Miami Dolphins (6-7) @ Houston Texans (8-5)
Sunday, December 15, 1:00 PM ET
Alright, now the matchups are going to start heating up…
The Miami Dolphins kept their playoff hopes alive in Week 14 with a clutch win against the New York Jets. It was way too close for comfort, but the important thing is that the Dolphins were able to get their 6th win of the season and stay just two games behind the Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, and Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card race.
The Dolphins have an explosive offense that is capable of making some noise late this season, but I’m just not buying this team right now. It took them way too much going their way against the New York Jets to get a win, and now they have to go to Houston to face off against a Texans team that just got some much-needed rest and extra preparation time.
The Texans have been a little bit of a disappointment this season, even with the fact that they are going to be AFC South champs sooner rather than later. This team was much more dynamic last season and it felt like CJ Stroud had that offense playing at a much higher level. Stroud has 15 TDs and 9 INTs this season compared to 23 TDs and just 5 INTs last year.
He was much more efficient a season ago, but perhaps the week off will ignite something in him. Even though the Dolphins are desperate and the Texans are not, Houston needs to get that 9th win to try and seal up the AFC South for the second-straight year. If they win and the Colts lose, it should be all but over.
Houston is only favored in this game by 2.5 points coming off of a bye and playing at home, which kind of explains the general sentiment toward this team in a nutshell.
Prediction: Texans win 29-27