Despite Tua Tagovailoa and DeVante Parker being taken out of this matchup in the days leading up to it, the Miami Dolphins were able to secure their second victory of the season with a 17-9 win over the Houston Texans at Hard Rock Stadium.
Early in this game, the Dolphins struggled to string drives together, as they continued to turn the ball over. Three turnovers in the first half kept them from capitalizing on mistakes that Houston was making.
Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki were the go-to guys. Waddle brought in five receptions for 59 yards and Gesicki recorded two spectacular one-handed receptions for 36 yards. These guys are continuing to prove that they are the focal points on this offense.
Defensively, the Dolphins just had to play their game in the first half, as Tyrod Taylor made some inexcusable errors, including the interception he threw to Jerome Baker.
I've never seen anything like this. Incredible interception by Jerome Baker. Tyrod Taylor just throws the ball back into the field and Baker makes the heads up play to come back inbounds and get the pick pic.twitter.com/3otUiFKFfJ
— FinCuts (@FinCuts) November 7, 2021
Houston also struggled to block against any blitzes, which resulted in pressures, sacks, and mistakes by their offense.
In the second half, it was a lot of the same. Both teams combined for nine total turnovers, with the Dolphins committing the majority with five.
Houston’s offense struggled to do much of anything, as they had those same issues as they had early. They never adjusted, as they just allowed rushers to run free at Taylor all day.
Miami’s offense continued to run through Waddle and Gesicki while sprinkling in a touchdown to Mack Hollins, his second in three weeks. The two top targets totaled 12 receptions for 137 yards.
While they won, and that will be celebrated, the Dolphins’ offensive line is still a disaster. Austin Jackson, Liam Eichenberg, and Jesse Davis all had multiple moments that made fans shake their collective heads. Something will have to change with this group if they want to build towards anything in the long term.
