The Houston Texans face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and the Tennesee Titans in Week 17. These are two games that bring an ultimate dilemma for Miami Dolphins fans.
During last season, the Dolphins traded offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Houston Texans.
The Dolphins in exchange, received a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick.
Houston Texans fans have had a terrible 2020, losing the AFC Divisional Round in January to the Kansas City Chiefs, despite being 21-0 up at the end of the first quarter.
Star wide receiver Deandre Hopkins was oddly traded away to the Arizona Cardinals during the offseason and the Texans have paid the penalty.
They currently sit on 4-9 with just three games remaining.
If the season was to end today, Miami would get the eighth overall pick. With further losses to the Titans or Colts, this could see the Dolphins’ pick get higher. However, the Titans and Colts are both just one win ahead of the Dolphins. Wins for Houston can help Miami’s chances of making the playoffs.
This has ultimately caused a dilemma between the fanbase.
Is the Houston Texans draft position more important than the playoffs?
Whilst reaching the playoffs would represent progress, a higher draft pick can help Miami long term.
Draft picks do not represent success, as many of the best players in NFL history have not always been top draft picks.
Putting the hopes of your future on the draft is not always the best decision as we have seen many high picks fail to succeed.
However, sometimes the high picks deliver. And the Houston Texans pick could be very high.
This a reason why Miami can look at the future as the priority. Getting a high pick will help the Dolphins a lot more than the reality of playing just one game in the postseason and losing.
However, this is a reason why the Dolphins fans should be hoping for some Houston Texans wins. The playoffs are often a great example of ‘anything is possible’. No one would have predicted the Titans would reach the AFC Championship game when they sneaked into the playoffs last season.
The Miami defense has been one of the best this season. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers have allowed more yards this season than the Dolphins.
A defense such as this is capable of getting to any quarterback, as we saw with Patrick Mahomes throwing 3 interceptions last weekend. We also saw linebacker Jerome Baker sack Mahomes for a 30-yard loss.
Miami also has a quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa who is improving as the season has gone on.
He has won Pepsi Rookie of the Week two weeks in a row. Despite the 33-27 loss to Kansas City, we saw Tua throw for the best yards in a game this season (316) and he almost guided the Dolphins to a fourth-quarter comeback.
This is why the Miami Dolphins simply have to go for it and hope the Houston Texans win against the Colts or Titans.
In an ideal situation, the Dolphins win all their remaining games and the Texans still lose their games. This would be the best of both worlds.
As good as high draft picks are, I do not see much difference between the sixth, eighth or twelfth pick, which the Dolphins pick is likely to be no matter what happens.
Miami fans need to think of the present day as this is a team that can beat anyone on their day.
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