HOUSTON — Getting into Sunday’s recreation it appeared this is able to finish as both coach Mike McDaniel’s greatest victory with the Miami Dolphins or one among his most disheartening losses.
The 20-12 loss at Houston was certainly one among McDaniel’s and the Dolphins’ most disheartening losses.
The Dolphins (6-8) confronted quite a few obstacles starting from storylines (can’t win on the highway in December vs. playoff-caliber groups) to accidents (beginning offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Kendall Lamm had been sidelined and large receiver Grant DuBose was taken off the sphere on a stretcher).
Listed here are some extra takeaways from Sunday’s loss.
Tough day for Tua
Tagovailoa threw three interceptions and misplaced a fumble on a strip-sack, making this his worst recreation of the season (4 turnovers) at a time when the Dolphins wanted a gem.
Tagovailoa’s third interception got here with 1:22 left when he was going for large receiver Tyreek Hill. The ball was intercepted by Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. on the Texans’ 49-yard line.
Tagovailoa’s second interception, which got here with 10:26 left within the recreation, additionally occured when he was making an attempt to throw to Hill. Stingley stepped in entrance of the errant move (it went quick and within Hill) on the Houston 8-yard line.
Tagovailoa’s first interception got here on the Houston 27-yard line and security Calen Bullock returned it 68 yards to the Dolphins’ 5-yard line earlier than he was tackled by hustling operating again De’Von Achane.
Tagovailoa (29 of 40, 196, one landing, three interceptions, 60.0 passer score) entered Sunday’s recreation with December stats of 202 of 319 (63.3%) for two,589 yards, 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions and a passer score of 91.5 in 10 video games. — Chris Perkins
DuBose injured
Extensive receiver Grant DuBose, who was simply activated Saturday, was positioned on a stretcher after a helmet-to-helmet hit from security Calen Bullock.
The harm induced a 12-minute delay that resulted in a bare-chested DuBose being taken off the sphere by medical personnel who had him strapped down very securely on a stretcher.
Waddle injured, WR depth runs very skinny
Extensive receiver Jaylen Waddle went out within the third quarter after getting rolled up whereas blocking. He had a proper knee harm.
Waddle’s harm, plus the DuBose harm meant the Dolphins had been right down to large receivers Tyreek Hill, Malik Washington and River Cracraft.
The Dolphins, after all, waived large receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Friday, and so they may have used him Sunday.
Particular groups play(s) show pivotal
Houston had a 35-yard acquire on a faux punt on its first possession of the second half and it proved enormous. The Texans scored a landing two performs later for a 20-6 lead.
The play was a direct snap to security M.J. Stewart, who handed off to operating again Dare Ogunbowale.
The Dolphins’ particular groups had been stable for the previous couple of weeks coming into Sunday’s recreation. They’d had large discipline objectives, large returns, stable punts and hadn’t allowed unhealthy returns.
Then Sunday occurred with the faux punt. It was one of many greatest performs of the sport as a result of it led to the Texans taking a 20-6 lead.
Kicker Jason Sanders later missed an additional level (for the second consecutive week) that might have lower the Dolphins’ deficit to 20-13.
Dolphins OT watch
The Dolphins didn’t have beginning left deal with Terron Armstead (knee) and Kendall Lamm (again) for Sunday’s recreation. They began rookie left deal with Patrick Paul and fourth-year proper deal with Jackson Carman. That meant the Houston defensive finish duo of Danielle Hunter (10.5 sacks) and Will Anderson Jr. (9.5 sacks), which entered Sunday’s recreation because the league’s greatest sack duo, had an enormous matchup benefit.
The Dolphins struggled, predictably.
And take into account Lamm was a backup to beginning proper deal with Austin Jackson, who sustained a season-ending knee harm about a couple of month in the past.
Within the second quarter a strip-sack by Anderson become a Texans landing and a 10-3 Houston lead. Defensive finish Denico Autry shoved proper guard Liam Eichenberg backward up the center after which Anderson got here from the blindside in opposition to Carman for the strip-sack on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Total, it was a tough day for the Dolphins’ move safety unit.
Tagovailoa was sacked thrice and continuously beneath strain.
Run recreation gone once more
The Dolphins have now gone six consecutive video games with out producing a 100-yard dashing efficiency. On Sunday they produced simply 52 yards on 19 carries.
Achane had 12 carries for 41 yards whereas Raheem Mostert had six carries for eight yards and Jaylen Wright had one carry for 3 yards.
Sanders hits seven consecutive from 50 or extra
Sanders hit a 55-yard discipline objective within the second quarter, giving him seven consecutive from 50 or extra yards. Sanders hit from 57 and 52 yards final week in opposition to the New York Jets.
Sanders, after all, missed an additional level Sunday within the third quarter that saved the Dolphins’ deficit at 20-12.
Achane doing work
Operating again De’Von Achane, the 188-pound second-year participant who hasn’t missed a recreation this season, surpassed 1,000 yards from scrimmage in opposition to Inexperienced Bay and continues including to his complete.
Getting into Sunday’s recreation he had 1,074 yards from scrimmage (600 dashing, 474 receiving) on 216 touches (153 carries, 63 receptions).
Achane, who had 76 yards from scrimmage Sunday, had 997 yards from scrimmage final season in 11 video games.
Offense struggles
The Dolphins’ offense scored only one landing. It struggled within the first half scoring simply six factors and failing to attain a landing. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s two turnovers (misplaced fumble on a strip-sack and an interception) led to 10 of Houston’s 13 first-half factors and had been key to the Texans’ 13-6 halftime lead.
The Dolphins had 112 first-half yards (plus 5 penalties for 44). Houston solely had 86 yards within the first half (plus 4 penalties for 40 yards).
The Dolphins, who entered the sport twenty third in scoring at 20.3 factors per recreation, bought their first landing within the third quarter.
The 30-somethings’ manufacturing suffers once more
The Dolphins relied closely on 30-somethings this season, and the outcomes have begun to stagnate.
With offensive tackles Terron Armstead (33 years previous) and Kendall Lamm (32) sidelined in opposition to Houston, the Dolphins’ season output from their 30-somethings takes one other dip.
Keep in mind that security Marcus Maye (31) was lower through the season, edge rusher Shaq Barrett (32) out of the blue retired earlier than the season, and large receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (32) was launched Friday.
Defensive lineman Calais Campbell (38), security Jordan Poyer (33), edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah (31), operating again Raheem Mostert (32), cornerback Jalen Ramsey (30) and large receiver Tyreek Hill (30) are among the many 30-something nonetheless producing though Poyer and Mostert have struggled.
Mike McDaniel has had main points within the last third of the season
Within the Dolphins’ first 11 video games of the season in coach Mike McDaniel’s three seasons, Miami has put up a superb 21-12 report. Sadly, the loss to the Texans gave him his twelfth loss after recreation 11. Sadly, that report is a tough 5-12. — Steve Svekis
De’Von Achane’s unimaginable play deserved to be rather more than a footnote in a loss
Calen Bullock was gone. A 73-yard pick-six. Seven factors. Slam dunk. Besides, De’Von Achane made positive he wasn’t. Achane ran about 80 yards to trace down the Texans nook on the Dolphins’ 5. And, two performs later, Houston was kicking a discipline objective to make it 13-6 at halftime, as an alternative of it being 17-6.
The Dolphins proceed to be sloppy with the main points within the second half
Why on earth would you utilize your second timeout for a second-and-25 play with 4 minutes left and down eight factors? Butchering these primary, elementary components of recreation administration will not be one thing anticipated within the NFL.
The Texans and Dolphins maintained their passing-game identities
Heading into the sport, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had thrown 48 passes of at the very least 20 yards past the road of scrimmage in his 13 video games (3.69-per-game common), finishing 20 of them (1.54-per-game common), whereas Tua Tagovailoa had thrown 20 such passes in his 9 video games (2.22-per-game common), finishing 9 (1.00-per-game common).
The unimaginable dichotomy of the 2024 Dolphins run recreation
By some means, the 2024 Dolphins have had a four-game streak the place they ran for at the very least 149 yards in every recreation, and likewise had six video games the place they failed to interrupt the 70-yard barrier. That has by no means occurred through the 17-game period.
What’s going on with the officiating this season?
Maybe sensing the sport that was about to unfold for him, on consecutive performs on the Dolphins first possession, proper guard Liam Eichenberg was clearly transferring earlier than the snap. No flag. Both time. What occurred to the officiating within the NFL this yr. Time and again now we have seen tackles rocking or stepping backward pre-snap in an effort to deal with an edge monster. And there have been black-and-white-striped crickets in response. If I can see it on TV, possibly they want a TV official. As a result of this ineptitude is widespread and ill-befitting such an elite sports activities league. With 4:20 left, they lastly referred to as it, and it helped wreck an important drive, down 20-12.
Can the Dolphins win a playoff recreation with such a paucity of ‘Huge-Time Throws’?
Utilizing a metric compiled by Professional Soccer Focus referred to as “Huge-Time Throws”, which denotes when a quarterback has thrown a move that, even among the many elite, is taken into account of a excessive stage of issue, the Dolphins are behind the eight-ball relating to Tua Tagovailoa’s standing within the class. Getting into Week 15, the Dolphins quarterback had been credited with 9 such passes in his 9 video games this season, although the outstanding landing move to Jonnu Smith will definitely be registered as his tenth of the season. That 1.00 BTT per recreation will not be seen amongst quarterbacks within the elite-passer-filled AFC’s divisional spherical of the playoffs. The bottom BTT price amongst QBs who’ve superior to the AFC last 4 because the addition of the seventh playoff group in 2020: 2023: C.J. Stroud, 1.35 (23 in 17 regular-season video games); 2022: Trevor Lawrence, 1.65 (28 in 17); 2021: Ryan Tannehill, 1.18 (20 in 17); 2020: Lamar Jackson, 1.40 (21 in 15). The averages amongst all 16 of the quarterbacks within the divisional spherical these 8 years comes out to 1.89 BTTs per recreation (496 in 262). Heading into 2024, Tagovailoa had a profession 1.35 BTTs per regular-season begin (69 in 51).
On deck: San Francisco 49ers, Exhausting Rock Stadium, Sunday, 1 p.m.
By some means, the 6-8 49ers won’t be eradicated from the postseason after they face the Dolphins, it doesn’t matter what occurs in Week 15. Why? Though a Seattle win over Inexperienced Bay would remove San Francisco from NFC West competition, the 49ers, even with the No. 7 seed Commanders profitable in New Orleans on Sunday, would win a tiebreaker with a 9-8 Washington if the inconceivable prevalence of them dropping at residence to the Eagles and Falcons after which on the Cowboys in Week 18.
Each groups could be 6-6 within the NFC, however the 9-8 49ers would personal a 4-1 mark in widespread video games, the place the 9-8 Commanders could be 2-3. The possibilities of each the Commanders and the 8-6 Rams (who personal a tiebreaker on the 49ers) going winless in weeks 16-18 are subsequent to nil, however the level is that there is no such thing as a situation the place the 49ers will kick off in opposition to the Dolphins whereas having been eradicated from the playoffs. …
Former St. Thomas Aquinas star Nick Bosa has performed at Exhausting Rock Stadium as a professional as soon as, in Tremendous Bowl 54 in 2020, logging a sack and a compelled fumble. He additionally has performed the Dolphins as soon as, in California, terrorizing Tua Tagovailoa for 3 sacks and a compelled fumble, which was returned for a landing.
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