Giants beat Dolphins 26-3 in Harbaugh's first win as head coach
Jameis Winston started and scored the game's first points on a touchdown run. Jaxson Dart, who played in the opener, didn't play at all.
The Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 26-3 on the road Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium, giving John Harbaugh his first win as head coach a week after a 13-10 preseason-opener loss to Minnesota.
Jameis Winston started at quarterback and scored the game's first points on an 11-yard touchdown run on the Giants' opening possession. Jaxson Dart, who played in last week's opener, did not play at all Saturday.
Winston finished 15 of 21 passing for 150 yards to go with the rushing score. Devin Singletary added a rushing touchdown in the first half that put the Giants up 17-0. Odell Beckham Jr. played his first game at Hard Rock Stadium since Dec. 8, 2024, when he was on the Dolphins. He caught two of four targets for 17 yards and drew a defensive pass interference penalty. A 14-yard would-be touchdown pass from Winston to Beckham in the end zone went through his hands.
The Giants defense held Miami to three points and 102 total yards. Cornerback Dru Phillips forced a fumble from Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright, recovered by linebacker Micah McFadden, and safety Tyler Nubin recovered another fumble on Miami's second possession. Bobby Jamison-Travis and Zacch Pickens each had a sack. The Giants' only turnover was a fumble by running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the first quarter, recovered by Dolphins linebacker Jackson Woodard.
Rookie right guard Francis Mauigoa did not play after leaving Thursday's joint practice with what Harbaugh called "a stinger-type thing." Offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu left Saturday's game with an injury to his lower left leg.
The Giants close the preseason Friday against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. The 53-man roster cutdown follows Sunday, Aug. 30. The regular-season opener is Sept. 13 against Dallas.
Roster notes
Rookie left tackle J.C. Davis played every snap at the position and allowed one pressure. SI's Giants Country wrote the sixth-round pick may have "locked up a roster spot."
Tracy's fumble was his second costly mistake in as many games, and the room behind him changed this week: the Giants signed veteran Najee Harris after rookie Dante "Turbo" Miller suffered a groin injury in the preseason opener and was released.
Wide receiver Calvin Austin III produced in three phases: two catches for 24 yards, a 21-yard fly sweep and 29 yards on punt returns.
Defensive tackle Darius Alexander went without a run-defense stop for the second straight week and ranked last among Giants defenders against the run in SI's Giants Country's charting. Nubin, whom the site graded highest among Giants defenders in coverage, had a pass breakup to go with his fumble recovery.
Beckham came in squarely on the roster bubble. Big Blue Interactive wrote before the game that "the clock is ticking for Beckham" and that "he has to do something special." The end-zone drop capped a preseason line of four catches on eight targets for 23 yards, a stretch SI's Giants Country wrote "doesn't exactly scream roster-worthy."
Dominic Zvada made two field goals and an extra point in the first half in his first NFL game action; Ben Sauls added two field goals in the second half. "He was good, probably better than I expected him to be," Harbaugh said of Zvada, per Yahoo Sports. SI's Giants Country wrote that Zvada is "closing in on the kicking job."