Texans have the edge, but winners rise to the occasion!
The Miami Dolphins 2024 Season has boiled down to a ‘win out and maybe you’ll make the postseason’ scenario with the Houston Texans first up this Sunday. Miami will be on the road and facing a quality team that’s rested coming off their Bye Week. Tough challenge for sure! But teams that are built and led right find a way to win when the victory. While plenty have formed their opinions on what this team is both good and bad, why they play the game.
So, with everything on the line and talk of the team being oddly loose this week, can and will the Phins rise to the occasion or flop when it counts again?
Houston has flaws, but can Miami expose them?
I’m not a fan in the least of the Phins offensive line, but Houston has a problem with theirs as well especially with left guard Juice Scruggs–what a name–out with an ankle injury. They still have two quality tackles to slow the outside rush with Laremy Tunsil– remember him– and Tytus Howard, but this interior should struggle against our defensive interior. Calais Campbell is playing out of this world and so is Zach Sieler and they could end up wreaking the Texans day by dominating the inside. If the Dolphins can slow down running back Joe Mixon, then this offense will get off schedule and applying pressure to C.J. Stroud, who has been sacked 40 times already this season, could turn this game on its head.
No way will a hot and productive Mixon be good thing with elite receiver Nico Collins running routes with a secondary thin from blitzing. Miami must consistently win on 1st Down so they can pin their ears back to put the heat on Stroud, who hasn’t looked comfortable this season when pressured, in 2nd and 3rd and long.
You can bet with the best pay per head that a game where Campbell and Sieler are the keys is as good as it gets to bring confidence to Phins fans. While their success isn’t a given, both players are stars and consistently coming up big. This is why at the very least I expect it to be close… or at least I’m hoping.
On the flips side of things
The Dolphins will be down Terron Armstead, who aggravated his knee last week against the Jets. Rookie 2nd Round pick Patrick Paul is a fan favorite and did about as good as could be expected with the surprise start. Paul must play even better this week against the Texans trio of edge rushers. Will Anderson is a stud on a tear for sacks with 9.5 on the season so far. Danielle Hunter and Derrick Barnett are now slouches either with 10.5 and 4 sacks, respectively. That’s 24 sacks between the three players!
Tua will dish the football quick like he has all season and that will go a long way towards keeping the heat off him. But, just like the Texans, Miami needs balance and can’t be stuck in tons of obvious passing downs with a potent front going against suspect blockers.
So, the Phins offensive line must get more push than they have for a few weeks because if DeVon Achane can get just a little space, he could end of the difference maker. Clearly, he’ll get his in the passing game, but Miami needs to find their run game with the Texans down linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair due to suspension. Raheem Mostert is back as well, and his speed and power will be needed especially in the Red Zone because Miami can’t go all the way down the field for field goals all day like they did against the Jets and expect to win.
Miami traded Tunsil to the Texans and grabbed a huge haul in draft picks five years ago. Now their season hangs and maybe validation of this regime hangs on the outcome of this game. Let’s see what this team is made of! Go Phins!!!