The New York Giants (2-11) host the Miami Dolphins (3-10) in a game between two last place teams that could impact the top of next April’s NFL Draft.
Here are six things to know before Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium.
The series history
This will be the ninth regular-season meeting between the two teams since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. The Giants lead the series, 6-2 and have a 2-2 home record.
The teams only met once between 1970 and 1990, a 23-13 Dolphins victory at Yankee Stadium on December 10, 1972. They’ve played seven times since 1990.
The teams last faced one another on December 14, 2015 with the Giants winning, 31-24, at Hard Rock Stadium. The teams last played in MetLife Stadium on Oct. 30, 2011 when the Super Bowl-bound Giants nipped the Dolphins, 20-17.
The Dolphins are in familiar terrain
The Dolphins played the Jets last week at MetLife, losing a controversial game, 22-21, in the final seconds. They’ll be back this week to face the Giants.
This is the ninth time since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger a team will play back to back road games in the same stadium. All of them have been versus the Giants and Jets as they have shared stadiums throughout their histories.
The Giants are at a crossroads
There is nothing settled about the Giants these days. With Daniel Jones still uncertain for Sunday with a high ankle sprain, it appears Eli Manning will likely get the call again at quarterback. It could be his last home start in a Giant uniform.
The front office and coaching staff are under pressure and many veterans are playing for their Giant careers. The rumors of a housecleaning are beginning to get louder and gaining in credence. Even if the Giants win this game or any of the final two contests, no one’s job is safe.
The Dolphins are a team to watch
After opening the season 0-7, Miami has split their last six games. Last week, they had the Jets beat at MetLife, but the officials uncharacteristically called a defensive pass interference call on them after reviewing a challenge which led to the Jets’ game-winning field goal.
The Dolphins have a bright future, however. They own 14 selection in next year’s NFL Draft. Three of those picks are predicted to be in the top 22 selections with a total of seven in the top 100.
Brian Flores is making his mark
The Giants are 31st in turnover ratio at minus-13. Only the Dolphins are worse at minus-14, but first year head coach Brian Flores, a former New England Patriots defensive assistant, is changing the culture, the process and hopefully, the results.
Under Flores, the Dolphins have seen a major improvement when it comes to penalties. They are currently tied for third in the NFL, committing just 75 accepted penalties. Their 645 penalty yards this season are the fifth-best mark in the league this year. The offense has committed only 28 penalties, tied for the fewest in the league.
Last season, Miami had the eighth-most penalty yards (978) and had the second-most total penalties (137) in the league in 2017.
Who are these Dolphins?
The Dolphins are a team in obvious transition. They’ve gone through a ton of changes and will go through more after this season. Of the 53 players on their roster, only 15 of them (28.3%) were drafted by the Dolphins. 21 of their players (39.6 pct.) were not selected in the NFL draft at all. 47 of their 53 players (88.7 pct.) are 28 years old or younger.
They are led by 37-year-old journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who leads the team in both passing and rushing yards. This season, Fitzpatrick the first quarterback in NFL history to win a start for seven different teams.
Their top receiver is DeVante Parker with 55 catches for 882 yards (a 16.0 average) and six touchdowns. Former Dallas Cowboy Taco Charlton leads the Dolphins in sacks with five.
