A very good begin and good end meant a 30-15 win for the Miami Dolphins in opposition to league-worst Houston.
But it wasn’t all excellent news for a staff that stands 8-3 and in first place of the AFC East.
Ten ideas on the Dolphins win:
1. Stat of the sport: 30 Dolphins factors to 32 Houston yards at halftime. The Dolphins 30-0 lead at intermission confirmed this recreation because the laugher it was. Houston’s 32 whole yards didn’t match the Dolphins protection’s whole 39 return yards for an interception (23) and fumble (16).
2. Story of the sport: Left sort out Terron Armstead left Sunday resulting from a pectoral muscle damage on the final drive of the primary half. That turned a enjoyable Sunday into one thing troublesome. The damage was later reported by NFL.com to be a pressure of the pectoral muscle quite than a tear. We’ll should see what meaning. Armstead had a pectoral tear in New Orleans in 2018 and missed 5 straight video games, performed the regular-season finale after which sat out the playoff recreation. Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt missed six weeks with {a partially} torn pectoral this season. So these are timelines with extra critical pectoral issus. There are six video games left within the common season. As for what it’d imply to this offense …
3. … Tua Tagovailoa was sacked twice on the ultimate drive of the primary half after Armstead left the sport and was changed by Brandon Shell (one sack was negated resulting from a facemask penalty). Tagovailoa then was sacked 3 times within the first two drives of the second half earlier than being taken out of the sport. Those 4 sacks are equal to Tagovailoa’s sacks over his earlier six video games. That dates to the Sept. 25 Buffalo recreation the place he staggered off the sphere that appears so way back. A few components right here: 1) Brandon Shell, who changed Armstead, is a profession proper sort out, because the 30-year-old stated he solely performed left sort out somewhat earlier this yr in opposition to the Jets; 2) Mike McDaniel blamed himself for the play-calling that didn’t account for Armstead’s expertise not being on the road. But the drop-off was sobering. The Dolphins punted within the first half for the primary time in eight quarters. They punted 5 instances within the second half. Armstead for MVP?
4. Quote of the day: “From the moment we came out.” – Houston receiver Brandin Cooks when requested when this 1-9-1 staff realized Sunday it was overmatched. “I’m talking from an offensive standpoint, the moment we stepped out there. That’s truth. That’s facts.”
5. NFL receiving stats:
1. Tyreek Hill 1,233 yards
2. Justin Jeffeson 1,232 yards
Hill stored his massive season going Sunday with six catches for 85 yards. That’s eight straight video games Hill, has not less than 5 catches. In truth the one recreation he didn’t have not less than 5 catches was a two-catch, four-yard recreation in opposition to Buffalo. Sunday’s six catches got here on 9 targets with a protracted of 29 yards. To inform how shut Hill and Jefferson are, Hill has 87 catches on 116 targets and Jefferson has 81 catches on 116 targets.
5. This week introduced the age-old debate if wins is a quarterback stat and, bless them, McDaniel and Tagovailoa stated it wasn’t. It’s not. Baseball analytics got here to the conclusion a “win” wasn’t a pitching stat and it’s the identical in soccer. The Dan Marino years taught me that. Quarterbacks, nevertheless, can lose video games and that’s why Tagovailoa breaking a franchise document of 174 passes with out an interception was telling. Even his first two years, when there have been questions of who he was, he didn’t lose video games. That’s step one for any NFL quarterback. Tua broke the document of 160 passes with out a landing that Ryan Tannehill had within the 2014-2015 season. Tagovailoa accomplished 22-of-36 passes for 299 yards and a landing on Sunday.
6. AFC East replace (and energy of remaining schedule):
1. Dolphins 8-3 (.567)
2. Bills 8-3 (.552)
3. New York Jets 7-4 (.591)
4. New England 6-5 (.582).
The Jets beat Chicago on Sunday, 31-10. The energy of schedules are so excessive in good half due to remaining video games in opposition to division opponents, all of whom are above .500. The Dolphins have one recreation in opposition to a dropping staff the remainder of the best way – 4-8 Green Bay on Christmas Day.
7. We’re three video games into Bradley Chubb’s time with the Dolphins and he made some noise on the stat sheet Sunday. Two tackles, one sack. That’s after 4 assisted tackles (no solo) and a half-sack in his first two video games. Of the 5 Dolphins sacks Sunday, three got here from linebackers (Roberts, Riley, Baker) with Jaelan Phillips becoming a member of Chubb as edge rushers with sacks.
9. When Mike McDaniel went for it on fourth-and-1 on the Texans’ 12-yard line their second possession, it wasn’t a lot of a shock. That’s a spot to go for it, particularly in opposition to the league’s worst protection. Tagovailoa threw 9 yards to Trent Sherfield for the primary down on the best way to a landing. The bigger thought of McDaniel being overly aggressive doesn’t match up with the numbers, although. The Dolphins’ fourth-down possibilities this yr aren’t out of kinds with the league. They entered Sunday tied for eleventh with three different groups with 14 fourth-down makes an attempt. They transformed of six of these (now seven of 15) to enter Sunday ranked in a tie for twenty second.
10. Quick hits:
* The Dolphins’ three turnovers — Vernon McKinley interception, Xavien Howard fumble restoration for a TD, and Andrew Van Ginkle interception — are what protection does to the worst-rated offense.
* Jeff Wilson Jr. has performed three video games for the Dolphins and has a landing in each. At this charge …
* Dolphins gained’t be house once more till Christmas Day in opposition to the Green Bay Packers.
Next week: Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers. It’s the beginning of a three-game highway stretch that’s a step up in weight class from the earlier month. McDaniel grew up as a coach with San Francisco below Kyle Shanahan and, earlier than him, father Mike Shanahan. That’s simply one in all a number of teaching connections with the 49ers to go together with taking part in ones like working backs Raheem Mostert and Wilson Jr. The 49ers (6-4) entered Sunday’s 4:25 p.m recreation in opposition to New Orleans on a three-gam win streak.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com