Odell Beckham exploded for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns on seven receptions, leading the New York Giants (6-7) to a 31-24 victory over the Dolphins (5-8) on Monday night. Miami's loss means the New England Patriots have clinched the AFC East title. Here's what you need to know:
- With a feckless running game and a defense that struggles to tackle and cover, the Giants are a one-dimensional team. It certainly helps that the one dimension is the most exciting player in football, beating double-teams to the tune of six consecutive 100-yard performances.
Odell Beckham won his battles with cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Jamar Taylor, highlighted by yet another stunning touchdown catch -- this one of the toe-drag swag variety. Beckham followed that six-yard score with a perfect sell-job on a fake slant, forcing busted coverage on an 84-yard touchdown jaunt. That might have been his second-longest touchdown of the night had Eli Manning not underthrown a sideline pass that resulted in a soft pass inference call, negating another spectacular 42-yard catch. He added a diving catch to pick up a first down and seal the victory with 1:40 remaining.
Beckham has the most receptions (176) and receiving yards (2,625) of any player in his first 25 games. Since he debuted in Week 5 of last season, Beckham has 24 touchdowns. Rob Gronkowski is the only player in the league within nine receiving scores of Beckham over that span.
Next week will be a fair fight among superheroes, as Beckham -- sporting "Joker" cleats Monday night -- will battle with PanthersDefensive Player of the Year candidateJosh Norman, who has dubbed himself "The Dark Knight."
- Who's going to take the blame for underutilizing Lamar Miller this week? Miller stole the show in the first half, rushing seven times for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He saw just five carries for 20 yards in the final two quarters in which Miami was outscored 14-7. Former coach Joe Philbin treated Miller like an afterthought in the first month of the season. Former offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was fired in large part because he couldn't establish a ground attack based around Miller.
It's fitting that the Dolphins have been eliminated from postseason contention on a night in which they abandoned the run in a back-and-forth contest.
- Beckham shouldn't hog all of the credit for the Giants' nearly flawless aerial display. Eli Manning established a franchise record by completing 87 percent (27 of 31) of his passes, making excellent decisions while consistently hitting second and third progressions. Now that the Giants are in a three-way tie for first place in the woebegone NFC East, Manning and Beckham will have to continue to do the heavy lifting if they're going to reach the postseason.
- Jason Pierre-Paul has managed to create consistent pressure since he returned from a gruesome fireworks incident which left him without his right index finger, but the bulky club that he now sports on his hand is inhibiting his play. Without the ability to wrap up with two hands, JPP missed several tackles, including the initial hit on Lamar Miller's brilliant 38-yard touchdown.
- The Dolphins have selected an interior offensive lineman in the early rounds of five of their past six drafts, but annually trot out guard tandems that struggle in pass protection and run blocking. Giants defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins put a clown suit on left guard Dallas Thomas, allowing him to throw Ryan Tannehill around like a rag doll on a play in which the quarterback was fortunate not to suffer an injury.
- A late second-quarter fumble might have been the final straw for New York power back Andre Williams. Starter Rashad Jennings handled a season-high 22 totes for 81 yards, while Williams never saw another carry after the muffed handoff. Williams has been one of the NFL's least efficient backs since the G-Men selected him in the fourth round last year.
- Dolphins rookie DeVante Parker was held to two catches for 16 yards on five targets after totaling 143 yards and two touchdowns in Weeks 12 and 13. The disappointing output wasn't for a lack of playing time. Per Pro Football Focus, Parker led all Miami receivers with a career-high 67 snaps Monday night.
