New York Giants Keep Playoff Hopes Alive With Win

New York Giants running back Andre Williams (44) attempts to bring down Miami Dolphins running back Damien Williams (34), during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 14, 2015, in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The Giants plotted the play at the team hotel before the game.

But if the Coughlin era is going to sputter to an end in the next three weeks, Monday night proved that the quarterback who came to the franchise with him 11 years ago – and the other Giants stars who have known no other N.F.L. coach but Coughlin – are planning to get up off the turf and go down fighting.

“I was thinking it would be a big play, or had a chance to [be]”, Manning said.

Manning went 27 for 31 for 337 yards and four scores.

The Giants (6-7) broke a three-game losing streak and are tied with the Redskins and Eagles for the lead in the woeful NFC East.

While the Vikings’ recent record in prime time games is problematic, this is a hump that this team is going to have to get over eventually…after all, there aren’t a lot of noon Central time kickoffs in the National Football League post-season.

The Giants are still alive in the NFC playoff picture, and they did it – finally! – by going off script.

Dan Campbell’s tenure as a member of the Miami Dolphins coaching staff spans six years, and in those six years the Dolphins have yet to achieve a playoff birth or a winning season.

-PASSING OFFENSE: D – QB Ryan Tannehill (one touchdown, no interceptions, 85.0 passer rating) wasn’t especially sharp.

The 100-yard-plus game was Beckham’s sixth in a row, a Giants record. Beckham has played 25 career games and has hauled in 24 touchdowns. “If coverage dictates that they go (Grimes’) way, then they’ll throw it. The made some plays”.

“Can’t blame it on calls”, safety Michael Thomas conceded. While his play is nothing short of torrid, Beckham is still giving the credit to the team around him. Dolphins safety Reshad Jones misread the play as just a slant and jumped the route, which resulted in a wide-open Beckham and an 84-yard go-ahead score. The latter pass was initially ruled incomplete because Beckham was out of bounds, but the decision was overturned by a replay review that made the score 24-all.

The teams were tied 17-17 at the half as Miller had scoring runs of 14 and 38 yards, and Miami also got a 36-yard field goal by kicker Andrew Franks.

“Manning played superbly, and I had a good feeling that he would”, said head coach Tom Coughlin postgame.

For Beckham, Monday night against the Dolphins marked the beginning of playoff type of games as the Giants can not afford to give up any more wins. But it wasn’t just Beckham that the Dolphins secondary couldn’t stop in their 31-24 loss at Sun Life Stadium. Danny Aiken made his debut as Giants long snapper, replacing Zak DeOssie (wrist), who is out for the season….

Seeing that, Beckham ran into the locker room early in the third quarter, received two bags of intravenous fluid, then came back to dominate the second half.

-RB Lamar Miller probably deserved a better fate in this game … and in the entire season.