The Dolphins dropped a critical game to the Texans despite allowing just 181 yards of total offense. The Miami attack, missing the top three offensive tackles, and Jaylen Waddle for the entire second half, struggled to find its footing.
Miami out-gained Houston, but two turnovers in field goal range, and two more that set the Texans up for 10 of their 20 points, proved too much to overcome.
Here are the three takeaways:
- The Tale of the Turnover
Since 2020, teams that turned the ball over four times in a game have won less than 7 percent of those contests.
The Texans cashed in their first takeaway - a strip-sack of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at the plus-28-yard-line – with a touchdown.
Trailing by four late in the second quarter, the Dolphins got their lone takeaway setting up the offense inside the 40-yard-line of the Texans. Two plays later, Tagovailoa tried to find wide receiver Tyreek Hill, but safety Caden Bullock stepped in front of the throw and returned it all the way to the Miami 4-yard line.
Texans cornerback Derek Stingley would snag the other two interceptions, including a fourth quarter pick in the red zone with Miami trailing by just eight.
"That was the biggest thing is to play the style we do and play with some anticipation," Head Coach Mike McDaniel said. "We have to have total connectivity from the unit. It's just not good enough … You're not going to win games with four turnovers."
- Defensive Cornerstones
The Texans ran just 50 plays of offense to the tune of 3.6 yards per snap, their lowest output of the season. The entire Dolphins defense played well, but few players filled up the box score like defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebackers Chop Robinson and Jordyn Brooks.
Sieler was last week's AFC Defensive Player of the Week and notched another 1.5 sacks, giving him 7.5 on the season and 17.5 since the start of the 2023 season. That total is second among all defensive tackles (Baltimore's Nnamdi Madubuike) over that time.
Sieler's full sack came on a pick stunt where Brooks picked off both the running back and the left guard responsible for Sieler. Brooks finished the game with eight tackles, one for loss, and a quarterback pressure.
Robinson also chipped in with a sack and a half, giving him five sacks in the last seven weeks. Over that span, Robinson is top 10 in the NFL in pass rush win rate (ESPN, 33.2 percent), QB hits (11) and pressures (35).
- Playoff Hopes Dwindling
A win would've propelled Miami into the eighth position in the AFC, nipping at the heels of the Los Angeles Chargers. Unfortunately, the loss drops Miami to 6-8 with just three games to go.
Regardless of the standings, the Dolphins leaders acknowledge the importance of putting their best foot forward over the final three contests.
"We have a team that loves football, that's very prideful, and so there's three games left with paid attendance, and we'll turn to that page tomorrow," McDaniel said. "Right now, I think guys are still trying to absorb the outcome."
For more analysis, takeaways and breakdowns, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
