Ahead of critical December stretch, Dolphins look to stay focused on one-win Texans

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To Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins’ 7-3 start is a lottery ticket, one that hasn’t been checked for the winning numbers.

“I mean, is it worth something? I don’t know,” the first-year head coach said.

The Dolphins can be proud of their four-game winning streak, which has been marked by the team finding a formula for success as it continues to execute the vision of McDaniel. The team hasn’t lost since the Week 7 return of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has been playing at an MVP-caliber level as he distributes the ball to myriad pass-catchers. A newfound ground game has added a physical element to the offense’s approach and the defense continues to hold its own despite multiple significant injuries.

But the December slate that awaits the Dolphins, which includes three consecutive road games against teams with a .500 or better record, is the one that likely determines the team’s playoff fate and whether it reaches the postseason for the first time since 2016.

The Dolphins seek to enter that stretch on a high note when they host the Houston Texans (1-8-1) on Sunday.

“I was excited just to come back and get around the guys again,” wide receiver Jaylen Waddle said of returning from the bye week. “It was a little break, but I think we needed it just to get away from the game. I’m excited to be back. I think we all are.”

In a division and conference race that remains closely contested, the Dolphins’ ability to set themselves apart has been as much defined by winning the games they have been expected to as it has been defeating some of the better teams in the league. Their winning streak includes a quartet of victories over teams with a combined record of 13-29. The combined record of the Dolphins’ next three opponents — the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills — is 19-12 before they host the 4-7 Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day. The regular season is then capped with rematches against the New England Patriots and New York, division foes who both have winning records.

On paper, the Texans present the most lopsided matchup the Dolphins will face this season. Houston is the only team in the NFL with fewer than three wins and has the second-lowest point differential in the NFL. The Texans are benching quarterback Davis Mills for Kyle Allen, who hasn’t attempted a pass this season. Miami will enter the game as a 13-point favorite, its biggest favorite role since 2003 when Houston was a year removed from being an expansion team. The Texans would upset the Dolphins, 21-20, in that season opener.

“I always talk about how we just take it one day at a time and really dive into the process,” outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips said. “You can’t overlook any team in the NFL. Everybody is super talented. There’s a reason they’re in the NFL. Everybody is coached well. Everybody has the ability to make big plays, so you definitely have to bring your A-game every single week.”

The past few days have shown just how volatile the Dolphins’ place in the AFC is and how disastrous a loss to the Texans could be.

The team returned from its bye week atop the AFC East, by virtue of its head-to-head win over the Bills in Week 3. Buffalo’s three-point win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving momentarily gave them a half-game lead in the division standings and sent Miami down to one of the conference’s three wild-card spots. A victory over the Texans on Sunday and the Dolphins would return to the top spot, with a pivotal Week 15 rematch in Buffalo looming.

Only two games separate the conference’s top seed — the 8-2 Kansas City Chiefs — from the final wild-card spot, currently occupied by the 6-4 Jets.

So while the Dolphins’ early season success has them right in the middle of the playoff race, it only means so much given what lies ahead — and that begins with the Texans.

“I mean, it’s like we got a good start, but that’s all it is,” fullback Alec Ingold. “I don’t think that was anyone’s goal. Coach has always been talking about the process and improving every single week that trajectory we want to be on. So we just really set ourselves up for a lot of goals that we can go accomplish this second half of the season. So I think guys are focused, they’re locked in. They’re dialed in, refreshed now after the bye week. Now it’s time to go out and perform again.”