The New York Giants (2-11) will host the Miami Dolphins (3-10) on Sunday in a matchup of two of the four worst teams in the NFL, at least according to their records.
Both teams are coming off excruciatingly difficult losses. New York led the Philadelphia Eagles 17-3 before losing 23-17 in overtime on Monday night, while Miami fell to the New York Jets on a final-play field goal last Sunday.
The Giants have lost nine straight games, which ties a franchise record set in 1976 and equaled from 2003-04.
“We’re a team that finds a way to lose a lot of games,” Giants star running back Saquon Barkley said. “We’ve got to find a way to turn it to the other side.”
Barkley was a Pro Bowl player last year when he rushed for 1,307 yards, 11 touchdowns and a 5.0 per-carry average. This season, he has been held to 610 yards, a 4.0 average and two scores.
Perhaps he and the Giants can start to turn the proverbial tide this Sunday. The Giants are 3.5-point favorites over the Dolphins, who fell 22-21 to the Jets — at MetLife Stadium, the site of Sunday’s game — on a 44-yard field goal as time expired.
The last time the Giants and Dolphins played was in 2015, when New York prevailed 31-24. A lot has changed since then, and the Dolphins, under first-year coach Brian Flores, are in a massive rebuild.
After an offseason overhaul and early season trades, the Dolphins have lost many to injuries, including cornerback Xavien Howard, safety Reshad Jones, running back Kalen Ballage, wide receivers Jakeem Grant and Preston Williams, and safety Bobby McCain.
Against the Jets, the Dolphins lost their top two remaining receivers — DeVante Parker and Albert Wilson — both to concussions. It’s unclear if either will face the Giants, as both were limited in practice on Wednesday but remain in the protocol.
The Dolphins already have used 74 players this season — the most in franchise history and No. 1 in the NFL for 2019. The league record is 78 by the 2017 Houston Texans, and the Dolphins are likely to break that mark because the team has brought in seven newcomers over the past week.
They all could see action against the Giants.
“Anybody we feel has developmental potential, we’ll look into it,” said Flores, a former New England Patriots scout.
Sunday’s game will feature a battle between two veteran quarterbacks: Eli Manning, a 38-year-old Giants lifer, and Dolphins passer Ryan Fitzpatrick, a gritty 37-year-old playing for his eighth NFL team.
Fitzpatrick has had a solid season, considering the lack of talent around him. Fitzpatrick is 3-7 in his 10 starts and has passed for 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He is completing 62.2 percent of his passes for an average of 209.3 yards per game.
Manning, who was benched in favor of first-round rookie Daniel Jones entering Week 3, returned as the Giants’ starter last week with Jones battling a sprained ankle. Manning went 15 of 30 for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to the Eagles.
Jones returned to a limited practice on Wednesday but worked with the second team, behind Manning. On Friday, the Giants announced Manning would start against Miami.
Benching aside, Manning has been incredibly durable in his career, not missing a start due to injury since his rookie season.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection who has won two Super Bowls — both as the MVP — Manning will be making his fourth start of the season, and perhaps the final start of his 16-year career.
Joining Jones in being limited Wednesday was wideout Golden Tate (foot), while right guard Kevin Zeitler (ankle, wrist) sat out. Tight end Evan Engram (foot) won’t play.
The Giants released cornerback Janoris Jenkins on Friday after his Twitter post earlier this week directed at a fan that contained a term the team called “inappropriate and offensive.”
