The game could have been closer had it not been for two holding penalties that nullified Houston touchdowns — an 82-yard pass from rookie QB David Carr to Corey Bradford, and an 8-yard run by Travis Prentice.

Still, it was obvious on this night Houston was overmatched.

The Dolphins quickly established their dominance on this night, stopping the Texans without a first down on the first drive and then putting together a 62-yard drive capped by Ricky Williams' 1-yard touchdown run.

After again holding Houston to three-and-out, the Dolphins this time marched 68 yards, with Rob Konrad scored on a 3-yard run over the middle.

The Dolphins extended the lead to 17-0 on the next-to-play of the first half when Olindo Mare nailed a 39-yard field goal and increased the lead when Robert Edwards scored on a 1-yard run late in the third quarter.

Houston finally got on the board in the final minutes of the fourth quarter when Kris Brown hit a 46-yard field goal.

The Dolphins could have made the score more lopsided after driving inside the Houston 10-yard line in the final seconds, but they were content to just let the seconds tick away.