Dolphins-Texans Week 12 Complete Observations

Breaking down the key moments from the Miami Dolphins' 30-15 victory against the Houston Texans at Hard Rock Stadium

Here's what caught our eye during the Miami Dolphins' 30-15 victory against the Houston Texans at Hard Rock Stadium

-- We'll start with the inactive list, which was highlighted by running back Raheem Mostert out with a knee injury and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater out for a second consecutive game, paving the way for rookie seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson to again serve as Tua Tagovailoa's backup. Along with Mostert and Bridgewater, the other inactives were CB Noah Igbinoghene, WR Erik Ezukanma and TE Hunter Long.

-- Long was a healthy scratch after being cleared from the concussion protocol late in the week.

-- Tackle Austin Jackson returned to the starting lineup at right tackle, making his first appearance since he sustained an ankle injury in the opener against the New England Patriots. Jackson replaces veteran Brandon Shell, who did a pretty solid job in his absence. The rest of the line remains the same, with Terron Armstead at left tackle, Robert Jones at left guard, Connor Williams at center and Robert Hunt at right guard.

FIRST QUARTER

-- For the 10th time in 11 games, the Dolphins won the coin toss and again they deferred and started on defense.

-- The first possession was great for the Dolphins, who stopped two running plays for 4 yards, with props to Jerome Baker for filling the gap on first down.

-- On third-and-6, the Dolphins had great coverage in the secondary, Kyle Allen eventually got happy feet and started scrambling as Bradley Chubb finally got past Laremy Tunsil and his pass down the right sideline never had a chance.

-- Cedrick Wilson Jr. had a nifty 15-yard punt return where he didn't hesitate and started going upfield immediately after fielding the ball.

-- The first drive started with what we've seen so often this year, the quick slants over the middle, and they were good for 11 yards to Jaylen Waddle and 13 yards to Tyreek HIll.

-- Waddle found a soft spot in the Houston zone on third-and-7 from the Texans 39 and the result was an easy pitch-and-catch for 22 yards.

-- The drive stalled after a holding penalty on Robert Hunt negated a 7-yard run by Jeff Wilson Jr., and the replay seemed to show a dubious call at best.

-- Then Waddle failed to catch a slightly high pass but clearly catchable on first-and-20, and the Dolphins eventually had to settle for Jason Sanders' 45-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.

-- The Dolphins caught a break on the ensuing kickoff when Tremon Smith decided to return it after fielding it 4 yards into the end zone but then slipped around the 10-yard line.

-- After giving up a first down, the defense shut down the Texans.

-- Christian Wilkins dove inside to stuff Dameon Pierce after only a 1-yard gain on a running play on first down, and then Kader Kohou forced Brandin Cooks to move inside after catching a pass at the line of scrimmage, where Jevon Holland stepped up to stop him for no gain.

-- Duke Riley was credited for the 13-yard sack that ended Houston's second drive, but it was Melvin Ingram who deserved the credit as he quickly beat the Houston right tackle and got to Allen, who slipped while avoiding Ingram.

-- The Dolphins' second drive began with another easy completion down the middle of the field, with Tua connecting with Trent Sherfield for 24 yards.

-- The drive arrived at a crossroads with a fourth-an-1 from the Houston 12, and the Dolphins converted with a 9-yard completion to Sherfield after Tua quickly adjusted to his second and third reads and Sherfield did a good job of reaching out for a pass slightly ahead of him and then absorbing a hit from a defender.

-- Jeff Wilson lost 1 yard on a run when Jalen Reeves-Maybin shot through a gap up front, but Tua came right back with some nice work scrambling and then finding Durham Smythe for a 4-yard touchdown after rolling to his left.

-- The Dolphins gave up a first down on Houston's third drive and it came when they had too many men on the field at the snap on a third-and-1 from the Texans 34-yard line. TV replays showed Mike McDaniel pointing at himself after the penalty was announced.

-- Besides that, the defense gave up a little again.

-- Xavien Howard had very good coverage against WR Nico Collins on a first-down pass.

-- And on third-and-6 from the Houston 43, DB Elijah Campbell came in on a blitz and Kyle Allen threw early under pressure for an incompletion.

-- After another run by Jeff Wilson that doesn't go anywhere, putting the capper on a bad first quarter for the running game, Tua quickly hits Hill after the snap and he sprints across the field for a 29-yard gain to the 38.

-- As the quarter ends, the only question that seems to remain about the outcome is how big the Dolphins' margin of victory will be because this looks like an absolute mismatch.

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SECOND QUARTER

-- The second quarter began with two more completions by Tua, including an 11-yard hook-up with River Cracraft for a first down.

-- But that was followed by three straight incompletions, including a touch pass over the middle that could have been caught by Waddle (would have been a touch catch) and a third-down incompletion where it looked as though Tua left the pocket too quickly while looking for an open receiver.

-- Thomas Morstead then punted for the first time since Nov. 6 (at Chicago) and couldn't prevent the ball from going into the end zone.

-- The defense continued to overwhelm what is truly a bad Houston offense.

-- On first down, quick pressure forced a quick throw that resulted in only a 1-yard gain with great pursuit, and that was followed by LB Andrew Van Ginkel making an easy interception when Allen badly overthrew running back Dameon Pierce on a short throw and returned the pick to the 3-yard line.

-- On the next play, Jeff Wilson got great blocking on the right side, including by Austin Jackson, to stroll into the end zone for a 3-yard score and a 17-0 lead.

-- It was more of the same on the next Houston possession, which produced another three-and-out.

-- Christian Wilkins made another stop on a running play, this one a tackle for loss against Pierce, and Ingram again got pressure on third down to force a scramble by Allen that came up short of the first-down marker.

-- The Dolphins offense marched 72 yards for a field goal and a 20-0 lead on its next drive, though it was a failed goal-to-go opportunity to get into the end zone.

-- The big play in the drive was a 34-yard completion from Tua to Waddle, where Waddle outjumped the safety for the ball and made a tougher catch than two he failed to make earlier.

-- There also was a nifty play by Tua, who threw early in the face of a blitz to Hill running across the field for a 9-yard completion.

-- The defensive onslaught continued on the next series — on all three plays.

-- First, Kader Kohou almost got in the way of a wide receiver screen before dropping Nico Collins for a 3-yard loss.

-- Then Bradley Chubb took advantage of Houston's dubious decision to block him with a tight end when he easily got around the guy to swipe the ball away from Allen before Laremy Tunsil fell on the ball at the 11 to set up a third-and-24.

-- And then at the end of a completion that would have been way short of the first down, Eric Rowe knocked the ball loose from tight end Jordan Akins, and Xavien Howard picked it up for an easy touchdown on an 18-yard fumble return. And, just like that, it was now 27-0.

-- The next Houston drive featured a sack by Elandon Roberts after he came on a delayed blitz.

-- The Dolphins' final drive of the half began with an incompletion after Tua got immediate pressure after veteran Jerry Hughes beat Austin Jackson at the line.

-- Tua came right back with a 22-yard completion to River Cracraft, wide open down the middle.

-- Bad news late in the first half, with news that Terron Armstead has left the game. Brandon Shell takes his place at left tackle.

-- Tyreek Hill dropped a long completion down the middle after taking a big hit from rookie safety Jalen Pitre.

-- After a delay, Tua came back with three straight completions, the most impressive a 20-yard hook-up with Cedrick Wilson after he stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure.

-- Tua got sacked after the Dolphins called their final timeout, but Houston was penalized for a facemask.

-- After another sack of Tua, one that counted, Tua spiked the ball and Jason Sanders came on to kick a 35-yard field goal on the final play of the half to make 30-0 at halftime.

-- On the last sack, though, Tua's right leg got bent backward, which at the very least was very scary.

THIRD QUARTER

-- As the second half open, the bad news comes that Armstead is out for the rest of the game with a pectoral injury.

-- The first drive of the half features a 16-yard completion from Tua to Tyreek Hill to convert a third-and-5 and that's immediately followed by a DPI on Houston that moves the ball to the Texans 41.

-- But Tua gets sacked twice on the next three plays, the first time when Durham Smythe comes in motion but can't stop defensive end Mario Addison.

-- The Dolphins defense pitches a three-and-out on the first Houston drive, with Jaelan Phillips making a quick move inside to sack Allen on third down as he's taking off from the pocket.

-- On the first play of the next series, Tua is sacked for the fourth time since Armstead left the game, with Robert Jones and Brandon Shell looking like they got beat on the left side of the line.

-- Houston ends the Dolphins' shutout bid on its next possession with a 64-yard touchdown drive highlighted by a personal foul penalty on Jevon Holland at the end of a catch by Brandin Cooks.

-- After the touchdown by running back Dare Ogunbowale, the Texans go for two, but the Dolphins stuff him on a two-point conversion attempt run, leaving the score at 30-6.

-- With Tua taking too many hits and the Dolphins still comfortably ahead, Mike McDaniel puts Skylar Thompson into the game at quarterback and he delivers on his first third down, hitting Cedrick Wilson for a 6-yard gain on third-and-4.

-- The drive reaches the Miami 48, but on first-and-down there's a problem with the center exchange and Houston recovers the fumble at midfield.

FOURTH QUARTER

-- Two plays after Allen converts a third-and-1 with a QB sneak, the Dolphins pay for leaving linebacker Elandon Roberts in man coverage against tight end Jordan Akins, who catches a pass in the open field and gets to the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown. After this touchdown, the Texans again go for the two-point conversion, which makes sense, but call a pass to tackle-eligible Laremy Tunsil, which doesn't make as much sense. Tunsil can't adjust to the pass thrown behind him and the incompletion leaves the score 30-12.

-- The Dolphins offense again can't do anything with the ball, punting after a quick first down when Thompson is off the mark on second and third down, with timing with the receivers clearly looking like an issue at this point.

-- After a 17-yard punt return, one of several long punt returns for Houston on this day, Brandin Cooks beats rookie Kader Kohou deep down the left sideline and Allen hits him for a 39-yard completion to the Miami 28.

-- Christian Wilkins helps force a third-and-10 by batting down a pass at the line, but Allen converts with a 12-yard completion to Nico Collins.

-- The Dolphins call an all-out blitz (with six defenders coming) on third-and-4 from the 10 and Verone McKinley III and Jaelan Phillips get to Allen quickly enough that he hurries his throw and it goes out the back of the end zone. Houston settles for a field goal and it's now 30-15.

-- The Dolphins open the next series by taking a deep shot for Waddle, but he's tightly covered by Steven Nelson, who knocks the ball away.

-- Thompson scrambles on the next two downs after not finding an open receiver but gains only 5 yards and it's another three-and-out as Houston keeps sticking around.

-- After starting at its own 41, Houston gets called for a flagrant illegal block, is pushed back to a first-and-20 and that derails their drive — and their comeback attempt.

-- On third-and-13, Jerome Baker beat guard A.J. Cann at the line and drops Allen for a 7-yard sacks.

-- The Dolphins again go three-and-out, including a sack, to give Houston the ball back but time is running out on the Texans by now. The worst part of the sack is that Austin Jackson comes off limping with an ankle injury after the play.

-- Houston's last drive ends when Allen floats a deep pass down the right sideline to a well-covered receiver (thanks to Kohou) and McKinley drifts over from his safety spot to make the interception.

-- Myles Gaskin's 10-yard run right after the two-minute warning puts the Dolphins in victory formation as they secure a strange 30-15 victory that puts them at 8-3 on the season.

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