The Miami Dolphins and the Houston Texans meet Saturday in NFL preseason action from NRG Stadium. This will be the second outing for both teams. The Dolphins posted a six-point loss to the Falcons in their first exhibition activity of the year, while the Texans powered out an 11-point victory over the Patriots in preseason Week 1. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.

Miami Dolphins 

The Dolphins stormed out of the gate to an 8-3 record last season, but ended up winning just one of their final six games for a 9-8 overall record. Miami still made the playoffs with a Wild Card berth, but some bad breaks (including an injury to star QB Tua Tagovailoa) led to a 34-31 loss to the rival Bills in the first postseason game. 

Turning the clock ahead to 2023, Miami faced off against the Falcons in their first preseason action. The Dolphins weren’t able to score until the fourth quarter but generally kept the game close in a 19-3 defeat. QB Skylar Thompson put up 104 yards and two picks, while Devon Achane led the receivers on four catches for 41 yards. Myles Gaskin added 57 rush yards on seven carries. 

Houston Texans 

Over on the Texans’ side, they’re looking to move on from another abysmal season in 2022. Houston limped to a rough 3-13-1 record overall, which of course left the team in the basement of the AFC South. The Texans went winless (0-7-1) at NRG Stadium along the way and ended up firing head coach Lovie Smith. 

For what it’s worth, Houston got off to a good start in their first preseason game of the year. The Texans scored in each of the final three quarters versus the Patriots along the way to a 20-9 victory. QBs Case Keenum (79 yards) and Davis Mills (99 yards) each had a TD pass, and Nathaniel Dell finished on five grabs for 65 yards and a score to lead the receiving effort. 

The Dolphins are 4-0 ATS in their last four versus the AFC and 5-1 ATS in their last six Saturday games. Miami is 4-1 ATS in their last five overall. 

Meanwhile, the Texans are 4-1 ATS in their last five overall and 2-5 ATS in their last seven at home. The under is 5-2 in Houston’s last seven versus the AFC. 

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I might take a stab on Houston here. The Texans certainly have a long, long way to go before they’re relevant again. That said, the team started things off well against the Patriots with a pretty well-rounded effort from the backups last week. Houston out-gained New England 265-164, notched just three penalties and went a pretty decent 8-of-16 on third- and fourth-down tries. The two turnovers hurt, but overall the defensive effort carried the team without too much difficulty. As for Miami, they coughed up four turnovers and eight team penalties in their loss to Atlanta so there’s plenty of cleaning up to do. I expect a smoother effort from the Dolphins in this one, but Houston should have a pretty good shot at a home W (finally).