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The Houston Texans take on the Miami Dolphins with a noontime Central kickoff from Hard Rock Stadium.
The Texans at 1-8-1 are finally going with a different quarterback as Kyle Allen replaces Davis Mills in the lineup.
If Houston has any success and lucks into a win, it won’t hurt their draft positioning as a good game-and-a-half over the nearest putrid teams, the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers. That tie of Houston’s from Week 1 does make things interesting as it relates to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
A win would give the Dolphins first place in the AFC East.
Follow along for all the action.
First quarter
15:00 — Houston gets the ball first. Miami deferred.
13:42 — New quarterback, same results: QB Kyle Allen throws an incomplete pass intended for TE O.J. Howard on a third-and-6 from the Houston 29. The Texans start three-and-out.
11:42 — On a third-and-7 from the Houston 39, QB Tua Tagovailoa throws a 22-yard pass to WR Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins enter Houston’s red zone.
10:30 — A holding call stalled Miami as they worked to overcome a yards-to-go of 20 yards. On a third-and-20 from the Texans’ 27-yard line, Tagovailoa’s pass is tipped and falls incomplete.
10:26 — K Jason Sanders nails a 45-yard field goal. 3-0, Dolphins
10:14 — CB Tremon Smith takes a kickoff from midway end the zone out and slips. Houston takes over at their own 10-yard line.
8:29 — Allen gets sacked on third-and-9 from the Texans’ 22-yard line, virtually in the same place where Smith slipped. According to Texans Radio commentator Andre Ware, the Dolphins were practicing on that end of the field — the right side of the 50 on a TV screen — and similarly had slippage issues. Texans Radio sideline reporter speculated it could be because the Miami Hurricanes played Pitt the night before and chewed up the field.
5:00 — WR Tyreek Hill is a yard short on a third-and-5 from the Houston 16-yard line.
4:19 — On fourth-and-1 from Houston’s 12, Tagovailoa hits WR Trent Sherfield for 9 yards. Texans LB Christian Harris was injured on the play.
3:05 — Tagovailoa scrambles in the backfield, keeping his eyes on the end zone. Eventually TE Durham Smythe comes open and catches a 4-yard touchdown pass. Extra point is good. 10-0, Dolphins
2:10 — The Dolphins let the Texans off the mat with a 12-men penalty as the Texans were about to face a third-and-1 from their own 34 at risk of going three-and-out.
1:18 — On a third-and-6 from Houston’s 43, Allen misses Howard again.
Second quarter
13:19 — G Justin McCray replaces Kenyon Green at left guard for the second straight series.
12:36 — Allen chucks an interception that lands right in the waiting arms of LB Andrew Van Ginkel and is returned to the Houston 3-yard line.
12:27 — RB Jeff Wilson rushes for a 3-yard score. Extra point is good. Dolphins, 17-0
11:39 — Houston follows up their turnover drive with a three-and-out.
6:29 — Somehow the Dolphins offense stalls out at the 5-yard line on a third-and-goal.
6:26 — Sanders hits a 23-yard field goal. Dolphins, 20-0
5:50 — If you want to know what type of football awareness LT Laremy Tunsil has, check it out. Allen was strip-sacked as LB Bradley Chubb simply got around Allen and tapped the ball out of his hands. Tunsil quickly fell on the football to preserve the drive.
5:09 — Of course, it was all for nothing as TE Jordan Akins fumbled and CB Xavien Howard recovered it for a 16-yard touchdown. Dolphins, 27-0
2:13 — The Texans’ drive goes nowhere as Allen dumps off to TE Teagan Quitoriano for seven yards on a third-and-13 from their own 27-yard line.
0:03 — DT Maliek Collins sacks Tagovailoa and bends him back awkwardly. The Dolphins manage to get back to the line of scrimmage and spike the ball for a Sanders field goal attempt.
0:01 — Sanders’ 35-yard field goal attempt is good.
Halftime
Stats
TEXANS
Allen: 10/16, 49 yards, INT; 1 carry, 5 yards
Dameon Pierce: 4 carries, 7 yards
Jordan Akins: 2 catches 15 yards
DOLPHINS
Tagovailoa: 20/34, 278 yards, TD
J. Wilson: 7 carries, 10 yards, TD
Waddle: 4 catches, 80 yards
Hill: 5 catches, 69 yards
Third quarter
15:00 — S Jalen Pitre seemingly strips the ball from Wilson, who was injured on the play and helped to the locker room, but the Texans didn’t even bother with a challenge despite some evidence on the boards at Hard Rock Stadium.
12:51 — Pitre gets an interception, but it is called back due to interception CB Steven Nelson.
12:42 — DE Mario Addison sacks Tagovailoa for a 5-yard loss to the Houston 46-yard line.
8:29 — Collins gets his second sack of the game on a first-and-10 from the Dolphins 30-yard line.
7:08 — The Dolphins’ drive ultimately stalls out as Tagovailoa settles for a dump off to Waddle for five yards on third-and-15 from Miami’s 25.
3:22 — RB Dare Ogunbowale rushes for a 3-yard touchdown. Houston goes for two and has Ogunbowale run up the middle, but he doesn’t get in. Dolphins, 30-6
3:18 — The Dolphins go with QB Skylar Thompson as their new signal caller. Tagovailoa is done for the day.
0:16 — A botched exchange results in the ball being kicked around S M.J. Stewart recovering at the 50-yard line.
Fourth quarter
12:55 — Allen throws to Akins on a second-and-6 from the Miami 25-yard line. Akins bulls his way into the end zone for a touchdown. The two-point attempt is Allen throwing for Tunsil, who was reporting as eligible. Tunsil can’t come up with the ball, and the attempt fails. Dolphins, 30-12
9:04 — K Ka’imi Fairbairn hits a 28-yard field goal. Dolphins, 30-15
7:24 — Houston manages to turn Miami three-and-out. P Thomas Morstead punts 55 yards to the Houston 15, but Smith returns it 26 yards to their own 41-yard line.
5:40 — The game gets back on schedule as Allen is sacked on a third-and-13 from the Houston 38-yard line. The Texans decide to punt despite being down 15 points and having all three timeouts.
4:20 — RB Rex Burkhead took a shot in the back and was lying on the field. He needed help from trainers and walked off the field under his own power to the blue medical tent.
Injuries
LB Christian Harris left with 4:19 to go in the first quarter with a shoulder injury and was questionable to return.