C.J. Stroud Improves But Texans Fall vs. Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins' first-half performance was too much for the Houston Texans to overcome, as they move to 1-1 in the preseason.

Judging by the first play of the game, it would have been safe to assume it would be a good day at the office for the Houston Texans in their first preseason game at NRG Stadium.

That assumption would have been wrong.

The Miami Dolphins dismantled the Texans' defense on third down and used a big halftime lead to take down Houston 28-3 Saturday. The Dolphins were 9-for-15 on third-down conversions and 2-for-2 on fourth downs.

After linebacker Denzel Perryman intercepted Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the first play of the game, and from that point on, Miami scored on three of its next four first-half drives with a third-down pickup on each.

The Dolphins marched 93 yards, including three third-down conversions for their first score, 80 yards with a third-and-14 pickup and fourth-down conversion for their second score, and — arguably the most demoralizing — 82 yards on five plays, scoring on an 18-yard touchdown pass on third-and-11 with 10 seconds left in the first half.

Tagovailoa was pulled after two drives and went 5-for-7 with 61 yards and an interception. The man who replaced him picked also picked apart the Texans' secondary.

Skylar Thompson was 15-for-22 for 157 yards and three touchdowns with a 128.2 passer rating. He played the majority of the game after Tagovailoa's exit, only missing four snaps of a third-quarter drive in concussion protocol. He returned and finished the rest of the game.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud showed a lot of signs of improvement after a rocky start in which he missed two-consecutive throws after being given plus-territory from the Perryman interception.

On his second drive of the game, Stroud showed great touch on two throws. He rolled out to his right and hit wide receiver Noah Brown in stride as he was trailing toward the sideline for a 14-yard gain. Two pass attempts later, he stepped into his pass and drove it to the far sideline, connecting with Robert Woods for 11 yards to pick up a third-and-7.

Stroud's only blemish against the Patriots in Week 1 was an interception while trying to force a ball into coverage and having the route get jumped by safety Jalen Mills. On the third drive of the game, he exhibited smart ball security, dumping it off to running back Devin Singletary on second-and-14 to pick up yards and set up third-and-10.

On the ensuing play, instead of trying to drive the ball down the field, Stroud hit tight end Dalton Schultz underneath, who would have picked up enough yards to be close to a first down had he not slipped after the catch.

Stroud finished the day 7-for-12 for 60 yards.

The Texans round out their preseason slate against the New Orleans Saints Aug. 27. Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Caesars Superdome.

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