Dolphins Are in a Rare Position!
Phins likely “W” over the Texans means a sweet 8-3 record
The Miami Dolphins are coming off their bye week and sadly Byron Jones is still a no show! At least the Phins don’t have to face a juggernaut team this upcoming Sunday, so they can get nice and tuned up for the critical six-game stretch coming up.
Miami hosts the worst team in the league in the Houston Texans and with the line continuing to shoot up, the only real concern barring something crazy is injuries. Right? Better be.
This should be a fun and relaxing win for the Dolphins out of the bye-week before the run through the final gauntlet starting next week with San Francisco. After the wild run up to this week, zero drama will be blast… as will an 8-3 record.
Let’s hope it plays out that way.
Texans bring a BB gun to the fight
The best pay per head sites initially had the line this past week with the Dolphins as a -9.5 favorite, then it went to -10.5! This week each day it continued to move higher and has currently ballooned -13. The Dolphins have not been this high of a favorite since 2003 in their home opener against the Texans… and sadly lost that game 21-20. The loss ended up costing them a playoff spot that year.
No way the Texans repeat as the spoiler!?
The paper prediction says the Dolphins will blow out the Texans. Miami is definitely more talented team, has better coaching, and has won way more than the Texans. However, in sports it doesn’t always play out the way it is supposed to, so Miami must not take this game lightly.
This is the ultimate trap game and losing this game could severely affect the Dolphins chances of winning the AFC East.
Winning the division and getting a home game is a much bigger difference than getting a wild card and having to play on the road in the playoffs in the first week. With everything in their corner after last weeks games and the Bills loss of Von Miller and Patriots defeat on Thanksgiving Day games, the goal must be to win the AFC east.
An insane, almost improbable loss to the Texans wouldn’t hurt the Phins playoff chances as much as their chances to win the East.
No, I don’t think loss to the Texans is probable or likely, but it is possible… if Miami looks past them
Texans are terrible, but do has some things going for them
On defense, it would be nice if Miami could shut down the Texans right from the start, instead of giving up a touchdown on the first drive of the game, which they have unfortunately been allowing the last three games in a row. The Texans have a young QB in Davis Mills, who has been very inconsistent with a 61.9% completion rate and 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But, he’s been benched for Kyle Allen, who is a low-end, 5-year vet. The best Texan receiver is Brandin Cooks, who has had a quiet year, but still needs to be kept in check.
The Texans one bright spot on offense is their rookie running back Dameon Pierce, who has rushed for 780 yards with a 4.5 yards per carry average and 3 touchdowns. He has 24 catches for 135 yards and 1 touchdown. Houston will want to try to get him going and at least chew up the clock to keep the Dolphins offense off the field. Miami needs to make stopping Pierce their first priority. The Phins stymied Chubb, so I expect them to do the same to Pierce.
On offense, the Dolphins just need to continue where they left off by marching up and down the field and scoring touchdowns. The Texans have the worst rush defense in the league, currently allowing 178.9 yards per carry. They have fared much better in the passing game by only allowing 210.7 yards per game through the air. This could be another game for Miami to lean on their running game to build a more balanced offensive attack.
Yeah, however you slice it, it’s a lockish type game
Miami needs to just stay focused, limit the penalties, get a lead early, and just keep pouring it on to cruise control in a game that’s out of reach for the Texans by the 4th quarter. This will zip the game along and limit the chances of injuries. The Dolphins are so close to real success, so a healthy win along with the 8-3 record will the best recipe to make the final push!
What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans thoughts about this upcoming game?
