Setting the Stage for the Dolphins-Giants Week 13 Matchup
The Miami Dolphins will look to extend their winning streak to five games heading into their bye when they face the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Here's all the pertinent info for this Week 13 Dolphins-Giants matchup:
MIAMI DOLPHINS (5-7) vs. NEW YORK GIANTS (4-7)
DATE: Sunday, Dec. 5
TIME: 1 p.m. ET
SITE: Hard Rock Stadium; Miami Gardens, Fla.
WEATHER FORECAST: The temperature between 1 and 4 p.m. ET in Miami Gardens will be between 79 and 80 degrees, according to AccuWeather.com, with partly sunny skies and a 32 percent chance of precipitation. The wind is expected to be 8-9 mph with gusts up to 17-18 mph.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Chris Myers (play-by-play), Daryl Johnston (color analyst), Jen Hale (sidelines)
STREAMING: fuboTV
SI Sportsbook betting line: Dolphins by 6.5 (over/under 39.5)
Dolphins — RB Phillip Lindsay (ankle), TE Adam Shaheen (knee) and CB Trill Williams (hamstring) are doubtful; S Brandon Jones (ankle/elbow) and LB Jaelan Phillips (hip) are questionable.
Giants — LB Trent Harris (ankle), DB Adoree Jackson (quad), TE Kaden Smith (knee) and QB Daniel Jones (neck) are out; WR Sterling Shepard (quad) and WR Kadarius Toney (oblique/quad) are doubtful; FB Cullen Gillespie (calf), WR John Ross (illness/quad), TE Kyle Rudolph (ankle) and T Nate Solder (elbow) are questionable.
Regular season series history: The Giants lead 7-2
Last five meetings:
Dec. 15, 2019 at New York; Giants 36, Dolphins 20
Dec. 14, 2014 at Miami; Giants 31, Dolphins 24
Oct. 30, 2011 at New York; Giants 20, Dolphins 17
Oct. 28, 2007 at London, England; Giants 13, Dolphins 10
Oct. 5, 2003 at New York; Dolphins 23, Giants 10
Dolphins' largest margin of victory: 13 (2003 at New York; Dolphins 23 Giants 10)
Giants' largest margin of victory: 17 (1990 at New York; Giants 20, Dolphins 3)
Highest-scoring matchup: 56 points (2019 at New York; Giants 36, Dolphins 20)
Lowest-scoring matchup: 23 points (1990 at New York; Giants 20, Dolphins 3 ... 2007 at London, England; Giants 13, Dolphins 10)
Former Giants players with the Dolphins:
DT John Jenkins (2018)
Former Giants coaches with the Dolphins:
Co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach Eric Studesville, OLB coach Rob Leonard
Former Dolphins players with the Giants:
LB Benardrick McKinney (2021 training camp), OL Matt Skura (2021 training camp), TE Chris Myarick (2020), LB Trent Harris (2019)
Former Dolphins coaches with the Giants:
Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, QB coach Jerry Schuplinski
Other connections
Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and Giants head coach Joe Judge worked together with the New England Patriots from 2012-18 ... Tight end Mike Gesicki and Giants RB Saquon Barkley were teammates at Penn State from 2015-17 ... The Dolphins' Christian Wilkins and the Giants' Dexter Lawrence were among the three Clemson defensive linemen (Clelin Ferrell was the other) selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.
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It's been a frustrating season for the Giants in their second year under head coach Joe Judge, one marred by injuries, inconsistency and the inability to finish games. New York will bring a 4-7 record to Hard Rock Stadium, but it includes three losses at the buzzer — against Washington, Atlanta and most recently in a surprisingly competitive Monday night game at Kansas City. The defense has been playing well over the past month and a half after a bad start, but the Giants offense failed to top 302 total yards in any of the team's past six games.
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THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL WIN ...
Look no further than the last stat in the previous segment, combined with the Dolphins allowed 9, 10, 17 and 10 points during their four-game winning streak. At full strength, it might be difficult to envision the Giants offense having much success in this game, but now they'll be without starting quarterback Daniel Jones and possibly without their two leading receivers (Kadarius Toney and Sterling Shepard).
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THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL LOSE ...
Veteran Mike Glennon has a 6-21 record as a start since entering the NFL in 2013 and there's really no reason to think the Giants will put up many points offensively. The reality is the Giants' most realistic path to victory is by creating turnovers on defense, though the Dolphins have been good lately in minimizing their mistakes. Even without turnovers, the Giants don't figure to have much of a chance unless it's a really low-scoring game, though that's expected given the over/under total. One intangible concern for the Dolphins is looking past the Giants heading into their bye, which might explain why Brian Flores was so quick to point out all the good players his team needed to worry about this week.
FINAL DOLPHINS-GIANTS PREDICTION
Whether it's going to be enough to propel the Dolphins into the thick of the playoff race remains to be seen, but this four-game winning streak has us with 2020 vibes when the defense was dominant and the offense and special teams did their part to produce complementary football that usually meant wins against inferior opponents. The Giants' resurgent defense could present some problems for the Dolphins offense, but this smelled like a Miami win all along given how well their defense has been playing well and it's truly difficult to picture Mike Glennon being the QB who stops the Dolphins' roll. Dolphins 20, Giants 9.
