New York Giants Full Team Grades vs. Miami Dolphins

Dec 14, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphin running back Lamar Miller heads to the end zone for a second quarter touchdown as New York Giants safety Cooper Taylor (right0 gets beat on the play at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Duyos-USA TODAY Sports

Run Defense Grade: C

The Giants need to thank the Dolphins for changing their offensive game plan during halftime. For whatever reason, the Dolphins essentially abandoned the run in favor of Tannehill passes, and it was probably a big reason for the Giants picking up the victory.

Lamar Miller was running all over the Giants in the first half, racking up 69 yards on seven carries with two touchdowns. For whatever reason, he only received five carries in the second half, gaining another 20 yards. He averaged 7.4 yards per carry as the Giants had no way to stop Miller running the ball, so the Dolphins did it for them just not handing it off in the second half.

On the game the Dolphins piled up 128 rushing yards on 22 attempts, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. With that kind of production, the Dolphins could have literally ran the Giants out of Miami, but instead they relied on Tannehill’s arm and it cost them.

The Giants will take it though, as it helped get them the victory. The biggest problem for the Giants tonight was missed tackles, as the Dolphins were breaking tackles and making chunk runs. The Giants cleaned it up a bit in the second half, but not enough to abandon it the way that they did. The Giants are happy they did as it didn’t look like they were going to find an answer to slow down the Dolphins running game tonight.

Next: Special Teams Grade