MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — With the chance to become a .500 football team and an opportunity to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Dolphins are honed in on their next opponent, the Houston Texans.
Wednesday afternoon, the Dolphins were back in action at Baptist Health, the big talker being the defensive front of the Texans and the nicked-up offensive line of the Dolphins.
One of the season's biggest successes this year for the Dolphins is how fast Tua Tagovailoa gets the ball out of his hands, and his precision.
Tagovailoa is on pace to beat the NFL pass percentage record of 74.4% held by Drew Brees. As it stands, the Dolphins star is sporting a 73.8% pass percentage.
It's a key part of the Dolphins' offensive turnaround that could help the Fins win their first game against a playoff team this season.
In fact, the Texans have one of the best pass rush attacks in the league, while the Dolphins have suffered several injuries to their offensive line including Terron Armstead whose status is unknown for Sunday.
The bright spot for the Dolphins offense is how fast Tagovailoa gets the ball out. He's getting the ball out of his hands in 2.4 seconds— one of the fastest times among NFL quarterbacks.
Head coach Mike McDaniel says it will be a team effort for the offense to overcome the Texans' stifling pass rush.
"I'm very confident in Tua's ability. I am also a football coach who's directly observing a good pass rush," McDaniel said. "You don't take that lightly. I think the biggest part is, yes, Tua has yet to have a quick delivery. He has a quick delivery if there is someone running the appropriate route in the timing of the play."
The Dolphins will surely have their hands full with the Texans defense, as their secondary is also among the best in the league, with 16 interceptions on the season.