Giants have a mammoth checklist vs. Dolphins

For the Giants, there are key areas that need attention, regardless of the opponent.

This is a team that appears to need to look inward to find some answers, and solutions, after a 1-3 start.

But there is the matter of this week’s opponent.

That would be the Dolphins, coming off a 48-20 loss in Buffalo after opening the season with three straight wins.

The week before, the Dolphins scored 70 points against the Broncos.

Miami can score with anyone in the league.

But these days, the Giants seem to be concentrating on getting the Giants right.

For quarterback Daniel Jones, that likely means playing better, distributing the ball to the proper targets, seeing the rush and refinding his confidence.

Yes, there’s a lot on his to-do list in Week 5.

If Jones and tight end Darren Waller can find ways to connect against the Dolphins, that could help solve some of those issues.

“Yeah, I think it’s important,” Jones said. “He’s a talented player and poses a big threat for defenses, so I’ve got to do a better job finding him and getting him the ball.”

Jones added that he has to give Waller a chance to make a catch.

Surprisingly, Waller has 15 receptions for 153 yards and no touchdowns through four games.

As seen throughout training camp, Waller doesn’t require a perfect spiral. He truly can be a quarterback’s best friend.

Then there’s Sterling Shepard, the longest-tenured current Giant.

Coach Brian Daboll suggested this past week that Shepard will begin to have a bigger role in the game plan.

Shepard has two receptions for 10 yards this season.

“I mean, I’ve got a lot of confidence and faith in Shep,” Jones said. “I’ve played a lot of football with him. We’ve got a lot of good players, a lot of good receivers, and my job is to distribute the ball to them.”

For offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, a critical concern is the offensive line. Because of injuries, the Giants will start their fifth different line combination against the Dolphins.

“I think right now that’s just part of being in the National Football League,” Kafka said. “There’s injuries everywhere. We have to be able to adjust and have the next-man-up mentality, and our guys have been great.”

A group that surely could use a strong showing is the special teams. The Giants had six special-teams penalties against Seattle.

Said special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey: “We knew that [officiating] crew threw a lot of penalties, but you just can’t do it. I can deal with those effort penalties, but [the flags] at the line of scrimmage weren’t necessary.”

As for the defense, Wink Martindale said he saw “progress” against Seattle on Monday night.

“The biggest thing that stood out for us defensively was the improvement on third down, and I like where we’re headed,” Martindale said. “I like that we’ve stayed positive throughout the tough time we’re going through right now and we have a tremendous challenge coming up down there in Miami on Sunday. It’s going to be a great challenge for us. It’s going to be exciting. Fun to watch.”

Especially in the Miami heat, Martindale may find it useful to shuffle defensive personnel more frequently. That could mean rookie Tre Hawkins III will be back on the field after not being part of the game plan recently.

“They’re all going to be ready to play,” Martindale said. “What’s it supposed to be, 85 [degrees]? And if you watch this offense, you’re going to be running, so everybody has got to be ready to go.”

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.