Weighing the negatives, positives of Dolphins’ first win since Week 1
The Dolphins’ sevengame losing streak is finally over.
It took a meeting with the last-place Houston Texans and four takeaways to get a 17-9 win, but it’s a win nonetheless and there’s no guarantee the Dolphins will be getting many more this season.
Here are 10 more thoughts from Miami’s win at Hard Rock Stadium:
1. A win is a win. Right now, who’s going to be picky? The Dolphins (2-7) don’t have their own pick, so there’s no reason to tank. They’ve lost games to most of the other worst teams in the league, so you can’t take a win against the Texans (1-8) for granted. There were even — and, yes, it’s hard to believe — some legitimate positive signs, particularly from some of Miami’s youngest players and soon-to-be free agents.
With all that said …
2. Dolphins-Texans was as ugly as advertised. Miami and Houston are two of the six or seven worst teams in the league, and they both looked like it Sunday.
They combined for five turnovers in the first half and nine in the game. They managed just 3.8 yards per play and one point per drive. The Dolphins only had one drive of more than 50 yards and the Texans only scored six points off five takeaways — and both of those field-goal drives started beyond midfield.
There was only so much to learn from this kind of game, but Miami did win the war of attrition in South Florida, even though …
3. Tua Tagovailoa is hurt … again. The quarterback can’t catch a break, can he? As soon as the trade deadline passed and the Dolphins officially opted not to trade for Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, Tagovailoa missed another game with a fractured finger on his throwing hand. Finally clear of the NFL’s messiest quarterback controversy, Tagovailoa had to watch from the sidelines while fellow quarterback Jacoby Brissett led Miami to its first win since
Week 1.
To recap, since the midpoint of his final season with Alabama in 2019, Tagovailoa has: dislocated his right hip, gotten benched late in multiple games, missed a game with a thumb injury, landed on injured reserve with broken ribs and now missed another game because of a fractured finger.
Tagovailoa fractured the middle finger on his left hand last Sunday in a loss to the Buffalo Bills and, although the Dolphins are hopeful he’ll be able to play Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens, they were hopeful he’d be able to play Sunday and he couldn’t. Miami didn’t help matters, either, because …
4. The Dolphins managed the whole situation strangely.
Ultimately, it wasn’t a big deal, but Miami had Tagovailoa active Sunday, even though he couldn’t execute the full game plan, coach Brian Flores said.
The Dolphins opted not to elevate a practicesquad quarterback to the active roster Saturday, even though they knew Tagovailoa was dealing with an injury and was very possibly not going to be able to play. It’s just another example of the organization’s bizarre handling of Tagovailoa’s career and this season as a whole.
One last negative …
5. The run game is a mess. The Texans entered Sunday with the
second worst run defense in the league, allowing an average of 148.1 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry. Miami ran for 47 yards on 1.9 yards per carry.
Maybe next year the Dolphins will find a go-to running back on the third day of the NFL Draft.
Now, as promised, some of those positive signs …
6. Mike Gesicki put on a show. The tight end made as many onehanded catches as he did two-handed to finish with four receptions for 54 yards. On Miami’s best drive of the game, he skied to make a onehanded, 18-yard catch near midfield, helping the Dolphins take a 7-0 lead with an 80-yard touchdown drive. This offense has struggled to find any Pro Bowl-caliber players, but Gesicki continues to look like he’d be one in a more competent offense.
Gesicki will be a free agent after this season. Given its lack of weapons, Miami can hardly afford to let him go.
7. Jaylen Waddle was good again. The wide receiver matched a career best with 83 receiving yards and made 10 catches for the third time in his career. His 58 catches are already the fourth most by a rookie in Dolphins history, and he has a chance at a 1,000-yard season with 496 yards and eight games left. He was also instrumental on the 80yard touchdown drive, making three catches for 37 yards.
8. Kirk Merritt played! The preseason hero even had his first career catch!
9. The young safeties were spectacular. With one play in the first quarter, Brandon Jones and Jevon Holland to deliver a promising moment for this defense.
On third-and-inches at Miami’s 16-yard line, Jones blitzed and rushed Houston quarterback Tyrod Taylor into a wild throw. The pass sailed toward the back of the end zone, and Holland ranged over to grab the first interception of his career. The rookie’s pick set up the Dolphins at their 20 and Miami marched down the field to take a 7-0 lead.
Holland, who was a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has been a bright spot all year and the interception was a high point. He also had two tackles and a quarterback hit, although he did lose a fumble on a muffed punt.
Jones’ performance was also one of the best of his young career. A third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Jones had six tackles, the quarterback hit and a fumble recovery. Together, the safeties’ ability to both blitz and take care of the back end give the Dolphins a nice defensive spine for the future.
10. Is the 2020 defense back? Sure, it was only the Texans, but Miami’s defensive performance Sunday was more about how than what.
The Dolphins held Houston to 272 yards on 4.1 yards per play by pummeling the quarterback and piling up takeaways. Miami sacked Taylor five times, hit him four more and picked him off thrice. The playcalling was aggressive as it has been all season, with Jones, Holland and cornerback Nik Needham all coming out of the secondary to make big plays as blitzers.
This is now back-toback solid performances from the defense, which held the Bills to 351 yards last Sunday by hitting superstar quarterback Josh Allen five times. If the Dolphins’ season is going to turnaround, it’s going to be because their defense gets back to its old form.