While the Miami Dolphins turned the ball over four times Sunday, one special teams play was equally as devastating as Tua Tagovailoa’s interceptions.
After the Dolphins defense got a stop on the Texans’ first drive of the second half, Houston ran a perfectly executed fake punt for a 35-yard gain. Two plays later, the Texans took advantage of the opportunity with a touchdown that extended their lead to 14.
While the Dolphins looked completely bamboozled by the Texans’ trick play, head coach Mike McDaniel can’t understand why.
“We were anticipating that situation, so we had the appropriate call,” McDaniel said after the game. “I’ll have to take a look at the execution of it because I was surprised. It was the punt return scheme that we want in that situation to defend against that specific play.
“I’ll have to see how that unfolded because we were very aware pre-snap, and that was frustrating, when you’re bringing awareness to a possibility, and you lose on that possibility.”
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While McDaniel felt he had his team in the right spot to counter the fake punt, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters that his team ran the play, in part, because of the Dolphins’ alignment.
“We got the look we wanted and guys were on it,” Ryans said after the game. “The entire punt unit did a really nice job of just executing that the right way. Excellent execution.”
The 35-yard gain for Dare Ogunbowale accounted for nearly 20 percent of the Texans’ 181 yards of total offense and close to half of the team’s 77 rushing yards.
