Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins really needed a win on Sunday afternoon. But now, after a 20-12 loss to the Houston Texans, their chances at a playoff spot are shrinking fast.
Tagovailoa threw three interceptions in the loss to the Texans at NRG Stadium on Sunday, which dropped the Dolphins to 6-8 on the season. Though they aren’t technically eliminated from the AFC playoff race, it’s going to take three straight wins and a lot of help in order for them to reach the postseason for a third straight year under head coach Mike McDaniel.
The Texans took a 13-6 first-half lead on Sunday and then they pushed it to 14 points on their first drive of the third quarter after C.J. Stroud hit Nico Collins for his second 6-yard touchdown reception of the day.
While Tagovailoa responded and hit Jonnu Smith for a 7-yard score later in the quarter, Miami’s 2-point conversion attempt failed. Tagovailoa then threw two interceptions on the Dolphins’ next three drives to seal the eight-point win for Houston.
Stroud completed 18 of 26 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns in the win for the Texans, which pushed them to 9-5 on the season and maintained their lead in the AFC South. They are currently looking at the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoff race. Joe Mixon led the Texans with 33 receiving yards on five catches, and he had 23 rushing yards on 12 carries.
Tagovailoa went 29-of-40 for 196 yards with his touchdown pass and three interceptions for the Dolphins. De’Von Achane had 41 yards on 12 carries, and Malik Washington had 52 yards on five catches.
The Dolphins had been making a very solid push in the second half of the season, especially after Tagovailoa returned to the field after being sidelined with a concussion. The team went on a three-game win streak starting with a 23-15 win over the Rams in early November, and they entered Sunday having won four of its past five games.
Though a wild-card spot isn’t completely out of the question — the Buffalo Bills have already clinched the AFC East — the Dolphins have to win out the rest of the way. Based on their remaining schedule, that’s not an impossible task. They’ll host the San Francisco 49ers, who are dealing with numerous injuries and are fresh off an awful 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, next week. The Dolphins will then end the regular season with back-to-back road games against the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, who have a combined seven wins between them and have both already been eliminated from postseason contention.
The NFL gives the Dolphins just a 5% chance of reaching the postseason. It’s going to take losses from several others in the mix, like the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts, in order to make that happen.