The Miami Dolphins improved to 6-7 on the season with a win Sunday, but it was far from smooth sailing. They had to erase an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter, hit a field goal at the end of regulation, and put together a touchdown drive in overtime to snag a 32-26 win against the New York Jets. Will that clutch performance lead to better results next week against a tougher opponent? Up next, the Dolphins are set to fly to Texas where they’ll face the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. The Texans are 8-5 on the year, but they’ve struggled in recent weeks. After a 6-2 start to the season, Houston lost three of five prior to a Week 14 bye with the only two wins coming against the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars. If you’re looking for betting odds on the Dolphins’ upcoming game against the Texans, we’ve got you covered. The following lines for the spread, money line and over/under are from BetMGM, giving you an idea of how the oddsmakers think the game will go. Moneyline (ML) Dolphins +110 (bet $100 to win $110) Texans -135 (bet $135 to win $100) Against the spread (ATS) Dolphins +2 (-105) Texans -2 (-115) Over/Under (O/U) 47.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Historically we’ve not done well against Houston, but these are not your father’s Texans. They came out of the gate hot but with them stammering as of late with wins against Jacksonville and Dallas, we may have a decent shot at getting that monkey off our back. Just hope to God the offensive line and defense shows up.
I don't think we have had that monkey on our back for almost a decade. We started off 0-7 against the Texans, but since 2015 we're 3-1. We've had their number lately. Just needs to continue on Sunday.
Tua is now must see tv he’s playing at suck a high level. let’s keep this run going, it’s a one man team at this point almost hopefully Chubb can come back and play some and give this sieve of a defense a hole to fill
You don’t keep punishing the player after a couple fumbles, just remember who set the tone in Buffalo in our toughest showing
One of the best predictors of Houston's W/L this season is whether CJ Stroud is sacked 4 or more times. In all 5 of their losses he was sacked 4 or more times. In 7 out of 8 wins he was sacked 3 or fewer times. Average times sacked per loss = 4.8, average times sacked per win = 2.1. This game may hinge on what our DL does.
I know but I also know he’s a pros pro and can rectify and redeem, and he happens to be one of the toughest players on our team and I want that redemption song if he’s injured the last four weeks I get it, tv copy said he said he will be back for Houston. let him redeem himself. Sometimes the game is about instincts as a coach
Play more man, Stroud struggles against that look. Fuller and Ramsey have to shut their man down which should lead to sacks
We need Chubb because I think we have a healthy rest of our defensive roster and he would really help us. The real player to target at this point is Jevon holland, is he really protecting himself in spite of his teammates ? PFF actually has Poyer ahead of him, now that’s indicting. I’m ok with Paul getting the start, I’ll live with some mistakes for some run game push. tv copy last week said Raheem will be ready to play in Houston. let him redeem himself please..Give him the start then go 12 personnel in passing situations to get Achane on the field. I didn’t think weaver went after rodgers enough. I do think when your a lesser defensive unit playing back isn’t the way to go, gotta pressure the qb at all costs and live with the consequences. Where is Pat mcmorris and Nick Needham and I’d like to see the kid Jason Maitre, he was a player that was one of the best players in camp as a rookie. Best of the corners in my opinion in that rookie class, they gave the position to duck which is fine but I’d like to see him play some ball. Texans have one of my favorite receivers in the game in Nico Collin’s.. great player and Ramsey didn’t look to sharp against Wilson on Sunday. Like to see Ramsey make some game changing plays or someone on defense besides Sieler. The speed of play and accuracy is something else to watch at this point with Tua, this is not a dunk and dunk offense. his ability to handle the football and use footwork and devotion is another trait that he is the best at. I keep mentioning this and it was a worry of mine in the offseason but when he does get time in the pocket he’s not panicking, as weird as that sounds I thought I was seeing him get scattered if his first or 2nd read wasn’t there immediately, now I’m seeing, good footwork, up on his toes, shifting, setting and firing the ball with the most accurate talented arm I’ve seen, and the game has seen at this point. Ok so it seems Waddle is coming on hard, haven’t seen any drops in consecutive weeks, looks like he’s finally catching and getting upfield asap, finally, he’s looking good, he is from Houston so get your popcorn ready on that turf. so now we four legitimate receiving options that a defense must account for. waddle, Hill, Jonuu and Achane, legit If Paul can just pan out at left tackle and be the guy it means we really only need to address the guard position in free agency. the rest can go to the defensive side
The Dolphins defense will be what makes or breaks us this game. The Texans’ offense averages 23 points per game right now (11th), so they are no slouch, but they’re not world beaters either. If the defense can keep them at their average the Dolphins should win. I’d love to see a forced fumble and/or INT this game. Help the offense out a little.
I think it will come down to the lines. Our inside line is strong with Sieler and Campbell and their inside line is not that great on the other hand they‘ve got one of the best pass rush tandems so our tackles will be busy hope Tua gets the ball out quick again and maybe just a little help from the running game.
I expect high scoring here and itll be a coinflip on who wins in the end.. hopefully its us 41-31 dolphins victory
Jalen Ramsey undeniably is one of the Miami Dolphins' best players, on defense and on the entire roster. It's also undeniable he's coming off a performance far below his standards against Garrett Wilson and the New York Jets, particularly when it comes to coverage, and the Dolphins will need a bounce-back performance against the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Dolphins likely will be asking him to cover stud wide receiver Nico Collins on Sunday, much the same way they did against Wilson but obviously looking for better results. The Dolphins were able to defeat the Jets in overtime at Hard Rock Stadium, despite Wilson finishing with seven catches for 114 yards, including a long of 42 yards. Most of the damage, including the long gain, came with Ramsey in man coverage. Collins will represent the same kind of challenge. He's averaging more than 100 receiving yards per game and has four 100-yard outings in eight games. The latest was a 119-yard performance on eight catches in Houston's 23-20 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars in their Week 13 game before their bye. RAMSEY'S ROUGH DAY IN COVERAGE AGAINST THE JETS Ramsey was given a 39.8 grade for the Jets game by Pro Football Focus, which had him giving up six completions on eight targets for 146 yards (obviously not all against Wilson). Pro Football Reference, meanwhile, had Ramsey giving up four completions in six attempts for 97 yards and an opponent passer rating when targeted of 109.7. Whatever metrics analysis you want to believe, it's clear it was a rough game for Ramsey. Even though he still was able to contribute in run support and on the occasional blitz, the Dolphins are looking for more (and paying for it) from Ramsey. Head coach Mike McDaniel expects to get it against the Texans. "One thing that can can happen when you have an asset such as Jalen Ramsey is you can lean on his talents in very aggressive ways and sometimes kind of give all help to all others in terms not just safeties, but body position of underneath coverage," McDaniel said. "There's certain times that I think he believes, and we believe, that the defense is best served when he's on an island, and then within that I think sometimes with those bold approaches, a play here or there can happen. Ultimately taking on the responsibility of being the big ask of the defense for that week is not something a lot of people would even sign up for. And based upon our experience, you aren't totally thinking that he's going to get targeted that much, but we all know in the game of football that there's a lot of nuances, a lot of change, and you have to adjust as a competitor. "I, as a head coach, I couldn't be happier that one of our top competitors on this team was challenged because I just know how he responds and I thought he had some of his best technique within that game. He's a very prideful dude that you know is one of those guys that takes everything personal on the football field in a good way. So I know we're going to get the best version of Jalen Ramsey versus the Texans, which is mostly what my brain's on right now."
I wonder that about Holland too. Is he sandbagging his play for a long term contract? Remember he sat out in college as to not take a chance on hurting his being drafted.
There's a discussion in club and I pulled this : Jones and Eichenberg are average starter level run blockers at OG. They have average PFF run grades. They rank 36th and 37th among 50%+ snap OGs, i.e., right about average. They rank 27 and 35 in SIS's Run Blocking Points earned. Again, right about average starter level. The difference between that and a top 25%ile guy is miniscule.
That is so hard for me to believe when we can't run between the tackles or pick up a 3rd and 1 or goal line this year without throwing it. PFF to me is not the gospel.
The Miami Dolphins are about to face the team with the most productive sack tandem in the NFL, which means it's not a good time for them to have injury issues at offensive tackle. But that's exactly where we are a few days before the matchup against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Four-time Pro Bowl selection Terron Armstead already was a major question mark for the game after having to leave the 32-26 overtime victory against the New York Jets last Sunday because of his ongoing knee issue, and then new starting right tackle Kendall Lamm wasn't spotted Thursday during the portion of practice open to the media. Lamm also didn't practice Wednesday as he continues to deal with a back injury, and normally players end up being inactive if they don't practice at all during the week, though Armstead has been an exception this season. If Armstead can't play against the Texans on Sunday, the Dolphins are set with rookie second-round pick Patrick Paul, who started in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans when Armstead was out with a concussion and played the rest of the way against the Jets last Sunday after Armstead left after only five snaps. Having to play without Lamm as well would create a bit of an issue for the Dolphins, though, because of the lack of another proven commodity at tackle. The only other tackle on the roster is Jackson Carman, who was recently signed to the 53-man roster off the practice squad. Carman is a former second-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2021 NFL draft, but he's barely played since starting six games as a rookie, all at right guard. The Dolphins also have 2023 seventh-round pick Ryan Hayes and Dominican import Bayron Matos as tackles on the practice squad, but they aren't realistic options. Veteran Isaiah Wynn conceivably could play at right tackle, but his experience lately has been at guard. THE HOUSTON PASS RUSH PROBLEM Whoever the Dolphins line up at tackle, it's going to be a tough test against Houston pass rushers Danielle Hunter (10.5) and Will Anderson (9.5), who have 20 sacks between them. That's the highest total for any duo in the NFL, topping the 19 by the Minnesota Vikings tandem of Jonathan Greenard (10) and former Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (9). The Dolphins offensive line did a great job of protecting Tua Tagovailoa against the Jets — the large number of screens and quick throws obviously helped — as the official gamebook recorded ZERO quarterback hits for New York. That likely won't happen again in the game against Houston because, again, Hunter and Anderson are two gifted pass rusher. The task of slowing them down won't be easy. It might be even tougher if the Dolphins are missing their two starters at tackle.
When Texans safety Jalen Pitre suffered a pectoral injury last month, the team knew he would miss multiple weeks but hoped he would avoid season-ending surgery. That’s no longer a possibility. Pitre will have the surgery and miss the rest of the season, and the Texans announced today that he is now on injured reserve. Pitre has been a starter since the Texans drafted him in the second round in 2022 and had started the first 12 games of this season before he was injured. His absence will be felt in Houston’s secondary. The 2025 season will be the last year on Pitre’s rookie contract, and he seemed likely to negotiate an extension during the offseason, but the injury could complicate that.
The closer this game gets, the more and more nervous I get. The Texans have had their struggles this season after being shot out of a cannon from the start, If memory serves me correctly, Houston has only had 1 win against a winning team this season when they defeated Buffalo. Other than that, their wins have been against scrub teams. Like the Dolphins, you can only play whom you’re scheduled to play and even though on paper, we SHOULD win this game, I’m fearful this is going to be a trap game and our season will end tomorrow. God I hope I’m wrong.
We don't match up with teams like Houston and San Francisco. Physical teams that bully you and beat you up. Buffalo too. I really want us to win, I want our season to continue, but I don't think we can do this tomorrow. I think their defense is too talented and the injuries at tackle are going to be too overwhelming for us. Our defense will have to win this game for us.
If you watch tape, and this is also being discussed in Club, the people mostly missing blocks in the running game aren’t offensive linemen. It’s TE’s, WR’s, FB’s, etc that seem to be hurting the run game more so than the OL. That’s not saying that o-linemen haven’t shat the bed at times, they could definitely be better, but the Dolphins have an average-ish offensive line.
I expect a heavy dose of Achane catching passes out of the backfield and Mostert getting the bulk of the carries. Chubb coming back should give the defense a much needed boost. This is going to be a dogfight.
OL hopefully gives Tua enough time to get through 3 progressions. Might see a lot of behind the LOS passes today. Dolphins get it done as they take the lessons from GB and apply them to this difficult matchup.
