MIAMI GARDENS — For a second consecutive home game, Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was in the stands after scoring a touchdown at Hard Rock Stadium.
What initially looked like an even more chaotic celebration than the one he had two weeks earlier against the Denver Broncos, actually had a thoughtful purpose behind it.
Hill was intent on finding his mother and giving her the football. He said after Sunday’s 31-16 win over the New York Giants she told him she needed to be a part of his next touchdown celebration and didn’t care if he got fined. But when he went up to fulfill the good deed for the woman that brought him into this world, another rowdy fan in the front row was in the way.
“I scored. She was making her way down. When I gave it to her, a guy took it,” Hill recalled after the game.
Hill’s pass intended for his mom was intercepted, but the ball eventually got to its desired target after Hill’s mother, an usher for the section and another nearby fan explained to the fan that originally took the ball what was happening.
“My mom,” Hill said, “she’s a bulldog. She was like, ‘Give me my ball, boy!’ ”
Hill explained he was trying to communicate to the fan that he was trying to give the ball to his mother.
“It was so loud that, I was looking at my mom, but he was looking at me in excitement,” Hill said. “I was like, ‘Bro, move.’ My mom kind of shoved him out the way, but he got the ball and gave it to her.”
Hill joked it wouldn’t have gone well for the fan had he tried to fight his mother for the football.
“You don’t want to mess with that little beast,” said Hill of his mother, adding she was a 100-meter dash champion in high school. “I live with my mom every day. She scares me sometimes. You don’t want to mess with that one.”
Hill was flagged for taunting. He confirmed that the official told him it was for jumping into the stands and not for the peace sign he gave the Giants defense as he sped for the 69-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.
“I was like, ‘You would’ve did the same thing for your mom, too. Why would you give me a flag for that?’ He thought I was doing something else, though,” Hill said.
Hill finished with eight receptions for 181 yards and the long touchdown Sunday.
Williams makes impact
The Dolphins (4-1) had center Connor Williams back starting at center after he missed last week’s loss to the Buffalo Bills with a groin injury.
“He did a phenomenal job,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “He willed himself to play in this game. If you go by standard measurement of injury and timeline, he exceeded that, and it’s very impactful.
“He’s really taken a step in his game. One of the things that he does very well that we’re kind of spoiled with is his ability to anchor the pocket.”
With Williams back at center, relieving backup Liam Eichenberg following his rough outing in Buffalo, Miami only allowed one sack plus another hit against quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Miami, however, was without outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips Sunday against the Giants, the release of pregame inactives revealed, but the defense got another sack from Andrew Van Ginkel in his place. Van Ginkel would’ve had two had another not been negated by penalty.
Phillips, dealing with an oblique injury, missed his third game of the season’s first five. He said Friday, after completing a week of limited practice that whether he played would be come down to Sunday.
“I don’t think I’m 100 percent myself,” Phillips said, “but I think I’m capable enough to be able to perform.”
Beyond Van Ginkel, edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah also had 1 1/2 sacks in rotational duty.
Other Dolphins inactives were new wide receiver Chase Claypool, who was just acquired by Miami from Chicago on Friday, running back Salvon Ahmed, defensive tackle Brandon Pili, cornerback Kelvin Joseph and quarterback Skylar Thompson, who was available as an emergency third quarterback.
Cornerback Eli Apple was back into the defensive rotation in nickel packages, playing the boundary. He led the Dolphins in tackles, with nine, and had half a sack.
Barkley out
Giants running back Saquon Barkley was inactive for New York.
Barkley was listed as questionable on the team’s injury report going into Sunday, but he’ll need another week to recover from the high ankle sprain that has kept him out the past two games, including the Giants’ woeful 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks last Monday night.
New York already entered Sunday without three offensive linemen — left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring), center John Michael Schmitz (shoulder) and guard Shane Lemieux (groin). That for an offense that allowed 11 sacks against Seattle.
The Giants also had linebacker Micah McFadden (ankle) out. Healthy inactives were safety Gervarrius Owens and defensive lineman Jordon Riley.
Claypool number
While Claypool did not play Sunday, he has his Miami jersey number.
Claypool will wear No. 84 with the Dolphins. His two previous NFL numbers were taken by fellow Miami wideouts — No. 10 by Tyreek Hill and 11 by Cedrick Wilson Jr.
The Dolphins acquired Claypool, along with a 2025 seventh-round draft pick, from the Chicago Bears for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
