MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Notes and statistics from the Giants' 31-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins:
*The Giants broke their three-game losing streak and improved to 6-7, a record that ties them atop the NFC East with Philadelphia and Washington. On Sunday, the Giants host the 13-0 Carolina Panthers.
*The Giants have matched their victory total from the 2014 season, when they finished 6-10.
*With the victory, the Giants' game at Minnesota on Dec. 27 has been moved from 1 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by NBC. The NFL announced earlier Monday that the game would be flexed to prime time – but only if the Giants defeated the Dolphins. Had the Giants lost or tied Miami, the Minnesota game would have remained a 1 p.m. start.**>> GIANTS.COM POSTGAME ANALYSIS**
*The Giants were 2-2 against the AFC East this season, beating Buffalo and Miami on the road, and losing to New England and the Jets at home.
*The Giants finished with 429 yards, their second-highest total of the season, behind only the 525 yards they gained in a victory over San Francisco on Oct. 11.
*The Giants' 337 net passing yards is their third-highest total of the season, behind the 441 vs. San Francisco and 342 against New England.
*The Giants scored on a two-play, 96-yard drive in the fourth quarter (the second play was an 84-yard
touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Odell Beckham Jr.). It was the most territory the Giants have covered on one drive since Nov. 11, 2012, when they scored a touchdown on a 98-yard drive in Cincinnati.
*Miami's 363 yards and 16 first downs were the second-lowest totals by a Giants opponent this season; Buffalo gained 313 yards and had 14 first downs on Oct. 4.
*The Giants won the coin toss and deferred taking possession of the ball until the second half. They are 3-4 this season, and 3-10 overall, when they defer.
*The teams were tied at halftime, 17-17. It was the first time a Giants game was deadlocked after two quarters since Oct. 19, 2014, when they were knotted up with Dallas, 14-14. But the Giants lost that game, 31-21.
*The Giants' defense picked up a takeaway on the game's first series, when safety Landon Collins forced a fumble by tight end Dion Sims that was recovered by Jason Pierre-Paul. It was the Giants' first opening-possession takeaway since Nov. 16, 2014, when cornerback Zack Bowman recovered a fumble by Frank Gore, after the running back slipped and lost the ball.
*The fumble recovery was Pierre-Paul's second in as many games. He had one last week vs. the Jets.
*The game matched the NFL's oldest and youngest head coaches, 69-year-old Tom Coughlin and Dan Campbell, 39, the former Giants tight end who fell to 4-5 as Miami's interim coach. In 20 years as an NFL head coach, Coughlin is 25-14 against first-year head coaches, including 16-10 with the Giants.
*Coughlin won his 170th regular-season game as an NFL head coach, tying him with Mike Shanahan for 11th on the league's career list. Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Parcells, the former Giants coach, is 10th with 172 regular-season wins.
*Including his 12 postseason victories, Coughlin has 182 total triumphs. That leaves him in 11th place on that list, just one behind Parcells.
*Eli Manning played one of the finest games of his career, completing 27 of 31 passes for 337 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. His completion percentage of 87.1 and passer rating of 151.5 were each career highs for a full game. Manning's previous best completion percentage was 78.8 (26 of 33) at Arizona on Nov. 23, 2008. His best rating had been 148.8 at St. Louis on Dec. 21, 2014. Manning had a perfect 158.3 rating against Oakland on Oct. 11, 2009, but he played only the first five series.
*Manning completed his first eight passes, and also hit nine in a row in the second half.
Five standout performers in the Giants Monday night matchup against the Miami Dolphins
QB ELI MANNINGManning got off to a hot start by completing his first eight passes of the game and never looked back. The franchise quarterback went 27 of 31 for 337 yards, four touchdowns, and a passer rating of 151.5.
WR ODELL BECKHAM JR.Beckham came up especially big in the second half to win his duel with former LSU teammate and Miami wide receiver Jarvis Landry. Beckham finished with seven catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns, including an 84-yard score to give the Giants a 31-24 lead in the fourth quarter. The 166 yards were a season high and marked his sixth consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards.
WR RUEBEN RANDLEAfter having just three receptions after the bye week, Randle caught five passes for 58 yards on Monday night, including a six-yard touchdown from Manning in the second quarter.
RB RASHAD JENNINGSAfter the ground game began with four rushes for a loss of four yards, running back Rashad Jennings found some traction and rushed 22 times for 81 yards, his highest total of the season. The Giants were able to grind out the clock on their final drive and finished with 92 yards on the ground.
TE WILL TYEThe Stony Brook product caught his first career touchdown on five-yard pass from Eli Manning to tie the game late in the first half. He finished with five receptions for 30 yards.
*It was the second time this season Manning threw at least four touchdown passes without an interception. On Nov. 1 at New Orleans, he threw for six scores without a pick. Manning has thrown 28 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions this season.
*For the fourth time this season, Manning was not sacked (also vs. Washington and San Francisco, and at Tampa Bay). The Giants won all four of those games.
*Beckham caught seven passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns, despite missing the first series of the second half while he received intravenous fluids to alleviate leg cramps. It was his sixth consecutive 100-yard game, extending his Giants record. The last NFL player with such a streak was Denver's Demaryius Thomas, who had seven straight 100-yard games in 2014.
*The 100-yard game was Beckham's eighth of the season and 15th of his career. The Giants are 6-9 when he has at least 100 receiving yards.
*The seven receptions increased Beckham's career total to 176, increasing his record-setting total by an NFL player in his first two seasons. Beckham broke the mark last week vs. the Jets. The previous record was set by New Orleans' Marques Colston with 168 catches in 2006-07.
*Beckham's 166 yards increased his season total to 1,320. That exceeds his rookie total of 1,305 yards. Beckham played in just 12 games as a rookie.
*Beckham has scored 12 touchdowns this season, matching his rookie total. His 24 receiving touchdowns are a Giants record for the most such scores in the first two years of a Giants career. Del Shofner set the previous record of 23 in 1961-62. Beckham's 176 catches and 2,625 yards are also franchise records for a player in his first two seasons.
*Beckham scored his first touchdown after Coughlin won a key replay challenge. With 5:01 remaining in the third quarter, Manning threw a six-yard pass to Beckham, who
caught it in the end zone inches from the right sideline. The officials ruled the pass was incomplete, saying Beckham was out of bounds. Coughlin challenged the ruling, and after review, referee Craig Wrolstad reversed the call on the field and ruled it a touchdown. Moments later, Coughlin lost a challenge on what he had hoped was a Giants fumble recovery. Coughlin is 2-2 this season, 44-50 with the Giants, and 53-57 in his career on replay challenges.
*Beckham's 84-yard score was his second-longest of the season; he had an 87-yarder against New England on Nov. 15. In his two seasons, Beckham has an NFL-high three touchdown receptions of 80 or more yards. He has a league-leading six touchdown catches of at least 50 yards this season.
*Beckham has a chance to set the two-season records for all three major receiving categories:
FIRST TWO SEASONS
MOST RECEPTIONS
Odell Beckham Jr. - 176, Jarvis Landry - 173, Marques Colston, - 168, A.J. Green - 162, Larry Fitzgerald - 161, Reggie Bush - 161
MOST RECEIVING YARDS
Randy Moss - 2,726, Bill Groman - 2,648, Odell Beckham Jr. - 2,625, Jerry Rice - 2,497, Charley Hennigan - 2,468
MOST RECEIVING TDs
Bill Groman - 29, Randy Moss - 28, Rob Gronkowski - 27, Bob Hayes - 25, Odell Beckham Jr. - 24
*Manning's other two touchdown passes went to Rueben Randle (six-yarder in the second quarter) and Will Tye (five-yarder, also in the second). It was Randle's fifth touchdown catch this season, one shy of the career high he set in 2013.
*Tye scored his first career touchdown. He is the seventh player to catch a Manning touchdown pass this season, and the 42nd in Manning's 12-year career.
Giants.com hands outs their game balls after the Giants top the Dolphins
RB Rashad JenningsThe numbers may not be flashy, but a big reason why the Giants finished in the fourth quarter was their ability to run the ball and pick up first downs. Jennings finished with a season-high 81 yards on 22 carries, including a long of 21 yards.
QB Eli ManningThe franchise quarterback opened up the primetime game by completing his first eight passes en route to turning in a near-perfect passer rating of 151.5. Manning had only four incompletions on 31 passing attempts and threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns.
Offensive LineThe Giants' front, which has been forced to shuffle and re-shuffle at times this season due to injuries, did not allow Manning to be sacked all night in Miami. The offense operated efficiently, racking up 31 points and 25 first downs while winning the time of possession.
TE Will TyeThe former Stony Brook Seawolf caught his first career touchdown on a five-yard pass from Manning late in the first half. He finished with five receptions for 30 yards.
WR Odell Beckham Jr. He did it again. With 166 yards on seven receptions, Beckham recorded his sixth consecutive game of at least 100 yards. In addition to a 45-yard reception, he caught two touchdowns in the second half, including an 84-yarder that put the Giants ahead for good early in the fourth quarter.
*For the third game in a row since his return, Hakeem Nicks caught one pass, this time for five yards.
*The Giants rushed for 92 yards, including a season-high 81 by Rashad Jennings. His previous best this season was 63 yards at Philadelphia on Oct. 19. Jennings' 81 yards was his highest total since he ran for 91 yards at Jacksonville on Nov. 30, 2014.
*Jennings' 21-yard run in the second quarter was his longest since he had a 27-yarder in Dallas on Sept. 13. His longest run on 27 attempts in the previous four games was nine yards.
*Robert Ayers had the Giants' only sack of Ryan Tannehill, a one-yarder.
*Rookie safety Landon Collins led the Giants with seven tackles (five solo).
*Lamar Miller led Miami with 12 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns. His 38-yard score in the second quarter was the second-longest run against the Giants this season, and the longest rushing touchdown. On Nov. 8, Tampa Bay's Charles Sims had a 59-yard run, but did not score.
*Miller was the first Giants opponent to rush for two touchdowns since Denver's Knowshon Moreno on runs of 20 and 25 yards on Sept. 15, 2013.
*Mark Herzlich made his second start of the season at strongside linebacker for the injured Devon Kennard. Herzlich had one tackle.
*Long-snapper Danny Aiken, signed last week to replace the injured Zak DeOssie (injured reserve/wrist), made his Giants debut.
*Guards Justin Pugh and John Jerry both suffered burners in the second quarter. Dallas Reynolds replaced Jerry at right guard for one series.
*Defensive tackle Markus Kuhn left the game with a knee in the third quarter. Defensive end George Selvie was evaluated for a concussion in the second half and did not return.
*The Giants' game captains were Cullen Jenkins, Josh Brown and Herzlich. Jenkins has become the de facto defensive captain since Jon Beason went on injured reserve. Herzlich and Brown stepped in for special teams captain DeOssie.
*The Giants' inactive players included two starters, linebacker Devon Kennard (hamstring/foot) and safety Brandon Meriweather (knee). Each player missed his second consecutive game, and it was the fourth time this season Kennard was forced to sit out. Also on the inactive list were wide receiver Geremy Davis, cornerback Tramain Jacobs, offensive linemen Adam Gettis and Emmett Cleary, and newly-signed linebacker Stansly Maponga.
*The Giants are 4-0 as the visiting team vs. Miami, winning here in 1993 and 1996, and in London in 2007.
*The Giants' Monday Night Football record improved to 23-36-1, including 15-26-1 on the road.
Photos from the Giants Week 14 matchup against the Miami Dolphins
WR ODELL BECKHAM
RB RASHAD JENNINGS
WR ODELL BECKHAM
WR ODELL BECKHAM
DT CULLEN JENKINS
WR RUEBEN RANDLE
RB RASHAD JENNINGS
SAFETY LANDON COLLINS, LB J.T. THOMAS
KICKER JOSH BROWN
QB ELI MANNING
DE JASON PIERRE-PAUL
LB JASPER BRINKLEY, DE JASON PIERRE-PAUL
WR ODELL BECKHAM
RB RASHAD JENNINGS
CB PRINCE AMUKAMARA
QB ELI MANNING
QB ELI MANNING
QB ELI MANNING
WR RUEBEN RANDLE
RB RASHAD JENNINGS
RB RASHAD JENNINGS
WR ODELL BECKHAM
