The New York Giants are reeling, and facing a Week 5 battle against the Miami Dolphins could not have come at a more inopportune time.
Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale lightheartedly lamented on having to game plan for a Dolphins team he likens to the 1999-2001 St. Lous Rams, also known as the “Greatest Show on Turf.” CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin shared how Martindale characterized them, saying:
“I mean, they are fast. Faster than that. It’s not even turf there, it’s grass, and they’re still fast. … I told the defense, there’s gonna be plays made. Let’s just try to get a stop.”
Giants’ Martindale Remembers The Rams’ Domination At The Turn of the 20th Century
Kurt Warner directed the St. Louis Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf and won two league MVPs and a Super Bowl during the franchise’s historic three-year run. Teammate and fellow MVP RB Marshall Faulk won all three NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards during their historic stretch.
Commentator Chris Berman coined the memorable phrase after the team produced the best passing offense in a run-oriented league. Times were different, but Warner blazed a trail behind an elite offensive line that helped the Rams have their way up and down the field.
Martindale sees the same in the Dolphins.
Preparing for them is where the dread comes in. New York’s defense has allowed the seventh-most yards per attempt in the air. Their pass rushers have recorded the fewest sacks and collectively, they’ve suffered the highest margin of defeat across the league.
Martindale must also shape up a run defense that has allowed an NFL-worst seven rushing touchdowns.
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The Giants Are Gearing Up For the NFL’s Best Offense
Miami is off to a blistering 3-1 start and is tied with the Buffalo Bills for first place in the AFC East. The Dolphins have scored an NFL-high 150 points and are clicking on all cylinders offensively. They’ve given defenses nightmares and Martindale is the latest to be woken up from his sleep thinking about how to keep them off the field.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has greased the wheels for his offense and has been helped by speedster WR Tyreek Hill on one side and WR Jaylen Waddle on the other. Tagovailoa gets the ball out of his hands in an NFL-best 2.37 seconds. His offensive line has only allowed five sacks and one would have to take a hard look to find holes in their play-calling.
Four of his receivers have accumulated over 100 yards. Miami leads the NFL in passing yards despite ranking No. 16 in attempts. Running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane have all of the Dolphins’ NFL-leading 10 rushing touchdowns and their rushers gain 6.3 yards per carry — another league-best.
The Giants look to improve to 2-3 when they play Miami on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. ET.