3 Takeaways from Dolphins' Week 12 Win vs. Texans

On paper, the Miami Dolphins appeared to have an easy matchup Sunday afternoon. They were hosting the NFL-worst Houston Texans at Hard Rock Stadium, and it seemed likely they'd storm to victory. Anything can happen in this league, though, so the Dolphins still needed to take care of business.

That's exactly what they did. Miami cruised to a 30-15 win in which it scored all 30 of its points in the first half and blanked Houston for the opening two quarters. The Texans didn't get on the board until Dare Ogunbowale's three-yard touchdown run with 3 minutes and 18 seconds to go in the third quarter, when the game was already well out of reach.

The Dolphins played a mostly clean game while putting up points on five of their first six possessions. Miami extended its winning streak to five and remains atop the AFC East at 8-3, as it owns the tiebreaker over the 8-3 Buffalo Bills.

Here are three takeaways from the Dolphins' Week 12 win.

Tagovailoa Continues to Build Case to Be in NFL MVP Conversation

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Texans 30-15. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Tua Tagovailoa didn't put up the biggest numbers Sunday. He also didn't need to. Instead, the 24-year-old quarterback went 22-of-36 for 299 yards and a touchdown and helped guide the Dolphins to a dominant first half.

In nine games this season, Tagovailoa has passed for 2,564 yards, 19 touchdowns and only three interceptions (the most recent of which came in Week 4). Most importantly, Miami has won all eight contests in which Tagovailoa started and didn't leave early because of injury.

Dolphins fans have been chanting "M-V-P!" toward Tagovailoa at recent home games. With his solid numbers, impressive leadership and greatly improved play, the former Alabama QB is putting himself in the NFL MVP mix and building a strong case to potentially win the award. And he credits first-year Miami head coach Mike McDaniel for the success.

“Having someone that, first off, believes in you makes all the difference,” Tagovailoa told Aditi Kinkhabwala on the CBS postgame broadcast. “Having someone that calls me randomly just telling me how much I mean to him and the things that he’s trying to accomplish, and we’re trying to accomplish as a team, it's cool. I've never had that."

The Dolphins still have six games to go in the regular season, so Tagovailoa will need to keep up this high level of play to stay in the NFL MVP conversation. But so far, he's shown that he should be strongly considered.

The Defense Showcased Its Big-Play Potential

AP Photo/Michael Laughlin

Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard (25) runs for a touchdown after recovering a fumble by Houston Texans tight end Jordan Akins (88) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Miami's defense took the opportunity to show what it's capable of with a favorable matchup against Houston's struggling offense. The Texans made a quarterback switch this week, turning from Davis Mills to Kyle Allen, whose season debut turned out to be a tough one.

The Dolphins forced three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble recovery) and recorded five sacks. They also got a defensive touchdown, as Xavien Howard scooped up a Jordan Akins fumble and returned it 16 yards for a score that pushed Miami's lead to 27-0 with 4:59 to go in the second quarter.

The handful of sacks were the most the Dolphins have notched in a game this season. And they came from five players, including one from linebacker Bradley Chubb. It was his first full sack in three games since coming over from the Denver Broncos ahead of the trade deadline.

So even though Miami's defense was expected to thrive against Houston (and then it did), it could still be a confidence-builder moving forward. The Dolphins were fresh off a Week 11 bye, and they made the type of big plays on that side of the ball that they knew they were capable of.

The Schedule Gets Much Tougher from Here

AP Photo/Doug Murray

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) watches Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel make notes on the sidelines during an NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Doug Murray)

The Dolphins won their first three games of the season, lost their next three and are now on a five-game winning streak. That has them atop the AFC East standings in a division race that will likely be quite competitive over the final six weeks of the regular season.

"There is nothing better in professional football than meaningful December and January games," McDaniel said in his postgame press conference Sunday. "Nothing better. I'm very excited for our young team and a lot of guys to feel that for the first time."

However, each of Miami's past five wins have come against a team that now has four or fewer wins. Things will get much tougher from here, as five of its final six games will be against teams that currently have winning records.

The Dolphins will be on the road each of the next three weeks to face the San Francisco 49ers (7-4), Los Angeles Chargers (6-5) and Buffalo Bills (8-3). That matchup in Buffalo will be the first of three AFC East matchups over the final four weeks for Miami.

So even though the Dolphins have been a strong team thus far, now is the time for them to really prove it. If they don't, there's still a chance they could end up missing the playoffs.