The Houston Texans had one of their worst first halves of the season against the Miami Dolphins in Week 12 in a game where it looked like they might not be able to make the final outcome close to respectable. Down 30 at halftime, the team would rally behind a resurgent pass rush in the third and fourth quarters to cut the deficit to 15 at the final whistle.
Defensive lineman Maliek Collins got in on the action in the backfield with two sacks and was asked after the game about any frustration he might have about having a standout performance in an ugly loss. He told reporters that the Texans’ secondary helped free up the team’s pass rushers with their sticky coverage.
“We didn’t really get to him [Tua Tagovailoa] the first quarter and a half, two quarters,” Collins explained. “In the second half, [we had] coverage adjustments. Credit the DBs, I mean I feel like – they held their own and allowed us to get to the quarterback and have a fighting chance.”
All in all, this matchup could’ve ended in a much worse outcome for Houston, especially given the deficit they faced at halftime when it legitimately looked like they’d lose by 50 or more points. The Dolphins showed mercy, though, and substituted quarterback Skylar Thompson in for Tua Tagovailoa after the Texans proved that their unrelenting pass rush was going to make life difficult for the starter.
It seems that in every loss Houston has taken this year at least one facet of their game has stood out as a positive. Early in the season, the sensational play of Dameon Pierce and the Texans’ rookie defensive backs were weekly reminders of the team’s potential.
Now, with losses piling up and without anything to play for except pride, Houston’s pass rush is out to show that the Texans won’t be pushovers, even if they don’t manage to win another game this year.