Dolphins Week 13 Victory: The Five Biggest Plays

Breaking down the five plays that most decided the outcome in the 20-9 Miami Dolphins victory against the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium

The Miami Dolphins improved to 6-7 on the season with a 20-9 victory against the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

We rank the five biggest, most important, plays of the game:

1. Tua's TD Pass to Ford

This came on a beautiful play call that gave Tua all sorts of time to find a receiver after he faked a handoff and rolled to his left. The touchdown on third-and-goal was huge because it gave the Dolphins a two-score lead at 17-6 instead of being up 13-6.

2. Glennon Misses Engram Downfield

The Giants offense didn't accomplish very much against the Dolphins, which was somewhat to be expected given their injury situation, but Mike Glennon had the chance for a big play on a third-and-2 from the Miami 46 in a 10-6 game in the third quarter. Tight end Evan Engram took advantage of a mix-up to get behind cornerback Nik Needham down the left sideline, but Glennon took too long to get ball off and Engram ended up turning both ways before the pass ended up behind him and he couldn't make the catch. The Giants ended up punting on fourth-and-2 and never got inside the Dolphins 33 the rest of the way.

3. The Third-Down Completion to DeVante Parker in the Fourth Quarter

The Dolphins offense needed to respond after the Giants kicked a field goal to make it 17-9 with 4:59 left and they produced a game-clinching field goal drive that featured two clutch third-down completions. The first came right away on third-and-6 and Parker made the catch of the day when he contorted his body to catch a back-shoulder pass and keep his feet in bounds at the same time.

4. Tua's 25-yard Completion to Jaylen Waddle

The Dolphins kept the Giants in the game in the second half when they got only one first down in the third quarter, but they got going when Tua found Waddle open down the middle for a 25-yard gain. Five plays later, Tua threw the touchdown pass to Ford.

5. Howard's Interception

In a scoreless game in the first quarter, the Giants moved to a first-and-10 at the Miami 48 after a 20-yard completion from Mike Glennon to Kenny Golladay. The Giants then decided to take a shot downfield, but it was an awfully weird choice considering wide receiver Darius Slayton not only was covered by Xavien Howard but he also had help from rookie safety Jevon Holland. Glennon learned the hard way there that Howard doesn't miss his chances when he can make a play on the ball, and he high-pointed the long throw for his fourth interception of the season.