STAFF PREDICTIONS

Dave Hyde

Sports Columnist

Prediction: Texans 27, Dolphins 17 Season record: 6-1 Comment: Playing on the road, in a short week, with a battered offense isn’t a formula that sounds like a winning one for the Dolphins — unless DeVante Parker suddenly is everything his agent says. Houston has won four straight and has a top-10 offense, too.

Omar Kelly Dolphins Writer/ Columnist

Prediction: Texans 21, Dolphins 17 Season record: 4-3 Comment: Expecting Brock Osweiler to put on a cape and save the Dolphins’ season by beating a stingy Texans defense with an injurydepleted receiver unit is unrealistic. If there was any game for Adam Gase and Matt Burke to get creative and aggressive with their playcalling, it is this one.

Kathy Laughlin

Sports Editor

Prediction: Texans 31, Dolphins 14 Season record: 6-1 Comment: The Texans are on a roll, and the Dolphins are stopped in their tracks. So many injuries, a short turnaround and a road game are too much to overcome, before we even get to Houston star defensive end J.J. Watt.

Keven Lerner

Assistant Sports Editor

Prediction: Texans 24, Dolphins 16 Season record: 3-4 Comment: The Texans have won four straight games after an 0-3 start. The versatility of QB Deshaun Watson could pose problems for the Dolphins, who rank fourth-worst in the NFL in yards allowed per play. Dolphins QB Brock Osweiler makes his return to Houston, where he was ultimately benched after signing a $72 million contract in 2016.

Steve Svekis

Assistant Sports Editor

Prediction: Texans 16, Dolphins 14 Season record: 4-3 Comment: The Texans’ J.J. Watt-led defense has allowed just 12 points a game with fewer than 300 yards allowed in its last three games — with multiple takeaways and sacks in each game. Houston quarterback DeShaun Watson is battling a ribcage/lung injury that necessitated him traveling to and from Jacksonville by bus last weekend.