HOUSTON LOSES TO MIAMI
11 observations from the Texans' 17-9 loss to the Dolphins
Nov 8, 2021, 8:27 am
HOUSTON LOSES TO MIAMI
The Houston Texans faced a team with a seven-game losing streak and lost 17-9. It extends their NFL-long losing streak to eight. Here are 11 observations from the miscue in Miami.
1. Tyrod Taylor was terrible in his return as the starter for the Texans. Taylor had never thrown an interception against the Dolphins in his career and Sunday he tossed three. One of the interceptions was just sheer carelessness as he was trying to throw the ball away.
2. Tyrod Taylor missed Danny Amendola on a pass up the sideline which would have been the biggest play of the day for the Texans. Taylor was rusty coming off his hamstring injury.
3. Tyrod Taylor was under siege all day long. The Dolphins sent blitz after blitz and the Texans never adjusted. Taylor couldn't get the ball out clean, wideouts couldn't get open, and the line had no chance against the pressure.
4. David Johnson whiffed, yet again, on a block early in this game. The defender he was supposed to pick up drastically affected Tyrod Taylor and led to a quick decision from the quarterback. Taylor's wobbly pass would be intercepted in the end zone. Johnson is supposed to be a third-down back and he frequently fails to pass block.
5. There was a pathetic moment from the offense by the Texans towards the end of the first quarter. After a holding penalty pushed the team back, Tyrod Taylor and company faced a second and 20. The team elected to run the ball with David Johnson for three yards.
6. The Texans defense forced five turnovers, which is the first time since the team played Jameis Winston in Tampa in 2019. The highlight was the punched-out fumble by Kamu Grugier-Hill who has played very well for the team this season.
7. The Texans defense did disappoint when the Dolphins lined up in the wildcat formation. It was a clear run situation, and the Dolphins hammered the Texans.
8. Eric Murray pulled in his first interception as a member of the Texans. It was his second career interception and first since 2018. He played far more than he had in recent weeks. It was a welcome change from watching Lonnie Johnson.
9. Jordan Jenkins played well notching 1.5 sacks. The defensive line is mostly full of rotation players that likely will be replaced by more rotation players in the future, but Jenkins did well with his opportunity.
10. Roy Lopez and Jonathan Greenard are two of the four pieces of this defensive line you can smile about as a future piece. Greenard was violent in the early game and Lopez gathered another sack and hit his signature dance.
11. The Texans head into the bye week with the longest losing streak in the NFL with no reprieve in sight. The Titans are up after the bye week. There is a strong potential for the team to reach 16 straight losses.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!