the Giants victory on Sunday against the Dolphins?

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Stock up: Eli Manning

Nobody cares that Manning threw three picks in this game. Nobody.

What people will care about were the two touchdown passes, the victory and what came with about a minute to go when he left the game to one of the loudest ovations in MetLife Stadium history.

Then leaving the field as the triumphant hero and everyone chanting his name. Whether he plays again in the final two games remains to be seen.

Today, it was all about Eli Manning and how he left as the historic hero for the Giants who is all but Hall of Fame bound.

Stock down: Nate Solder

If it didn’t cost the Giants $13 million in a dead cap hit to release Solder, it would make so much sense to cut him.

Solder is still struggling and it shows. Maybe he needs to move to right tackle after the season, and who knows if he is even up for that move.

Granted, he’s dealing with so much off the field and as a human being, he’s tougher than anyone could ever imagine. But the struggles are still there, and Solder still needs to put forth a professional effort as the left tackle.

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Giants vs. Dolphins: Statistics, numbers and broken records

The New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins in Week 15 and here’s a look at some of the statistics, numbers and broken records.

The New York Giants snapped their franchise-worst nine-game losing streak on Sunday, defeating the Miami Dolphins, 36-20, in what may be Eli Manning’s final NFL game.

The game itself was filled with big plays and magical moments, including a legendary curtain call for the two-time Super Bowl MVP.

There will be a lot of coverage on that in the coming days, but for now, let’s take a look at some of the noteworthy numbers, statistics and broken records from the Week 15 win:

  • Sunday’s victory snapped a nine-game losing streak, which was tied for the longest in franchise history, preventing the team from reaching the dreaded double-digit mark.
  • The victory improved Eli Manning’s regular season record to 117-117.
  • With his 283 yards passing, Manning became just the seventh quarterback in history to pass for 57,000 yards (57,023).
  • With his two touchdowns, Manning became just the seventh quarterback in history to throw for 365 touchdowns (366).
  • The 36 points scored were the most by the Giants this season.
  • The 29 points scored in the second half were the most by the Giants since December 9, 2012.
  • The 16-point margin of victory was third-largest under head coach Pat Shurmur and the largest against a team other than the Washington Redskins.
  • The Giants rushed for three touchdowns on Sunday for the first time since October 16, 2011 when Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for three.
  • The Giants won a game in which Manning threw three interceptions for the first time since September 16, 2012.
  • With 143 yards from scrimmage, running back Saquon Barkley eclipsed 100 scrimmage yards in a game for the 18th time in his young career.
  • With a half of sack, Markus Golden raised his season total to 9.0, becoming the first Giants linebacker with nine or more sacks in a season since Jessie Armstead did it in 1999.
  • Sam Beal’s safety was the first Giants safety since October 8, 2017.
  • The Giants have now won four consecutive games against the Dolphins.

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3 takeaways from Giants’ Week 15 win over Dolphins

Here are three takeaways from the New York Giants’ Week 15 win over the Miami Dolphins, which improved their record to 3-11.

The New York Giants won a football game for the first time since September 29 and Giant fans finally got to experience that winning feeling again. But that’s not all that happened.

Here are three Week 15 takeaways.

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The win had it’s up and it’s downs

By winning, the Giants positioned themselves to fall in the draft order, but not without a few things needing to happen first. A win over Washington next week will likely drop them further down the order than just No. 3. A win in Washington will also clinch third place in the NFC East and keep them from finishing last for the third consecutive season.

The victory stopped a nine-game losing streak that will likely cost coaches — and possibly the general manager — their jobs. The win doesn’t erase the last two and half month’s misery. This team still needs to make some wholesale changes.

On the positive side, the win drew Eli Manning’s career record as a starter to 117-117. That will be one less mark against him for Hall of Fame voters to ponder.

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8 reasons Eli Manning’s win vs. Dolphins would be fitting Giants end

Here’s a look at eight reasons why Eli Manning’s victory over the Miami Dolphins would be a fitting New York Giants end.

When New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning left the MetLife Stadium field on Sunday evening and ran into the emotional embrace of his family as thunderous applause reigned down from above him, it all just felt right.

Manning won’t be gifted the magical goodbye of a Super Bowl title like he very much deserves, but perhaps win No. 3 on the season in Week 15 at home could turn out to be the next best thing.

That may sound crazy for a surefire Hall of Famer who has been a part of so many substantially large moments, but allow us to explain…

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Second half comeback…

Manning made a mark in NFL history books by making a habit of bringing his team back from the brink of defeat. And if Sunday turns out to be the final game he ever plays, could it be more fitting that he did it again?

The Giants trailed 10-7 at halftime before Eli helped the team rip off 29 second half points in order to secure their first win since Week 4.

No, it wasn’t a game-winning drive or another fourth quarter comeback, but it was one last late rally for Eli — one more feather for his cap.

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Giants vs. Dolphins Player of the Game: Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins, 36-20, on Sunday and RB Saquon Barkley was easily the player of the game.

For the first time since Week 4, the New York Giants won a football game. The losing streak stopped at nine on Sunday, as the Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins, 36-20, at MetLife Stadium.

After a back-and-fourth battle in the first half that saw a few interceptions from Eli Manning, the Giants took control in the second half and really got after Miami.

The star of the game for the Giants was Saquon Barkley, who really looked like we all saw dominate the NFL a season ago in his Rookie of the Year season.

In the third quarter, Barkley marched in for a one-yard score to extend the Giants lead to 23-13.

Early in the fourth quarter, Barkley found the end zone again for his second rushing touchdown, as it was a 10-yard score and put the Giants up 30-13.

On the game, Barkley finished with his first 100-yard plus rushing performance since Week 2, as he had 24 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns.

Barkley also had four catches for 31 yards, which gave him 143 total yards in the game. The last time Barkley had over 100-plus total yards was a few weeks ago against the Green Bay Packers.

It had been a while since Barkley found the end zone, especially on the ground. His last one came back in Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals. His last actual touchdown was a receiving one against the Detroit Lions.

Today’s game though, was what everyone was used to from Barkley, especially from last year and early on in the season before he suffered the high ankle sprain.

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Giants drop Dolphins: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins in what may be Eli Manning’s final game. Here’s a look at the winners and losers.

In what may be Eli Manning’s final start as a member of the New York Giants, the team came up big and managed to get him a victory — Manning’s first win in over a calendar year and the team’s first win since Week 4.

It was ugly early on, but then the Giants began to roll and never looked back. There were some issues here and there, but all things considered, it was the team’s most well-rounded game all season.

Here’s a quick look at the winners and losers from Week 14:

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Winners

David Mayo: On a team — and specifically a defense — that does very little right, Mayo has been a pleasant and unexpected surprise. Yes, he’s been up-and-down at times and even had a few hiccups on Sunday, but overall he’s a very sound player who steps up and makes big plays at crucial times. It’s a shame his teammates actually drag down his play.

Saquon Barkley: Finally. Finally. Finally. Barkley had not had a 100-yard game since Week 2 and had not reached the endzone since Week 7. Both of those streaks ended with what was arguably Barkley’s best performance of the season. He finished the day with 112 yards on 24 carries, 31 yards on four receptions and two touchdowns.

Darius Slayton: Slayton didn’t put up huge numbers, but he came up big in a few big plays in key spots. He finished the game with two receptions for 31 yards and his eighth touchdown of the season.

Riley Dixon: Worth. Every. Penny.

Others: Dalvin Tomlinson, Leonard Williams, Michael Thomas

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Behind Enemy Lines: Week 15 Q&A with Dolphins Wire

With a Week 15 matchup between the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins on tap, we go behind enemy lines for a chat with Dolphins Wire.

The New York Giants (2-11) and Miami Dolphins (3-10) will square off on Sunday afternoon in Week 15.

The Giants opened the week as 3.5-point home favorites, and the spread hasn’t changed at all as of Sunday morning, with Big Blue still at -3.5

With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Dolphins Wire managing editor Kyle Crabbs.

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Giants Wire: What happened with Josh Rosen and that entire situation that led to Ryan Fitzpatrick earning his starting job back? Miami seemed relatively sold on Rosen, who many believe has gotten a raw deal early on in his career.

Kyle Crabbs: By the time Rosen got into camp and the coaching staff really had the chance to get their hands on him, it became apparent pretty quickly that Rosen’s prior coaching hadn’t adequately prepared him for life as an NFL quarterback.

Rosen had zero experience in identifying the MIKE and making protection calls at the line of scrimmage — which resulted in irregular results in live game action and slowed Rosen’s ability to read and react.

By halftime of the Washington game in Week 6, it was clear Rosen’s inconsistencies here were preventing the Dolphins from getting an assessment on the rest of their roster, which is the primary objective for 2019. As a result, the switch to Fitzpatrick was made.

Continue …

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Giants vs. Dolphins: Week 15 staff picks and predictions

The Giants Wire staff offers their picks and predictions ahead of a Week 15 game between the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins.

The New York Giants (2-11) will take on the Miami Dolphins (3-10) at MetLife Stadium in a game featuring Eli Manning at quarterback for what may be the final time in front of Big Blue fans.

Experts have heavily sided with the Dolphins — 6:4 — with most of those expecting a close Miami victory.

How does the Giants Wire staff see this Week 15 battle shaking out? Here’s a look at our picks and score predictions:

Dan Benton: Giants 27, Dolphins 23

This is essentially a game for draft positioning and the loser benefits more than the winner. That won’t prevent both clubs from attempting to get the victory, which is actually bad news for the Giants and their fans.

*Above prediction was also printed in USA TODAY Sports Weekly alongside a full game preview. Print editions are available every Wednesday at newsstands everywhere.

John Fennelly: Giants 23, Dolphins 16

The Giants have to win sometime (we think) and why not this week? They should have beaten the Eagles on Monday night but the coaching staff is not functioning on all cylinders (and haven’t been for some time), so they allowed the crippled Eagles to steal the win. This week, they face another limited team but, again, with better coaches. This could be Eli Manning’s last hurrah as a Giant, so I’ll pick him to go out a winner.

Doug Rush: Dolphins 24, Giants 20

Last week, we saw the return of Eli Manning after almost three months on the bench and he nearly pulled out a win.

Leave it to the Giants defense and terrible game-planning from the coaching staff in the second half to let the Eagles come back and snatch the win away from a Giants team that has lost mine straight and hasn’t seen a victory since Week 4.

Currently, the Giants have in possession the second-worst record in the NFL and the second overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They’re up against a team that at one point, would be up for the first overall pick in the draft with the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins though, lead by veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, have since won three games and nearly pulled out a fourth one last week against the New York Jets.

The Dolphins might not be a good team, but they’re young, they fight hard and they’ve proven that they can win some games — which again, is something the Giants haven’t done since the end of September.

Until the Giants can actually go out there and show the fans, the organization and the rest of the football world that they can finish and win a football game, it’s hard to confidently pick a game in their favor.

Tyler Henry: Giants 30, Dolphins 27

This game is no roll over, especially when both teams are probably two of the worst five teams in the NFL.

Eli Manning looked really good during the first half of last week’s game against the Eagles in his return as a starter. The Dolphins have shown fight winning three of their last six. Many Giants fans will be rooting against their team due to the heavy draft position implications surrounding this game. Even so, fans attending the game will certainly be happy to cheer on Eli Manning one more time. It could be Manning’s last start in a Giants uniform.

I think the game is really close, but I believe this is the one the Giants can go win. Miami having to play in cold weather is a recipe for the Giants to reign victorious on Sunday. Eli Manning is 3-0 in his career against the Dolphins and I expect him to stay perfect against Miami.

I think it’s time the Giants finally end the losing streak and get one final win led by Eli Manning. In a close one, I think the Giants take it.

Pat Ragazzo: N/A

N/A

Kevin Hickey: N/A

N/A

Mike Moraitis: Giants 24, Dolphins 23

Here we are again, wondering if this will be Eli Manning’s last game for the Giants. This time around there is a little extra emotion attached with this also possibly being Eli’s last game at home.

With what we’ve seen from the Giants during this nine-game losing streak, there’s nothing to suggest this team can win another game, so this pick is going mostly on emotion.

The Dolphins are vulnerable to say the least, and while they have been playing much better of late, it’s going to be a tall task for this squad to go into what will be an amped up building with fans cheering their heart out for Manning. The veteran will build off what he did in the first half of the Eagles game and this time will put together a full 60 minutes against a defense with far less talent than Philly’s.

Serena Burks: Giants 24, Dolphins 17

Neither team is having a good season, but the Giants have Eli at the helm. If he can get some decent throws out, and they can get Saquon Barkley involved early, that will be huge. Add in the defense needing to pressure Ryan Fitzpatrick into throwing the ball versus scrambling, which is something this defense can certainly do.

It’s really a battle for pride at this point and with all of the drama in the locker room, the Giants need the win more than the Dolphins. The question really is, will Pat Shurmur and James Bettcher set the team up for success, or are we going to see more of the same on both sides of the ball?