HOUSTON LOSES TO MIAMI
11 observations from the Texans' 17-9 loss to the Dolphins
Nov 8, 2021, 8:27 am
The losing streak continues for Texans. Composite image by Jack Brame.
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.
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C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.
But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”
Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.
Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”
The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.
They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.
Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.
Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.
Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.
“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”
While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.
He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.
Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.
“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”
The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.
“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”
The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.