Dolphins bury Texans early on way to fifth consecutive win as pivotal road trip awaits
Signature wins over top-end teams like the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens obviously matter.
But as the Miami Dolphins work to become true Super Bowl contenders, squashing inferior opponents they are supposed to beat is also important.
The Dolphins did that — at least for one half — on Sunday thanks to one of their best scoring first halves in recent memory during a 30-15 victory over the Houston Texans at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Dolphins (8-3) won their fifth game in a row and built a 30-0 halftime lead, marking their most lopsided first half since leading 41-0 against Houston on Oct. 25, 2015.
Miami moved back into first place in the AFC East, tied with the Bills and holding the tiebreaker advantage by virtue of a Week 3 victory. The two teams will face each other in a Week 15 matchup that caps three consecutive road games for the Dolphins in December.
“I think it means a lot because it wasn’t just handed to us; it’s earned,” coach Mike McDaniel said of the Dolphins finishing November undefeated. “I think in the process, the five wins that we’ve had in a row or the month that we’ve won, it means a lot because I know it wasn’t gifted to anyone and that they did things the right way, and that shapes the way you do things moving forward. We found different ways after the three-game losing streak that we identified, looked ourselves in the mirror and were very candid about how we can correct, really challenged the leaders of the team, the captains and the leadership council, and those guys have really taken it and ran with it, as well as the coaching staff.”
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa shook off some early rust to complete 22 of 36 passes for 299 yards and one touchdown before he left the game two drives into the third quarter. Wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle recorded 85 yards apiece, while tight end Durham Smythe recorded his first receiving touchdown this season with a 4-yard catch in the first quarter.
It seemed one of the few things that could trip up the Dolphins’ starting offense was the bye week. Though the offense scored on four of its five first-half possessions, dropped passing and timing issues prevented more big plays for a group that has been one of the NFL’s most efficient units this season.
“We could have finished a lot of drives better,” Tagovailoa said. “We could have given guys opportunities more, put guys in better position to make plays for our team. But that’s always tough when you’re hot, your team is hot, and then you go into a bye week. You try to come back on a week like this to find whatever that feeling was that you guys had with that momentum and that’s all it was. We’re just out there just trying to find what rhythm our offense was trying to get back into. I think we’ll go in and find that throughout this next week and we’ll be better for it.”
A pair of injuries along the offensive line also stunted the unit and could have significant ramifications going forward. Left tackle Terron Armstead was forced to leave the game late in the second quarter with a pectoral injury. Tagovailoa was sacked four times on the final drive of the first half and in the two second-half drives without Armstead.
McDaniel did not provide any update on the severity of the injury to Armstead, but NFL Network reported he will “miss some time” with a pectoral strain. Austin Jackson, who started at right tackle and played in his first game since Week 1, also sustained an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Jackson missed several weeks on injured reserve because of a high ankle sprain.
Injuries to the bookend tackles forced multiple changes along the offensive line; Shell filled Armstead’s spot at left tackle and then moved to the right side after Jackson’s injury, as Greg Little came off the bench to play left tackle. After the game, McDaniel took blame for what he called overaggressive playcalling on the final drive of the first half and early parts of the third quarter. But with a pair of backup tackles and then rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson leading the offense, the Dolphins went scoreless in the second half, punting five times and turning the ball over on a mishandled quarterback-center exchange as the Texans (1-9-1) began to flirt with a possible comeback.
Houston scored on three consecutive drives before inside linebacker Jerome Baker sacked quarterback Kyle Allen to force Houston to punt with under five minutes left. Rookie safety Verone McKinley III then picked off a deep pass on the next possession, his first career interception, with 2:40 remaining.
Though the Dolphins’ defense relented a bit in what essentially amounted to garbage time in the second half, it was an otherwise dominant performance against an offense that had switched quarterbacks from second-year starter Davis Mills to Allen, who completed 26 of 39 passes for 215 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Miami’s defense recorded a season-high five sacks, two turnovers and scored in the second quarter when cornerback Xavien Howard returned a fumble forced by safety Eric Rowe for a 16-yard touchdown, giving the Dolphins a 27-0 lead. Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel intercepted Allen two drives earlier, setting up a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (52 total yards) that gave Miami a 20-0 lead.
“Man, that was awesome to see from our defense,” Tagovailoa said. “The turnovers, the sacks, just the big hits that they were making defensively. For me I’m used to seeing that because in my first two years, that’s the type of defense we’ve had, a defense that would get interceptions and then would score.”
The victory, while expected as 14-point favorites against the Texans, was vital with the Dolphins about to embark on a three-game road trip against the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers and Bills — all of whom have winning records.
McDaniel acknowledged the magnitude of the road that lies ahead for his team.
“There is nothing better in professional football than meaningful December and January games,” he said. “Nothing better. I’m very excited for our young team and a lot of guys to feel that for the first time. I think it was important that guys looked at this game through the lens of establishing good position for that competitive playoff run. We’ve got six games left, and you have to learn on the job live.”
This story was originally published November 27, 2022 at 4:05 PM.
