Setting the Stage for the Week 12 Dolphins-Texans Matchup
The Miami Dolphins will look to improve to 8-3 on the season when they take on the Houston Texans at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Here's all the pertinent info for this Week 12 Dolphins-Texans matchup:
MIAMI DOLPHINS (7-3) vs. HOUSTON TEXANS (1-8-1)
DATE: Sunday, Nov. 27
TIME: 1 p.m. ET
SITE: Hard Rock Stadium; Miami Gardens, Fla.
TV: CBS
Announcers: Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Jay Feely (color analyst), Aditi Kinkhabwala (sidelines)
STREAMING: fuboTV (start your free trial)
SI Sportsbook betting line: Dolphins by 12.5 (over/under 47)
Dolphins — RB Raheem Mostert (knee) is doubtful; QB Teddy Bridgewater (knee) is questionable.
Texans — CB Derek Stingley Jr. (hamstring) is out.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regular season series history: Texans lead 8-2
Last five meetings:
Nov. 7, 2021 at Miami — Dolphins 17, Texans 9
Oct. 25, 2018 at Houston — Texans 42, Dolphins 23
Oct. 25, 2015 at Miami — Dolphins 44, Texans 26
Sept. 9, 2012 at Houston — Texans 30, Dolphins 10
Sept. 18, 2011 at Miami — Texans 23, Dolphins 13
Dolphins' largest margin of victory: 18 (2015 at Miami; Dolphins 44, Texans 26)
Dolphins' largest margin of defeat: 20 (2012 at Houston; Texans 30, Dolphins 10)
Highest-scoring matchup: 70 points (2015 at Miami; Dolphins 44, Texans 26)
Lowest-scoring matchup: 26 points (2021 at Miami; Dolphins 17, Texans 9)
Former Texans players with the Dolphins:
CB Keion Crossen
Former Texans coaches with the Dolphins:
Head coach Mike McDaniel was Texans offensive assistant from 2006-08, WR coach Wes Welker was Texans offensive/special teams assistant in 2017-18
Former Dolphins players with the Texans:
T Laremy Tunsil, LB Neville Hewitt
Former Dolphins coaches with the Texans:
RB coach Danny Barrett, safeties coach Joe Danna, assistant DL coach Kenyon Jackson
-------------------------------------------------------------------
TEXANS SCOUTING REPORT
What was expected to be a rebuilding for Houston unfortunately has played exactly that way for the Texans, who will come to Hard Rock Stadium with the worst record in the NFL. One of the rare bright spots has been the performance of rookie running back Dameon Pierce, who's among the rushing leaders in the NFL with 780 yards and well on his way to a 1,000-yard season. Quarterback Davis Mills has regressed after showing promise as a rookie third-round pick last season and he's being replaced for this game by Kyle Allen. Defensively, the bright spots for Houston have been the play of 2022 third overall pick Derek Stingley Jr., though he might not play in this game because of a hamstring injury, and veteran pass rusher Jerry Hughes, who's among the league leaders with eight sacks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL WIN ...
All one has to do is look at the records here. Houston's eight losses include four by double digits, including a 23-10 defeat against Washington when the Texans had only 148 total yards. The Dolphins, meanwhile, are on a four-game winning streak and have scored at least 31 points in each of their past three games. The Dolphins simply are better across the board against a Houston team that's anemic offensively and can't stop the run. Add the home-field advantage, and you can see why the Dolphins are favored by more points than for any game since their 2003 season opener.
THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL LOSE ...
The biggest concern in a game like this is about the Dolphins looking past a bad Houston team, particularly with the start of their road trip against the San Francisco 49ers looming. Head coach Mike McDaniel dismissed any concern about his team coming out unfocused, but the Dolphins wouldn't be the first team to come out flat against a lesser opponent. Tangibly speaking, Houston's best chance at pulling off a major upset would be with a huge game from Pierce or some untimely turnovers by the Dolphins offense.
FINAL DOLPHINS-TEXANS PREDICTION
This game concludes the streak of games against lesser opponents for the Dolphins, and after they got the job done against the Steelers, Lions, Bears and Browns, there's no reason to think this game will be any different. We do expect maybe a slow start for the Dolphins because they're coming off their bye and maybe because there will be a little blah feeling in the stands with the opponent, but at some point Tua Tagovailoa is going to start connecting with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and score enough points that the Texans won't be able to keep up, no matter what kind of different new QB Kyle Allen makes for their offense. Final score: Dolphins 28, Texans 13.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @PoupartNFL, and that's where you can ask questions for the regular All Dolphins mailbags. You also can ask questions via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.
