For most teams, 524 yards of offense would be a high-water mark but it’s a bit of same old, same old for the Dolphins.
They gained more yards than that in two of their first four games and any excitement about the offense will be tempered by three turnovers that allowed the Giants to stay closer on the scoreboard than they ever appeared to be on the field. The Giants were within a touchdown at halftime and had a chance to make it a one-score game late in the fourth quarter before backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor was stopped short of a first down on a fourth-down scramble.
That stop allowed the Dolphins to put the final touches on a 31-16 win that moves them to 4-1 on the season. They will stay at home to face the 0-5 Panthers in Week Six.
Jaylen Waddle got the scoring started on a pass from Tua Tagovailoa and rookie running back De’von Achane stretched the lead to 14-0 with a 76-yard touchdown run. That’s Achane’s seventh touchdown in the last three games and he ended the day with 165 yards on 12 touches.
The Dolphins also got 69- and 64-yard gains by wide receiver Tyreek Hill. He scored on the 69-yarder and finished with eight catches for 181 yards. Raheem Mostert supplied the final touchdown of the afternoon and had 78 yards on 12 touches.
Miami’s day gave them the NFL record for most offensive yards in NFL history. They’ll try to keep that rolling while cleaning up the two Tagovailoa interceptions and Achane fumble that allowed the Giants to hang around.
Taylor was playing for the Giants because Daniel Jones was knocked out with a neck injury in the fourth quarter. He was sacked six times after being dropped 10 times by the Seahawks in Week Four, so the Giants need to find some way to offer their quarterback more protection even with injuries across the offensive line. Having running back Saquon Barkley might help too, so they’ll hope to get him back after missing three games with an ankle injury.
Jones was unable to lead the offense to a touchdown before exiting — the lone trip to the end zone came on an 102-yard interception return by Jason Pinnock — and the Giants have not scored an offensive touchdown since the second half of their Week Three loss to the 49ers.
Their next chance to change that will come in Buffalo next Sunday night and a loss will leave the Giants at 1-5 on the season. That’s not what anyone with the Giants expected after a playoff win last season, but the reality is that there’s a lot that needs fixing for the NFC East basement dwellers.
