Giants vs. Dolphins: Gameday details, injury updates and featured matchup
The Giants' Eli Manning looks on from the sidelines during the first half of an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Rourke
Today’s game
DOLPHINS (3-10) AT GIANTS (2-11)
MetLife Stadium, 1 p.m.
VITALS
Line: Giants by 3; O/U 46
TV: Ch. 2 (Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta)
Radio: WFAN-660 AM (Bob Papa, Carl Banks, Howard Cross); Sirius 119; XM 231
INJURY UPDATE
Giants: OUT: QB Daniel Jones (ankle), TE Evan Engram (foot), TE Rhett Ellison (concussion), G Kevin Zeitler (ankle/wrist).
Dolphins: OUT: DT Gerald Willis (hip); DOUBTFUL: FB Chandler Cox (shoulder); QUESTIONABLE: WR DeVante Parker (concussion), WR Albert Wilson (concussion).
FEATURED MATCHUP
Don’t sleep on the Dolphins’ special teams. They showed that a few weeks ago when they ran a crazy play with their kicker throwing a touchdown pass to their punter. “They’re being aggressive,” Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said. “When you get a team like that in the position that they’re in, I guess they’re saying, ‘Why not? If we can steal a possession, let’s get it. Maybe it can help us score more points and win a game.’” Will the Giants, who are in a similar position, draw up something just as unorthodox? “We’re special teams coaches, we think of everything,” McGaughey said. “I promise you, if I go back and take you into looks in some of my notebooks and some of the stuff I’ve drawn up over the years, it’s crazy. And we’re all built the same way, so we’ve all got a bunch of tricks up our sleeves.”
QUOTABLE
“He’s done it his whole career, staying in the moment. My guess is he’s going to do it that way this time.”
– Pat Shurmur on Eli Manning blocking out the emotions of what could be his final home start on Sunday.
INTANGIBLES
Brian Flores said something no other coach of a three-win team — and certainly no one on the current Giants — likely would utter: “It’s been a fun year.” That’s a strange sentiment for a team that has struggled to find wins and is coming off a dispiriting loss to the Jets. “It’s the people, it’s the coaching staff, it’s the players,” Flores said. “It’s a joy to be out there every day with these guys and helping them improve and get better. So yeah, it’s a lot of fun for me . . . I don’t know. I can’t speak for anyone else.”
NUMBER, PLEASE
4-0: Eli Manning’s career record against the Dolphins.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
