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

10 observations from Miami Dolphins Week 12 victory

7. No Armstead, No Bueno

Before the season, I ranked the players that would be the most important to the Dolphins’ potential success in 2022, and Terron Armstead came in at the top of the list. And based on what we saw when he exited the game in the second quarter, it looks like I may have hit the nail on the head, for once.

Armstead’s absence resulted in three straight sacks on Tagovailoa, one of which bent him backwards in a way that made all of our hearts stop. But even when Tua was pulled from the game, the entire offensive line struggled both to protect the quarterback and open any running lanes for the ball carriers. Armstead’s status will dominate the conversation before the upcoming game against the 49ers.

8. Where was the running game?

The Dolphins’ rushing attack had been hitting its stride over the last few weeks, but the game against the Texans was undoubtedly a step back for the unit. Raheem Mostert was held out of the game with a knee injury, but Jeff Wilson Jr. appeared to be more than a capable backup, especially against a team that came in to the game with the worst rushing defense in the league.

Much of the fault was on the offensive line, but Miami was only able to muster a total of 66 yards on the ground on 26 carries, an average of 2.5 yards per. Luckily for the Dolphins, they didn’t need to rely on the running game for much of the game, but they’ll absolutely need to fix things before next week’s game in San Francisco.