Will this week's MNF game produce epic air and ground performances like their past matchups?
The Miami Dolphins host the New York Giants at Sun Life Stadium on Monday night.
Monday Night Football history lesson
Giants vs. Dolphins on Monday Night Football:
» Total matchups: 0. It doesn't come as a huge surprise that these two teams have never met on Monday Night Football, especially when you take into account that the two teams once went 18 years between matchups (1972-1990). That timeframe would take out a good amount of the seasons when the Giants and Dolphins were simultaneously good.
One notable passing performance in series: With 10 unanswered fourth-quarter points and a big passing day from quarterback Eli Manning, the Giants overcame a sluggish start and potential letdown against the winless Dolphins during Week 11 of the 2011 season. Manning threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns in the Giants' 20-17 win at MetLife Stadium. While the Dolphins got it together and won six of their final 10 games, the Giants went 3-5 down the stretch but somehow mustered a Super Bowl run. The Giants finished 9-7, won the NFC East crown, and went on another improbable playoff run akin to their 2007 surge to Super Bowl glory. Just like their Super Bowl run in the 2007 season ended with a win over the New England Patriots, the Giants prevailed in Super Bowl XLVI over the Patriots.
One notable rushing performance in series: In the Giants' aforementioned Super Bowl-winning 2007 season, they played the Dolphins in the NFL's International Series game at London's Wembley Stadium. Running back Brandon Jacobs carried the ball 23 times for 131 yards in the triumph. The Giants went 4-4 the rest of the way, finished 10-6 and made the playoffs as a wild-card team. Their run ended by halting the Patriots' run at the first perfect season since the 1972 Dolphins in an upset win in Super Bowl XLII.
One famous MNF game
Giants: In 1990, the 10-1 Giants visited the 10-1 San Francisco 49ers -- who were also two-time defending Super Bowl champions. The 49ers won, 7-3. However, the two would meet again a month and a half later in the NFC championship game, when the Giants prevailed 15-13, advanced to Super Bowl XXV, where they won in dramatic fashion against the Buffalo Bills.
Dolphins: In Week 13 of the 1985 season, the Dolphins hosted the 12-0 Chicago Bears at the Orange Bowl on Monday Night Football. The franchise that authored the only unbeaten season in the Super Bowl era made sure the Bears wouldn't match that feat (Chicago would finish 18-1, including playoff wins). Behind three touchdown passes by Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino, the Dolphins prevailed, 38-24, in one of the most famous Monday night games in the series' history. The Bears, of course, went on to win Super Bowl XX. The Dolphins, meanwhile, were expected to join them in the Superdome for a rematch, but were upset at home by the New England Patriots in the AFC championship.
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
