The Miami Dolphins improved their record to 8-3 with a win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. But what did we learn, if anything?
The Miami Dolphins played host to the Houston Texans for their Week 12 contest, and things went about as you’d expect while the teams were at full strength.
The Texans are the league’s worst team, and their lack of talent was apparent throughout the game. The Dolphins faced very little resistance on either side of the ball in the first half, and they got out to a very comfortable 30-0 lead after the first 30 minutes. Things got a bit dicey in the second half when Terron Armstead left the game and Tua Tagovailoa was pulled under caution, but Miami was eventually able to pull out the victory and improve their record to 8-3.
It was the first game back after a bye week, and there were portions of the team that looked a little rusty, but they are back in first place in the AFC East entering the toughest portion of their schedule.
Here are 10 observations from the Miami Dolphins victory over the Texans on Sunday:
1. Dolphins finish the day with 89 percent chance of making playoffs
There were games that worked both in favor and against the Dolphins during Week 12’s action, but the most important result was they themselves adding a notch in the win column. After Sunday’s action, the Dolphins odds of securing a playoff spot have slightly improved, and they now sit at 89 percent. The AFC playoff race is shaping up to have a bit less drama than usual, which could be good for Miami and their potential for the postseason.
Without factoring in any other results, a win next week against the 49ers would push Miami’s odds to 95 percent, with a loss knocking them down to 85.
10 observations from Miami Dolphins Week 12 victory
2. Tua’s pocket presence is outstanding
He may not be labeled as a “mobile” quarterback, but Tagovailoa’s pocket presence is nothing short of outstanding. Not only does he have the awareness to move up in a collapsing pocket while remaining focused on his receivers, but he can also make pass rushers miss with his ability to wiggle behind the line.
One of Tagovailoa’s best plays of the season came in Week 2 against the Ravens when he spun away from a defender and threw a touchdown pass, and he added one for the highlight reel against the Texans. On his lone touchdown pass of the game, Tua eluded late pressure by changing direction multiple times before rolling left away from the pressure, throwing a dart to Durham Smythe in the end zone.
3. Tua was left in too long…or was he?
The Dolphins were up 30-0 at halftime, and fans on Twitter were en masse in calling for Mike McDaniel to take Tua Tagovailoa out of the game to avoid injury. The starting quarterback played in two possessions in the second half before being pulled, which was two possessions too late according to many.
But the mood changed quickly as Miami’s offense became stagnant with Skylar Thompson under center, and calls for Tua to actually return to the game filled the feed as the Texans began to chip away at the lead. I still believe McDaniel made the decision a bit too late, but perhaps he knew how unprepared the team would be to have Thompson leading the offense.
4. I love seeing Tua standing with McDaniel
I’m not sure if all quarterbacks do this and I am just fawning over Tua, but seeing him stand next to McDaniel on the sidelines after being pulled from the game was awesome to see. Tagovailoa was leaning in to listen as the coach relayed plays to Thompson and reading the play sheet on his wrist band.
Instead of sitting on the bench and enjoying an easy victory with his teammates, Tua was locked in to the game action. It isn’t surprising, as we’ve seen how disappointed he can be in his performances when they’re not perfect, and he is likely soaking up every piece of information in order to be better next week. I love to see it.
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.
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.
10 observations from Miami Dolphins Week 12 victory
9. Waddle has the dropsies
Jaylen Waddle has been one of the most productive players on the team and one of the best wide receivers in the league, but he had some trouble on Sunday against the Texans. He did have five catches for 85 yards, but he dropped two catchable balls that killed promising drives for Miami.
The second-year wide receiver has very few holes in his game, but the reliability of his hands have come in to question. Sometimes it seems as though he has more trouble with the easy ones than with the difficult catches.
10. A win is a win, but we didn’t learn much
We are going to find out what the Dolphins are really made of during the final six games of the season, but there wasn’t much to learn on Sunday due to the quality of the opponent and the status of Miami’s starters.
It was clear from the beginning that Houston was outmatched talent-wise, as the Dolphins had little problem on either side of the ball. It is always nice to see your team dominate, but knowing that the Texans came in to the game with a 1-8-1 record and clearly the worst team in the league, it is hard to judge where Miami stands after the bye week and before their road trip.