The Miami Dolphins and the Houston Texans got their seasons right back on track with pivotal wins over Tennessee and Jacksonville, respectively, in Week 6. They will look to sustain the momentum of those huge wins when they lock horns this coming Sunday in a critical NFL showdown at Sun Life Stadium.
Who will grab the edge in this make-or-break contest? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this football matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our Week 7 previews of Buffalo vs. Jacksonville and Cleveland vs. St. Louis.
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Houston Texans vs. Miami Dolphins Preview
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami
When: Sunday, October 25, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Houston Texans (+4.5) at Miami Dolphins (-4.5); total: 44.5 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Houston Texans (2-4)
Houston finally chalked up its second win of the season with a 31-20 victory over Jacksonville on Sunday. It was a morale-boosting victory for the Texans who suffered agonizing defeats to Atlanta and Indianapolis in their previous two games.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Houston’s win wouldn’t be possible without the heroics of quarterback Brian Hoyer. He threw three touchdown passes, all on third down, to lead the Texans to their first division win this year. Hoyer completed 24 of 36 passes for 293 yards. DeAndre Hopkins was Hoyer’s favorite target in this contest, hauling in 10 passes for 148 yards, including a pair of touchdowns. He became the second player in franchise history to have four straight games with at least 100 yards receiving, tying Andre Johnson’s record.
Apart from Hoyer and Hopkins, the Texans’ defense also stepped up big time against the Jaguars. They finally created some turnovers against Jacksonville, producing three takeaways on Sunday. Houston got a pair from Andre Hal whose pick-six late in the game helped seal the much-needed victory for the Texans.
They will need to bring that same kind of defensive effort this coming Sunday if they are to record their third win against Miami. The Texans, in particular, need their secondary to man up against Miami’s aerial attack that racked up 266 yards in their latest win against Tennessee. Houston is 19th in passing defense this season, allowing 239.8 yards per game this campaign.
The Texans are 4-6 SU and 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Miami finally snapped its three-game losing skid with a resounding 38-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. It was a dominating performance by the Dolphins who outgained Tennessee, 434-299. The Dolphins have now won four of their last six games against the Titans.
Key to the Dolphins’ victory was the reemergence of their running game. Prior to the contest, Miami had been one of two teams in the NFL still without a rushing touchdown. That all changed, though, when Jarvis Landry ran for a score in the game’s opening drive. Lamar Miller also wreaked havoc on the ground, rushing for 113 yards and a touchdown. Miami ended the game with a season-high 180 rushing yards.
With their ground game working once again, that opened things up for Ryan Tannehill and the rest of the Dolphins’ passing offense. Tannehill completed 22 of 29 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns with a pair of interceptions. Credit must also be given to the Dolphins’ defense, in particular, Cameron Wake who had a monster game on the other side of the ball. He had four sacks in the first half, becoming the first NFL player with four sacks in a half since Chris Clemons pulled off that feat against Green Bay in Week 2 in 2012.
He will need to bring that same kind of defensive intensity against a Houston side that’s averaging 393.8 yards per game in total offense this season, sixth in the NFL. Wake will need to put the clamps on Hoyer who threw a career-high three touchdowns against the Jaguars on Sunday.
The Dolphins are 1-4 SU and 0-5 ATS in their last five home games.
