New York Giants Week 13 Opponent First Look: Miami Offense

Let's get to know who's who on the Miami Dolphins offense.

Author:
Michael Lee and Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Dec 2, 2021 8:00 AM EST

The Miami Dolphins are one of the hottest teams in football, and they have won four straight games. The New York Giants travel to Miami to square up with this AFC East team. The Dolphins are not only playing better defensively but offensively as well in this three-game stretch.

They average 310 yards per game on the season, but 351 in the last three games. Their rushing attack hasn't been effective all season; Miami averages 80.2 rushing yards per game, ranking 31st in the NFL. (For reference, the Giants average 90 and rank 26th in the league.)

Both the Giants and Dolphins are back-to-back in yardage totals when passing the football. Miami averages 230.7 passing yards per game, and the Giants average 226.6.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has missed time with a rib injury and a finger injury. Since he's been healthy, Tagovailoa has operated Miami's quick game well.

One of the core principles of the Dolphins offense is prioritizing a quick and efficient passing attack. The offense is filled with simple pre-snap/post-snap reads with contingencies built into the playbook.

"Offensively, (Dolphins Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach) George (Godsey) does a really good job of giving answers to the quarterback before the snap," said Giants head coach Joe Judge.

"They’ve done a great job of really incorporating RPOs in their offense, they’ve stayed very balanced the last few weeks."

Simplifying the offense for Tagovailoa seemed to be a conscious decision in the off-season. The second-year quarterback has performed well in the offense.

Quarterback

When healthy, Tagovailoa has played very well with a 70 percent completion rate which ranks second in the NFL behind Arizona's Kyler Murray. Tagovailoa has ten touchdowns to seven interceptions with 1,701 passing yards. He has developed well from his sub-par rookie season, where he was, self-admittedly, behind with the playbook.

Tagovailoa averages 7.3 yards per passing attempt, which is about the middle of the pack, but it's a bit higher than Daniel Jones's average (6.7). Despite a terrible rushing attack led by Myles Gaskin, Miami uses a solid play-action passing game and has success with it.

"You see (Dolphins Quarterback) Tua’s (Tagovailoa) progression and how consistent he’s been in terms of his completion percentage," Judge said. "He’s doing a really good job of getting the ball moving, staying ahead of the sticks, sitting out there with a lot of time of possession and helping this team go."

Running Backs

Myles Gaskin is a solid running back, but the rushing attack of the Dolphins is insufficient. Gaskin averages 3.5 yards per carry and is a solid receiver out of the backfield, but the offensive line is an issue.

According to PFF, the run blocking ranks third to last with their ability to create push at the point of attack. Gaskin has 482 yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with two fumbles. He also has four receiving touchdowns.

Salvon Ahmed spells Gaskin since Malcolm Brown landed on the I.R. The Dolphins recently signed Phillip Lindsey, who may have a small role on Sunday if he's healthy enough to play.

Wide Receivers

X-receiver DeVante Parker is trending towards playing, but the Dolphins have a BYE week after the Giants game, so the Dolphins may hold him out if he's not ready to return.

Parker is an excellent contested-catch receiver who is dangerous in the red zone. Mack Hollins has been the big-bodied wide receiver who assumed the Parker role, but Hollins isn't nearly as effective using his big frame to box out smaller defenders. Parker's return will help the downfield passing attack of the offense.

Albert Wilson and Isaiah Ford will be rotated on the field as well. Neither player is a huge difference-maker, but Wilson is very fast. He can't replace the speed of Will Fuller, but teams could do worse than Wilson and Ford as we look down depth charts around the NFL.

The most dynamic offensive player on the Dolphins is rookie first-round pick, Jaylen Waddle. He spends a ton of time in the slot and is used to spread the field vertically and horizontally. Waddle is much more than just speed; he is a nuanced route runner coming off a huge nine-catch, 137-yard performance, and a score.

Waddle has 759 yards receiving on the season and five total touchdowns. He could be a problem for James Bradberry, but if Adoree' Jackson is healthy, he should see more of Waddle while Bradberry covers tight end Mike Gesicki.

Tight Ends

Mike Gesicki is classified as a tight end, but he's more of a dynamic slot receiver who kicks outside to the backside of 3x1 sets. He's one of the better athletes in the NFL, and the Giants have to contain him in the short to intermediate parts of the field. Bradberry has shadowed tight ends in recent weeks with success, so don't be surprised to see him shadow Gesicki in certain situations.

Gesicki uses his 6'6 frame well, and both Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett love to target him in the middle of the field. Gesicki has 75 targets with 52 catches for 596 yards and two touchdowns.

Miami also uses a bunch of multiple tight end sets. They lead the league in 12 personnel. Durham Smyth is a solid blocker who has played a large percentage of snaps for the Dolphins. He has seen 29 targets and caught 25 of them for 253 yards.

The rookie from Boston College Hunter Long doesn't see the field too often behind Adam Shaheen, but the latter has missed some time with a knee injury. Both players are well-rounded, but Shaheen is a bit more effective as a blocker.

Offensive Line

The Miami Dolphins have one of the worst offensive lines in football, and one that's arguably worse than the New York Giants offensive line, so the defensive front of New York has to generate some pressure on Tagovailoa.

Miami's 2020 First-round pick Austin Jackson was kicked inside due to ineffective play. He's now their left guard. Jackson is still only 22 years old, but he has surrendered 42 pressures and five sacks.

Miami's offensive line surrenders the most pressure by far. The rookie right tackle Liam Eichenberg struggled so far this season. He has allowed 50 pressures on the year and nine sacks, and that number is the highest pressure mark by any player in the NFL, followed by 47, which belongs to Jesse Davis, the starting left tackle for the Dolphins.

Austin Reiter and Robert Hunt are the other two interior linemen with Reiter - a player the Giants brought in for a workout in the offseason - as the center. The other three positions are significantly underperforming, which negatively affects these two players.

Hunt is dealing with an injury and is questionable for the game, but it appears he may play. The Giants should have a significant advantage against the Dolphins' offensive line.