Miami Dolphins: 10 observations from Week 12 win vs. Texans

10 observations from Miami Dolphins Week 12 victory

5. The exotic blitzes are back

There was plenty of pressure put on Texans quarterback Kyle Allen all afternoon, but there was a familiar wrinkle to Miami’s defense game plan. There were multiple occasions in which coordinator Josh Boyer dialed up some of the exotic blitz packages that we were accustomed to seeing over the last couple of seasons, and with positive results.

There were no sacks by the defensive backs, but they helped to contribute to the five on the day for the Dolphins. On one particular play, I saw Zach Sieler as the only down defensive lineman, with Chubb, Phillips, and Ingram surrounding him.

6. Jaelan Phillips hitting his stride

Pass rusher Jaelan Phillips had issues with consistency during his rookie season in 2021, and he had a slow start to the current campaign. But it seems as though he has progressed every week, and he had one of his finest games of the season on Sunday against the Texans.

On a day in which Miami’s defense dominated for much of the afternoon, Phillips was perhaps the most active contributor. He was using his size and strength to blow through offensive linemen, and his speed to chase down quarterback Kyle Allen on multiple occasions. He finished the day with 7 total tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss. The trio of Phillips, Chubb, and Ingram could cause problems for opponents down the stretch.