National Football League

Dolphins seek breakthrough against Texans

Published Dec. 24, 2009 12:03 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

For the Miami Dolphins, the situation may be hopeless: To stay in the playoff race, they must beat the Houston Texans.

Houston is the only team Miami has never beaten. The Dolphins are 0-4 in the series, losing each of the past three years.

Miami will try for a breakthrough Sunday, when both teams need a win to stay in playoff contention. The Dolphins and Texans are 7-7, and even a sweep of the final two games might not be enough for a postseason berth.

``We are both playing for our playoff lives,'' Houston coach Gary Kubiak said. ``Whoever comes out of there with a win will still be alive. That is where you want to be in this business. You want to play in those games.''

The Texans, who are in their eighth season, have never made the playoffs or finished above .500. But they've been a major pain for the Dolphins, winning four times by point margins of 1, 2, 3 and 1 against four different coaches.

``Every time we play them, it comes down to the last play,'' Houston receiver Andre Johnson said. ``I'm glad things have been working out for us, and hopefully they can end up that way on Sunday.''

The series dates to 2003, when the Texans pulled off an upset at Miami to open their second season, a result that eventually kept the Dolphins from making the playoffs.

``We were supposed to be one of the best teams, and they came down here and beat us opening day,'' recalled Miami's Ricky Williams, a 1,000-yard rusher then and now. ``It seems like every time we play against them, they find a way to beat us.''

Nick Saban's play-calling drew criticism following Miami's loss at Houston in 2006. A repeat defeat in 2007 accelerated the collapse of the short-lived Cam Cameron regime in a 1-15 season. And last year, the Texans scored the winning touchdown with 3 seconds left to revive their season after an 0-4 start.

``History is what it is, and Sunday is Sunday,'' said safety Yeremiah Bell, who has been with the Dolphins since 2003. ``But when you don't beat a team, you can't totally discount it.''

Now, the Dolphins face their nemesis while on the brink of elimination from the playoff picture. The defending AFC East champions have been scrambling all season to overcome an 0-3 start, and an overtime loss last week at Tennessee cost them control of their destiny.

``It's what we created for ourselves,'' guard Justin Smiley said. ``We can't do anything about it now except try to win Sunday.''

For a different result against Houston, the Dolphins need to contain the Texans' passing attack, which won't be easy. Matt Schaub has thrown for 4,181 yards and 25 scores, and Johnson has been unstoppable the past couple of weeks, becoming only the second receiver to top 190 yards in consecutive games.

Johnson's excited about playing in his hometown for the first time since his rookie year in 2003.

``I can actually walk from my mom's old house right to the stadium,'' he said.

Johnson caught 10 passes for 178 yards last season against the Dolphins, and they've been prone to surrendering big pass plays this year. They've allowed a league-worst 14.4 yards per completion.

Vontae Davis, one of Miami's two rookie starters at cornerback, was beaten twice for touchdowns last week.

``If you're going to be in this league a long time, you've got to expect games like that,'' Davis said. ``It's part of learning. You've got to take your lumps to stop it from happening.''

The Texans could provide a real education. They're second in the NFL in passing yardage, and Schaub has eight 300-yard games this season.

The Dolphins have exhibited more passing punch themselves lately, with Chad Henne exceeding 330 yards in two of the past three games. However, he also threw three interceptions at Tennessee and has 12 this year, including eight in the fourth quarter or overtime.

``I'm the biggest critic of myself,'' Henne said. ``I'm going to keep plugging away and try to learn from my mistakes.''

The Dolphins are a minus-7 in turnover margin, a big change from last year, when they led the NFL at plus-17. Houston is a minus-2.

``You want to be in the plus area,'' Kubiak said. ``Those teams that are plus-5, plus-10 - in that area - are usually teams that keep playing in January.''

The Texans and Dolphins are assured of playing at least one game in January - the regular-season finale. They'll soon know how meaningful it will be.

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more FOLLOW

in this topic

National Football League