Miami Dolphins vs. Houston Texans
Sunday, October 12, 2008, 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
Records: Miami 2-2, Houston 0-4
Series history: Houston leads 3-0.
Last season: Houston won 22-19 at home.
Five most important things for the Texans:
1. Get physical. The Dolphins have transformed themselves into a very physical football team and the Texans need to win the line of scrimmage.
2. Stop Ronnie Brown. Ricky Williams is a very solid back, but Ronnie Brown is running as well as anyone right now. The Texans need to stop all the “wildcat” madness.
3. Block Joey. Joey Porter is back and playing at a very high level. The Texans need to locate him and get a body on him on every offensive play.
4. Force Chad to throw outside the hash. Chad Pennington is the most accurate quarterback in NFL history and he has a knack for throwing the ball on time and exploiting the middle of the field. If the Texans can force Pennington to go outside the hash marks, he will be much less effective.
5. Don’t let the Colts beat you twice. Everyone knows what happened last week, but the Texans need to have a short memory. This is a perfect time to bounce back from extreme disappointment.
What to look for:
1. Look for Steve Slaton to score. Slaton has scored in two consecutive games, and look for it to be three this Sunday.
2. Look for the Texans to take some shots deep. Either one of the Andre’s should be able to get behind the Miami defense and look for the Texans to take some shots.
3. Look for a big special teams play. It could be a blocked kick, it could be a big return, or even a fake, but a big special teams play could decide this one.
4. Look for a TD from Ricky Williams. We believe the Dolphins “other” back will be able to find the end zone.
5. Look for four combined turnovers. Both defenses are aggressive, and there could be some sloppy play. Four turnovers may be the right number.
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