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 of a playoff spot are dwindling quickly.
Tagovailoa threw three interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the Texans at NRG Stadium, moving the Dolphins to 6-8 on the season. While they are not technically eliminated from the AFC playoff race, it will take three straight wins and a lot of help for them to reach the postseason for the third straight year under head coach Mike McDaniel.
The Texans took a 13-6 lead in the first half on Sunday and then cut it to 14 points on their first drive of the third quarter after CJ Stroud hit Nico Collins for his second 6-yard touchdown reception of the day.
While Tagovailoa responded and hit Jonnu Smith for a seven-yard score later in the quarter, Miami’s two-point conversion attempt failed. Tagovailoa then threw two interceptions on the Dolphins’ next three drives to seal the eight-point victory for Houston.
Stroud completed 18 of 26 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns in the win for the Texans, pushing them to 9-5 on the season and maintaining their lead in the AFC South. They are currently looking at No. 4 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 made a very solid impression in the second half of the season, especially after Tagovailoa returned to the field after being sidelined with a concussion. The team was on a three-game win streak, starting with a 23-15 victory over the Rams in early November, and they entered Sunday having won four of their past five games.
While a wild card spot isn’t completely out of the question — the Buffalo Bills have already clinched the AFC East — the Dolphins need to win the rest of the way. Based on their remaining schedule, that’s not an impossible task. They will host the San Francisco 49ers, who are dealing with numerous injuries and are coming off a horrible 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams next Thursday. The Dolphins will then close out the regular season with back-to-back road games against the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, who have a combined seven wins and both have already been eliminated from postseason contention.
The NFL gives the Dolphins just a 5% chance of reaching the postseason. To make that happen, it will take losses to several others in the mix, such as the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts.
