For the first time in 2024, the Miami Dolphins held an opponent under 200 yards of total offense. But the Houston Texans overcame their offensive struggles by forcing four turnovers to beat the Dolphins, 20-12.
“Plain and simple, just my fault,” Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said after the loss.
Tagovailoa, who entered Sunday with one interception over his last seven starts, threw three picks and fumbled once against the Texans. His two first half turnovers set up Houston with short fields that the team turned into 10 points. The Dolphins’ comeback bid ended with Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. hauling in two fourth quarter interceptions.
“I’ve got to protect the ball,” Tagovailoa said. “I’ve got to play better ball for our guys, especially in a situation where the team is counting on me to go and drive our offense down to potentially tie the game up, and that’s not what I did. That’s not how you win games in this league.
“Very disappointed with how I played today and with how I conducted myself on the field, with our guys, with our team. I just need to be better in all aspects with that.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel disagreed with that evaluation, though.
“I think it’s easy to just attribute it to the last person that touched the ball,” McDaniel said. “Everybody had a hand in it, whether it was protection, or there were a couple times that we’ve been better as of late being exactly where we need to be. That was the biggest thing is to play the style we do and play with some anticipation. We have to have total connectivity from the unit.”
The Week 15 loss was Tagovailoa’s fourth career three-interception game and his second of the 2024 season. He didn’t have any during the 2023 season.
