It's Sadly the Same Old Dolphins ... Or Maybe Worse

The Miami Dolphins loss against the Houston Texans just about ended the team's playoff loss but the disappointment went beyond that

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

It was deja vu all over again for the Miami Dolphins at NRG Stadium on Sunday, their ugly loss at Houston as much of an indictment of the organization and its foundation as it was an almost certain final blow to their faint playoff hopes.

And even if by some miracle the Dolphins did find a way to sneak into the playoffs, does anybody seriously think they would be able to pull off an upset on the road in the wild-card round? Forget winning, how about even staying close?

The Dolphins simply aren't built for the moment, in this instance "moment" meaning December/January games against top opponents, especially if it happens on the road.

The game at Houston provided yet another opportunity to "change the narrative," which is more plain old indisputable fact than anything else right now because it keeps happening.

Sure, the Dolphins did produce a nice win at SoFi Stadium in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Rams, who now are 8-6 and in first place in the NFC West, but that was mid-November and the Rams' home-field advantage often is neutralized by traveling fans of the opponent.

The real tests were the games at Green Bay on Thanksgiving night and at Houston on Sunday, and the Dolphins looked like a completely mediocre, out-of-its-league team both times.

Not one single lead in either game.

It was 27-3 before the Dolphins mount a mini-comeback attempt at Lambeau Field before losing by 13 on a night when the defense was overmatched.

The defense really came to play agianst Houston, but could only do so much when the offense and special teams kept having breakdowns that gave the Texans short fields.

THE DOLPHINS SYMPTOMS IN CLUTCH GAMES

The offense failing to deliver in a clutch game against a tough opponent wasn't exactly new, either.

You can usually count on the Dolphins being in the teens in those games, like the 17 points against Green Bay, 12 against Houston, 14 in the 2023 finale against Buffalo, 19 the week before at Baltimore, 17 against both the 49ers and Chargers in December 2022.

Sure, there have been some exceptions, but this pretty much is the norm.

Those games basically expose the Dolphins offense, which is the team's supposed calling card, for what it is.

It's a group with a lot of flash and dash but lacking in grit. A simpler way to put it would be style over substance.

That's great in September and October, maybe even November, but winning football in December and January typically isn't very pretty.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can slice and dice defenses with the best of them when the Dolphins are facing a mediocre, particularly early in the season, but it's not quite that simple later on.

His performance at Houston was among the worst of his career, matched maybe only by what happened in the game at Tennessee late in the 2021 season. But the weather conditions (cold and rainy) were not ideal that day at Nashville and the supporting cast on offense wasn't particularly impressive.

There was no such excuse for the game Sunday, yes, even with Terron Armstead and Kendall Lamm sidelined by injuries.

Yes, Tagovailoa faced more pressure than he normally does, but it's not accurate to suggest he was under duress every single solitary he went back to pass.

The completion percentage was over 70 percent again, but it's going to be like that with so many screens and short passes, but the average gain per completion was only 6.8 yards. The Dolphins won games throwing short during their mini-run after Tua returned, but the wins were against lowly opponents like the Raiders, Patriots and Jets.

The offense gained 238 yards in the Monday night against the Rams and put up numbers against Green Bay only after it was 28-3.

LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS

So whose fault is it and how does it get fixed?

As with practically everything else when it comes to football, this isn't about one player, coach or front office exec.

While he'll have to wear the four turnovers against the Texans, the loss wasn't all on Tua, but there's enough evidence to this point to say there's still a ceiling to his status until his performance against top opponents in late-season games start matching or at least resembling what he does against lesser foes.

The offensive line clearly has warts, and those were exacerbated Sunday when former Cincinnati Bengals draft pick Jackson Carman had to start at right tackle opposite of rookie second-round pick Patrick Paul, with practically everybody else on the line having their struggles at times against Houston.

The running game keeps going nowhere, though this season it's not just in late-season games against top opponents, either.

Tyreek Hill simply hasn't looked all season as the same receiver we saw in 2022 and 2023 when he put the offense at a different level. Yes, he has helped open up the underneath areas for the passing game simply because of his threat, but he was the receiver targeted on all three interceptions against Houston, and those three picks were more than his number of receptions.

We shouldn't leave out the architects, Mike McDaniel or Chris Grier, because maybe the style of play the Dolphins employ simply doesn't work in the NFL because the margin for error is much thinner for teams relying on speed and timing than those who rely on physicality.

That showed up late last season and the Dolphins were much better then than they are now. They have taken a big step backward in 2024, and for anybody wanting to point to Tua's stint on IR, we'll remind everyone the Dolphins are 5-5 in the games he's started.

That's hardly contender status.

No, the Dolphins are regressing, and the troublesome part is that against Houston on Sunday they looked like the 2021 edition that got routed at Tennessee.

Is a housecleaning in order?

It's tough to argue against it based on what we saw Sunday, but whoever is in charge this offseason needs to start making better decisions in terms of draft picks, building the offensive line and securing a dependable backup quarterback.

The Dolphins simply have to find a way to bring at least some sort of physical element to their offense, whether it be with a bigger back (one suggestion there would have been to keep promising young back Chris Brooks) and focus on beefing up the offensive line because, yes, the Dolphins should be and should have been more concerned about it than the organization was, per GM Chris Grier's famous quote.

Really, the Dolphins should be concerned about everything as they head into the final weeks of this utterly forgettable season.

And that includes making their team playoff-worthy.