Dolphins vs Texans final score, immediate reactions in Week 15

The Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans faced off in Week 15. We reacted throughout the game.

The Miami Dolphins visited the Houston Texans in Week 15 of the 2024 NFL regular season, with both teams looking to strengthen their position in the AFC playoff picture. The Texans came out with more rhythm than Miami, using takeaways to keep the Dolphins on their heels and out of the game.

The story of the game, for Miami, besides the damage the loss does to their playoff chances, will be the injuries. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle sustained a knee injury in the first half and never returned to the game. Fellow wide receiver Grant DuBose had to be carted off the field and taken to the hospital with a head injury.

Miami fell to 6-8 on the season and 0-6 all-time when visiting the Houston Texans.

Throughout the game, we reacted to everything as it happened. Here is our recap of the game.

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Final Score

Dolphins 12 – 20 Texans

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Immediate Reactions

First Quarter

Dolphins first possession (6 plays, 11 yards)

Not a lot of success for the Dolphins on their opening drive. The pass protection seemed to be there, despite Miami starting backups at both tackle positions. Instead of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa being under pressure on every drop back, the Dolphins received struggled to get open on their opening drive. They converted one first down on an eight-yard pass from Tagovailoa to wide receiver Malik Washington, but other than that, the possession did not amount to much and Miami punted.

Texans first possession (8 plays, 55 yards)

Houston came out with more urgency and in better rhythm on their possession than the Dolphins did on their first drive. Quarterback C.J. Stroud found running back Joe Mixon for 15 yards on the first play, setting the tone for the possession quickly. The drive included a run from running back Tank Dell for 15 yards, a reception from wide receiver Robert Woods for 12 yards, and a catch by wide receiver Nico Collins for eight yards. The drive stalled at the Miami 26-yard line, though and the Texans settled for a field goal.

Texans 3-0.

Dolphins second possession (3 plays, 3 yards)

Washington returned the kickoff 35 yards to set Miami with good starting field position, only to have a holding penalty during the return back them up to their own 18-yard line. The Dolphins drew Houston offsides on the first play, giving them a 1st-and-5, but they failed to do anything, gaining just three yards on a run from running back De’Von Achane followed by two incomplete passes. Miami punted on a three-and-out after starting the drive on a 1st-and-5.

Texans second possession (3 plays, -6 yards)

Houston matched Miami’s three-and-out, despite picking up seven yards on a Stroud pass to wide receiver John Metchie III on second down. On third down, Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler exploded through the middle of the line to get to Stroud for the sack and force the punt. Great response by the defense after the offense did nothing with the ball; Sieler is just such a menace in the middle of the line. He and fellow defensive tackle Calais Campbell are a ridiculous pairing.

Dolphins third possession

Miami looked more in rhythm on their third drive, finally finding some success in moving the ball. Tagovailoa found tight end Jonnu Smith first a first down with a 10-yard pass on 2nd-and-8 early in the possession, then connected with Achane for nine yards on the next play. Three plays later, Tagovailoa was again able to turn to Achane in the flat and have the running back turn it into a decent gain, this time taking a 2nd-and-5 play and turning it into a 13-yard gain. After an Achane run for five yards on a backward pass from Tagovailoa, the first quarter ended.

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Second Quarter

Dolphins third possession (continued) (12 plays, 45 yards)

Miami picked up a first down on the quarter’s first play as running back Raheem Mostert turned a screen into a seven-yard gain. The drive stalled at the Texans’ 25, however, as Miami backed up to the Houston 37-yard line following a loss and a holding penalty. Kicker Jason Sanders connected on the 55-yard kick to tie the score.

Tied 3-3.

Texans third possession (3 plays, -5 yards)

The drive started with a two-yard loss on a Mixon run, with linebacker Jordyn Brooks getting into the backfield and making the tackle. Replay showed it probably should have been flagged as a hip-drop tackle, and Mixon was injured on the play, but no flag was thrown. Stroud threw a screen pass to Collins on the next play, with cornerback Kader Kohou, who forced a fumble earlier in the game, making a great snag of the receiver with one arm to force a three-yard loss. After a incomplete pass, the Texans punted on the three-and-out possession.

Dolphins fourth possession (3 plays, 2 yards)

A roughing the passer penalty on the first play of the drive gave Miami a free 15 yards, but it fell apart almost immediately thereafter. A six-yard Mostert run and an incomplete pass brought up 3rd-and-4. The pass rush immediately got to Tagovailoa, with the quarterback stripped as he was hit from the blindside, with the Texans recovering the fumble.

Texans fourth possession (4 plays, 28 yards)

Starting at the Dolphins’ 28-yard line, the Texans immediately gained 15 yards on a pass to Dell. After an additional five-yards were picked up two plays later when Miami jumped offsides, the Texans scored on a six-yard pass from Stroud to Collins.

Texans 10-3

Dolphins fifth possession (10 plays, 52 yards)

The Dolphins were able to move the ball down the field on the drive, getting into the redzone ahead of the two-minute warning. The drive was highlighted by a 20-yard pass on the first snasps, with Washington able to take a screen up field for the gain. The story of the drive, however, is an injury to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, whose knee was rolled into as Achane was tackled on a run mid-drive. Miami got lucky on a 3rd-and-10 pass to Achane, who fumbled as he was tackled; center Aaron Brewer was able to jump on the loose ball to keep possession. The Dolphins kicked a field goal to end the drive, but the worry about what looked like an ugly knee injury to Waddle will be the main point from this possession.

Texans 10-6

Texans fifth possession (4 plays, 19 yards)

The Texans opened the drive with all three timeouts and 1:57 on the clock. Getting the ball back to start the second half, Houston came out looking to get back-to-back scores and extend the lead. Stroud threw to tight end Dalton Schultz on first down for nine yards, then targeted him again on second down, but the pass was incomplete; the tight end was injured on the play, holding his shoulder. A 10-yard pass to Metchie followed before the ball was snapped too early and the Dolphins were able to recover the fumble, giving Miami a chance to score before the half.

Dolphins sixth possession (2 plays, 4 yards)

After a trade of penalties to start the possession, Tagovailoa threw a short pass to Achane for four yards. On the second snap, Tagovailoa looked deep to Hill, but never saw the safety in the middle of the field and threw an interception.

Texans sixth possession (3 plays, 0 yards)

Starting at the Dolphins’ five-yard line after the interception return, the Texans would settle for a field goal as time expired for to pull the lead back out to a touchdown.

Texans 13-6

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Halftime Thoughts

That interception was just a crusher. Miami had a chance to take the lead late in the half, but instead, Tagovailoa threw his first interception in 206 pass attempts. Just miserable timing.

The first half is going to be all about Waddle, however. That knee injury did not look good. The Dolphins officially listed him as questionable to return, but that will likely be downgraded to out eventually. Hopefully it is not as major as it looked in the slow-motion replay.

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Third Quarter

Texans seventh possession (9 plays, 70 yards)

The Dolphins forced the Texans into a 3rd-and-3 play to open the drive, with linebacker Chop Robinson getting to Stroud, but the quarterback threw the ball just before he hit the ground for the sack, converting the first down with an 11-yard pass to Dell. Two incomplete passes following an eight-yard pass set up 4th-and-2. The Texans faked the punt and picked up 35 yards to move the ball to the Miami nine-yard line, with an unnecessary roughness penalty jumping the ball to the Miami four. Two plays later, the Texans scored on a pass from Stroud to Collins. That fake was nasty and the Dolphins were not expecting it at all; they almost got the ball back on a fumble recovery by safety Patrick McMorris, but running back Dare Ogunbowale, who was running the ball on the fake, had his elbow hit the ground just before the ball came loose. Miami has work to do now, and they have to get past the offense, throwing the ball behind the line of scrimmage if they are going to get back into this game.

Texans 20-6.

Dolphins seventh possession (11 plays, 73 yards)

The drive opened with a screen pass to Washington, who turned it into a 14-yard gain. Two plays later, as Tagovailoa tried to complete a seam pass to wide receiver Grant DuBose, the receiver was hit in the head and was taken off the field on a cart after a lengthy delay during which they removed his facemask, cut his jersey off, and appeared to hook him to some equipment, including an oxygen mask and potentially an EKG and/or IV. Just a scary scene on the field and as he was wheeled off. Miami was able to piece it back together after the 12-minute stoppage, with a highlight catch from wide receiver Tyreek Hill for his first catch of the game, picking up 21 yards on 3rd-and-16. After a penalty moved Miami from a 4th-and-7 to a 4th-and-2 attempt, the Dolphins, who had already converted the field goal, took the points off the board and went for it. Tagovailoa found tight end Jonnu Smith in the back of the endzone for the score. Sanders missed the extra point.

The Dolphins are still in this game, no matter how frustrating it has been thus far. Can the defense make a stop? They need it here to keep the momentum moving toward Miami.

Texans 20-12

Texans eighth possession (3 plays, 1 yard)

Houston gained eight yards on their first two plays, but a sack by Robinson on 3rd-and-2 led to a three-and-out punt. The defense did their part. Now the offense needs a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie up this game.

Dolphins eighth possession

Miami started the drive at their own 27, with rookie running back Jaylen Wright picking up three yards on first down. Tagovailoa found Smith for six yards to bring up 3rd-and-1, with Mostert just pushing pass the markers on a run up the middle. After an eight-yard gain on first down, the quarter ended.

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Fourth Quarter

Dolphins eighth possession (continued) (13 plays, 53 yards)

After the break, Miam converted for a first down on a 15-yard pass to Hill, then, three plays later, faced a 3rd-and-4. The pass toward Washington was too far ahead of the receiver, leading to a 4th-down play. Miami, trailing by eight points, chose to go for the conversion, picking up the first down on a nine-yard pass to Smith. A run for no gain and a pass to Washington for five yards gave Miami a 3rd-and-5 from the Houston 20-yard line. Tagovailoa looked to Hill, but threw the ball to cornerback Derek Stingley, Jr., for his second interception of the game. Just a dagger to the heart with that throw.

Texans ninth possession (9 plays, 26 yards)

The Texans looked to short passes and the run to bleed the clock while potentially adding to the eight-point lead. The longest play came on a 2nd-and-15, when Stroud threw to wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson on a comeback play, gaining 13 yards. Three plays later, however, the Dolphins defense shut down the Houston drive with a timely blitz that forced an inaccurate throw on 3rd-and-8, leading to a punt.

Again, the defense did enough to give the offense a chance. Can Tagovailoa lead a comeback drive with 4:20 remaining in the game?

Dolphins ninth possession (3 plays, -9 yards)

The drive started with a false start penalty, then a sack of Tagovailoa. An incomplete pass brought up 3rd-and-25, with a pass to wide receiver River Cracraft giving Miami six yards so punter Jake Bailey had some breathing room and was not pressed up against the back line of the endzone.

Miami punted on the three-and-out drive. Needing points, the offense went backwards and did nothing. Somehow the defense has to make a quick stop and get the ball back to the offense – and they need to figure out how to move the ball.

Texans tenth possession (3 plays, -5 yards)

Defensive tackle Calais Campbell stuffed Mixon for a two-yard loss on first down, then was stopped after a run of four yards on second down. After the two-minute warning, Robinson was able to immediately sack Stroud and force a punt.

Dolphins tenth possession (1 play, 0 yards)

Tagovailoa looked deep to Hill, with the receiver leaping and seeming to catch the ball, only to have Stingley rip the ball out of his hands and record his second pick of the game.

Texans eleventh possession (2 plays, -2 yards)

The Texans knelt twice to kill the clock.