C.J. Stroud threw two touchdown passes to Nico Collins and the Houston Texans clinched the AFC South title with a 20-12 victory over the visiting Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.
Will Anderson Jr. forced a turnover with a key strip-sack, Derek Stingley Jr. recorded two interceptions and Calen Bullock also had a pick for Houston (9-5). The Texans formally clinched the division when the Indianapolis Colts lost to the Denver Broncos later Sunday.
Tua Tagovailoa completed 29 of 40 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown for Miami, but he lost a fumble and also matched his career worst of three interceptions. Tagovailoa had thrown just one pick over his last seven games.
The loss was costly for the Dolphins (6-8), who are two games out in the AFC wild-card race.
Miami receiver Grant DuBose was stretchered off the field during the third quarter after taking a hard helmet-to-helmet hit from Bullock. Medical personnel working on DuBose cut his uniform top off.
Miami said DuBose is in stable condition and will stay overnight at a Houston hospital. Bullock said after the game that the hit wasn’t intentional.
Stroud completed 18 of 26 passes for 131 yards. Houston totaled just 181 yards of but prospered off the four takeaways. Miami had 224 yards.
The second hook-up from Stroud to Collins — a 6-yard TD play — gave Houston a 20-6 lead with 11:02 left in the third quarter. The score was set up by a fake punt in which Dare Ogunbowale scampered 35 yards to the Miami 9-yard line. An unnecessary roughness call on the play set the Texans up at the 4.
The Dolphins moved within 20-12 on Tagovailoa’s 7-yard scoring pass to Jonnu Smith with 4:30 left in the period. Miami’s Jason Sanders missed the extra point.
The Dolphins were driving in the fourth quarter when Stingley jumped the route while covering Tyreek Hill, intercepted Tagovailoa at the Houston 8 and returned it 10 yards with 10:26 left in the game.
Stingley’s second pick came with 1:37 remaining to wrap up the Texans’ victory.
After the teams traded field goals early in the game, Anderson had a strip-sack of Tagovailoa in which teammate Tim Settle Jr. recovered the ball at the Miami 28-yard line with 9:25 left in the first half.
Four plays later, Stroud hit Collins with a 6-yard scoring pass to give Houston a 10-3 lead with 6:45 left in the half.
Sanders booted a 36-yard field goal with 1:57 remaining. The Dolphins got the ball back but Tagovailoa was intercepted by Bullock, who returned the ball 68 yards to the Miami 5. It set up Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 23-yard field goal as time expired for a 13-6 lead.
–Field Level Media
