Scooter & Hum: Day 992, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Texans Game 11 Review

Perhaps the less said about this game, the better, but the Dolphins won their fifth in a row with a strong half of football. Up 30-0 at the break, Miami shut it down the rest of the way, resting some players and fading some slightly anxious moments when the visitors cut the lead to two scores. The 'Fins were certainly not engaged in the second half, but this was an important victory with a number of difficult matchups looming.

On to the just-get-us-out-of-here-with-a-W recap ...

Offense

Though the offense turtled after Terron Armstead left injured and Tua Tagovailoa went to the sideline, the team managed 25 first downs and 339 total yards and only turned the ball over once. However, Miami managed just just 66 yards on the ground, with a long of just 10 and a 2.5-yards-per-carry average. The 'Fins struggled on third down (4 of 15) and in the red zone (two of five visits turned into touchdowns), so the squad does have a few things to work on headed down the stretch.
Tua continued his strong play, connecting on 22 for 36 passes -- hitting eight in a row at one point -- for 299 yards and a score. He was sacked four times, took too many big hits, threw more iffy passes, and had a delay-of-game penalty, but did not turn the ball over (an interception was called back due to defensive pass interference) and was not helped by some key drops. With Teddy Bridgewater inactive due to a knee injury, Skyler Thompson saw action in relief, completing one of five passes for six yards, rushing six times for five yards, taking a sack, and losing a fumble on a center exchange. The Dolphins moved to 8-0 in games Tua has started and finished healthy, and the dawning recognition that losing him would mean losing the season made some of the hits he took even more difficult to look at.
At running back, Jeff Wilson rushed 13 times for 39 yards and a score and added a 13-yard catch on three targets, appearing to miss the hole on a couple of runs. With Raheem Mostert inactive, Myles Gaskin (26 snaps) was the backup, rushing six times for 17 yards and catching a four-yard pass. Fullback Alec Ingold had a catch for no gain, though he contributed some key blocks and was credited with a solo tackle in his 34 snaps.
Jaylen Waddle was targeted 10 times in the game, but caught only five, good for 85 yards and a long of 34. Tyreek Hill had six grabs for 85 yards on nine targets, with a long of 29, and he added a five-yard run as well to earn an 80.5 grade from Pro Football Focus. Reserves River Cracraft (25 snaps, four targets, four catches, 55 yards, 91.8 PFF grade) and Trent Sherfield (46 snaps, five targets, two receptions, 33 yards) had big contributions, with Cedrick Wilson adding two catches for 26 yards. A difficult grader may have given Waddle three drops, but a fairer assessment is probably that he didn't catch three balls he would usually pull in. It was encouraging that Cracraft, Sherfield, and Wilson all had big moments, which is a good sign for taking some pressure off of Miami's top two receivers headed into crunch time.
At tight end, it was a quiet day. Durham Smythe had one catch for a four-yard touchdown in his 37 snaps, while Mike Gesicki was targeted once without a catch in his 41 snaps. Hunter Long was inactive, so no other tight ends logged snaps from scrimmage. Gesicki now has just three catches for 34 yards in the last three games, but it's likely the 'Fins will need him with stiffer competition looming.
Up front, things deteriorated quickly after Armstead left halfway through the game, with Miami surrendering four sacks after his departure. Brandon Shell came in to play 39 snaps at left tackle and almost immediately was turnstiled on the regular. Austin Jackson was back starting at right tackle, but he also left with an ankle injury, yielding to Greg Little for six snaps. Right guard Robert Hunt was called for holding, left guard Robert Jones struggled mightily, and center Connor Williams was involved in a lost fumble on a snap. Overall, it was a step back along the offensive line, and served as further proof that Armstead may be the Most Irreplaceable Dolphin.

Defense

Into the third quarter, the 'Fins held Houston to 33 offensive yards and 1.2 yards per play and stopped seven straight third downs by the Texans. The visitors converted just 2 of 13 third downs and had just 14 first downs and 210 total yards all game, even with Miami shutting it down offensively in the second half. The Dolphins limited Houston to just 36 rushing yards, forced three turnovers, and put up a defensive touchdown on a scoop and score.
At defensive end, Christian Wilkins continued his strong play with four tackles, two stops for losses, and a pass defensed, good for an 81.1 PFF. Zach Sieler added six tackles, a stop for loss, and a deflected pass. The duo was almost equal in snaps (Wilkins 44, Sieler 43) and has been the most consistent aspect of Miami's defense this year.
Raekwon Davis was only credited with a solo tackle, but earned an 81.1 PFF grade in his 27 snaps at nose tackle. Neither John Jenkins (16 snaps) nor Justin Zimmer (13) recorded a stat.
At weakside linebacker, Bradley Chubb was highly active, notching two tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a quarterback hit in 38 snaps. Melvin Ingram added two tackles in 36 snaps, and his pressure forced a sack at one point. In fact, on the Wednesday following the game, he was correctly awarded the sack.
On the strong side, Jaelan Phillips had seven tackles, including six solo, a sack, a stop for loss ,and a quarterback hit in his 38 snaps. In just 23 snaps, Andrew Van Ginkel had four tackles, a pass breakup, and an interception that he nimbly returned 23 yards. Van Ginkel seems to make a massive play every time he gets the chance, and his addition to the trio of Chubb, Ingram, and Phillips gives the Dolphins a dangerous pass-rushing rotation.
In the middle, Jerome Baker had one of his finest performances, posting four tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hit in 34 snaps to earn a 90.9 PFF grade. Elandon Roberts had nine tackles, a sack, a stop for loss, and a quarterback hit in 30 snaps, while Duke Riley collected three tackles, a sack (that was later awarded to Ingram), a stop for loss, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hit in 31 snaps. This triumvirate was extremely efficient in this one, which bodes well for the Miami front seven going forward.
Miami's top two corners, Xavien Howard and Kader Kohou, played all 61 snaps in this one. "X" had a pass breakup and a defensive touchdown on a fumble recovery to earn a 78.5 PFF grade, while Kohou had three tackles, multiple blitzes, and a stop for loss, playing through a right thumb injury. With Noah Ighbinoghene inactive again, Keion Crossen (two tackles in 36 snaps) was the primary reserve.
At strong safety, Eric Rowe (55 snaps) had a huge hit to force the fumble that Howard returned for a score, in addition to four tackles. In his 22 snaps, rookie Verone McKinley had a solo tackle, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hit to go with his first career interception, which he returned 17 yards.
As is his custom, Jevon Holland played every snap, registering five tackles and an unnecessary roughness penalty. Elijah Campbell had a quarterback hit in his only snap from scrimmage. In a blowout, it seems slightly odd that Holland play 61 snaps at free safety instead of getting a bit of a break.

Special teams

In what was a bit of a bounce-back game for Jason Sanders, the kicker drilled all three field goals (45, 23, and 35 yards) and all three extra points.
After barely seeing action in three straight games, Thomas Morstead punted six times in this one, good for a 49.3-yard average (long of 55) and one touchback. However, none of the punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, and the 'Fins surrendered 81 yards in punt returns -- giving up 26- and 19-yarders -- which led to Morstead having to make a pair of tackles.
The Dolphins had no kickoff returns but Cedrick Wilson had three punt returns for 22 yards, with a long of 15. Miami still seems content with having a sure-handed return men with no chance of a substantial return, and with their offense, I'm not sure I can take issue with that approach.
Justin Bethel (assisted tackle) led all defensive players with 24 special teams snaps, with Riley, Van Ginkel, and Campbell all getting 23 snaps in the third phase. Smythe paced offensive players with 16 snaps in the kicking game.

Momentum plays

The contest started with a three-and-out for the Texans, followed quickly by Tua finding Waddle for 11 and Hill for 13 before the signal-caller found Waddle again for 17 on a 3rd & 7 play. A holding penalty, a dropped pass, and two near-interceptions halted the drive, with the 'Fins settling for a 45-yard Sanders field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Another three-and-out for Houston followed, punctuated by a 13-yard sack credited to Riley, but forced by Ingram (the latter was correctly awarded the sack a few days later), with Phillips in on the play as well.
A play-action shot to Sherfield for 24 yards jumpstarted the next Miami possession, with a 4th & 1 staring the Dolphins in the face three plays later. Tua found Sherfield again for a first down, with the receiver absorbing (and delivering) a huge hit in the process. On 2nd & goal, Tua was pressured, but maneuvered in the pocket long enough to find Smythe breaking open late for a four-yard touchdown and a 10-0 advantage.
On the next drive, a too-many-men-on-the-field penalty on Miami converted a 3rd & 1 for the Texans. However, a pair of blitzes forced quick throws, allowing the 'Fins to force another Houston punt three plays later.
Tua hit Hill on a slant, and the speedy wideout scooted across the field and down the sideline for 29 yards before being pushed out. A couple of balls that could have been caught fell incomplete, and late pressure on 3rd & 10 forced the quarterback to get rid of it, leading to a rare Dolphins punt early in the second quarter.
After a good play by Chubb to contain a screen, Davis pressure forced a risky throw by Kyle Allen, who was intercepted by Van Ginkel. The linebacker had a nifty 23-yard return before being tackled at Houston's three-yard line. Jeff Wilson paid off the field position on the next play, getting a strong block from Ingold to go in untouched, staking the Dolphins to a 17-0 advantage.
More Miami pressure forced another Texans three-and-out, and Tua got the next possession going with 11- and 13-yard strikes to Cracraft and Waddle, respectively. He then went deep to Waddle off of play action, with the receiver winning the ball in the air to make a bobbling catch for 34 yards. A nine-yarder to Hill and a short run by Wilson set up first & goal from the 7-yard line, but Tua couldn't find Hill or Gesicki -- the latter pass nearly being intercepted-- and had to settle for a 23-yard field goal from Sanders to push the margin to 20-0.
After a touchback, Houston had a screen blown up by Kohou for a loss of four, surrendered a strip sack by Chubb for a loss of five, then had a short pass to tight end Jordan Akins turn into a 'Fins touchdown after a massive hit by Rowe jarred the ball loose and Howard raced 16 yards for the score and a 27-0 lead.
The Texans managed an initial first down, but a Roberts sack helped Miami force yet another punt by the home team.
Tua found Cracraft for 22 yards, then hit Jeff Wilson for a too-easy 13-yard conversion on 3rd & 11. The signal-caller then delivered a 20-yard dart to Cedrick Wilson and an 11-yarder to Cracraft before two sacks in three plays -- including one that saw Tua bend in a terrifying fashion but manage to escape without injury -- halted the drive. Sanders drilled a 35-yarder with two seconds remaining to give the 'Fins a 30-0 lead headed into halftime.
Surprisingly, Tua remained in after halftime, and he found Hill for 16 yards to convert a 3rd & 5. However, with Armstead out of the game, he was sacked twice in three plays, forcing a Morstead punt.
The teams exchanged three-and-outs, with a Phillips sack the highlight for Miami and another big hit on Tua for a sack the Texans highlight.
A 17-yard pass from Allen to Brandin Cooks with an unnecessary roughness tacked on propelled Houston's next drive. After an 11-yard catch for Akins, Dare Ogunbowale ran in easily from three yards out to trim the lead to 30-6 after the two-point conversion failed.
With Thompson in at quarterback, the 'Fins got an initial first down, but a fumbled snap handed the ball right back to Houston as the third quarter ended. Using short gains, the Texans maneuvered into the red zone before Allen again found Akins, who embarrassed Roberts on the route and then ran over Holland to score from 25 yards away. Former Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil couldn't pull in the two-point conversion, making the score 30-12.
Thompson was nearly intercepted on the first play of Miami's next drive, but a pass interference was called. However, a short run and two incompletions followed, with the Texans getting a 17-yard punt return to make 'Fins fans anxious.
Houston started fast, with a perfectly thrown pass to Cooks -- who toasted Kohou on the play -- for 39 yards. On the following 3rd & 10, Crossen left a receiver uncovered for a 12-yard gain and a first down. Three plays later, McKinley and Phillips applied pressure on 3rd & 4, forcing Allen to throw the ball out of bounds. Howard came down with an acrobatic pick on the play, but he was well out of bounds, leading to a 28-yard field goal to draw the Texans to within 30-15.
Thompson came out slinging, going deep to Waddle, but the wideout couldn't reel it in. A pair of awkward runs by the signal-caller followed, with the three-and-out putting even more pressure on the defense to carry the day.
A screen to Cooks netted nine yards, but a block in the back made it 1st & 20. On 3rd & 13, Baker drilled Allen on a stunt, knocking the ball loose. The Texans recovered, but were forced to punt at a crucial moment in the game.
After yet another Miami three-and-out, Houston converted a 4th & 1 with a sneak. On the ensuing 3rd & 4, Chubb pressure forced Allen to rush a deep shot, with McKinley intercepting the ball easily. Howard got destroyed on a block attempt on McKinley's return, but the Dolphins had the ball, and a Gaskin 10-yard run allowed Thompson to kneel it three straight times to end the game.