First quarter

•  Impact player: Dolphins running back Reggie Bush ran for 34 yards on seven carries and accounted for 24 yards on the Dolphins field-goal drive before fumbling.

•  Highlights: Dan Carpenter hit a 39-yard field goal to put the Dolphins up 3-0. Defensive tackle Randy Starks got a sack and helped stuff Arian Foster on a third-and-1 as the Dolphins seemed to take over both sides of the ball in short yardage.

•  Lowlights: Each of the Dolphins first two possessions stalled on fumbles they recovered, one on a snap that seemed to surprise Ryan Tannehill and the other by Bush as he got nailed.

Second quarter

•  Impact player: Houston defensive end J.J. Watt deflected three passes, two of which wound up as interceptions that led to touchdowns and 24-3 Texans halftime lead.

•  Highlights: Randy Starks got his second sack of the day. With the Texans helping with a penalty, the defense held Houston to a field goal after Houston’s first turnover.

•  Lowlights: Three interceptions, two off tipped passes and one off a forced pass, and a fumble as running back Daniel Thomas sustained a head injury led to 24 Houston points in six minutes. Foster ran for a 14-yard score and a 1-yard touchdown. Miami native Andre Johnson beat inexplicable single coverage for a 14-yard touchdown in the final 10 seconds of the half.

Third quarter

•  Impact player: Houston quarterback Matt Schaub completed nine consecutive passes in one stretch as the Texans controlled the clock.

•  Highlights: Marcus Thigpen blew up a middle lane for a 72-yard punt return touchdown that cut the deficit to 24-10. Reshad Jones beat Owen Daniels’ block attempt to bring down Foster for a loss of 4 on third-and-2 from the 18.

•  Lowlights: The Dolphins went three-and-out on their only possession of the quarter. Schaub began picking them apart as Houston rolled to 113 offensive yards even while spending half the time trying to run out the clock. They did that well, too, holding the ball for 12:51 of the quarter.

Fourth quarter

•  Impact player: Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw short and medium routes well in moving the Dolphins to 106 yards of offense. But throwing too short on a blitz hot route and another deflected pass ended both drives on downs.

•  Highlights: Tannehill twice moved the Dolphins inside the Texans’ 10-yard line and hooked up with Brian Hartline on a beautiful 34-yard bomb. Starks and Paul Soliai continued to have good games. The Dolphins allowed only one first down and held the Texans out of the end zone from first-and-goal on the Dolphins’ 3.

•  Lowlights: That lone Houston first down, however, came on a 29-yard pass to Johnson and set up Houston’s field goal. Once inside the 10, the Dolphins couldn’t finish the job.