How to watch Dolphins vs. Texans on Saturday

The Miami Dolphins will clash with the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon at NRG Stadium in Houston. This will be the second preseason game for both teams and should be an opportunity for both to get more two-deep roster players on the field than last week, especially in the case of the Dolphins, who sat […]

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Aug 19, 2023 8:00 AM EDT

Miami Dolphins (0-1) at Houston Texans (1-0)
Date: Saturday, August 19, 2023
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Betting odds: HOU -2; Over/Under 39.5
How to watch on TV: CBS 4 WFOR (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale); NFL Network
Streaming: Fubo TV, YouTube TV, network apps, etc.
Radio: 940 AM WINZ, 105.9 AM WBGG (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale)

Will the starters play?

The Dolphins are dealing with injuries to a number of key starters or players that are legitimate starting candidates. Mike McDaniel has advised that Jaylen Waddle, Terron Armstead, Cam Smith, Liam Eichenberg, and Kader Kohou all have been dealing with varying degrees of injuries (although Smith and Kohou have practiced some this week), so it wouldn't be surprising to see them out on Saturday.

As for the rest, McDaniel was vague this week when asked about whether the starters would play. Typically the next to last game when the preseason was at 4 games was the "dress rehearsal". However, it remains to be seen if this game will be treated the same. If not this week, then the starters would certainly get some work against Jacksonville in the preseason finale.

Who takes center stage?

The backup quarterback play simply has to be better. Mike White and Skylar Thompson were both ineffective last week against the Falcons and need to be much sharper in their second opportunity. The protection from the reserve lineman also needs to be much better, as pressure forced a number of issues from the quarterbacks, especially for Thompson later in the game.

A couple of spots on the defense – specifically at corner as well as safety alongside Jevon Holland – are amid competitions for starting spots. As such, Noah Igbinoghene should get a golden opportunity to make an impact given the aforementioned injuries the team is dealing with at cornerback.

3 players to watch:

Isaiah Wynn: he was a player to watch last week, and he is this week again – except for a different reason: where will he line up? He's been practicing at left guard up to now, but he mostly played tackle in New England and the Dolphins aren't certain to have Armstead back for week one. How they use Wynn as far as left tackle or guard could be telling.

Noah Igbinoghene: see above

Elijah Higgins: do the Dolphins have a much-needed weapon at the tight end spot on their hands with their 2023 6th round rookie? It looks like it could be Higgins or bust in that regard, from what we've seen from the Dolphins' tight end room thus far. Impressing for two straight weeks would strengthen his case to make this team.