The only matchup on the Week 9 NFL slate featuring two teams with losing records provided a game fitting of its billing.
Twenty-six points between both teams, nine sacks, 10 penalties and nine turnovers — each more unfathomable than the next — but the Dolphins found a way to win, or maybe not lose, defeating the Texans, 17-9, at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
With the Dolphins leading 17-9 with 2:33 left, Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s pass to tight end Jordan Adkins, originally ruled an incomplete pass, was overturned after a challenge by coach Brian Flores to a forced fumble by safety Eric Rowe and recovered by safety Brandon Jones, effectively ending Miami’s seven-game losing streak and giving the team its first wince since Week 1.
The day began with the latest injury setback for second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, a left finger injury that sidelined him for the fourth game this season. But even that wasn’t enough to derail the Dolphins against Houston, a franchise currently in the midst of a rebuild that mirrors Miami’s 2019 season.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 26 of 43 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Rookie wide receiver Jaylen Waddle caught a team-high eight passes for 83 yards.
The Dolphins’ last score of the game, a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mack Hollins, was the team’s first second-quarter touchdown of the season — and their last score of the game. But it gave them all the breathing room they needed against a Texans offense that couldn’t reach the end zone, even when it came as close as the 2-yard line and opted for a field goal in the fourth quarter.
