The Miami Dolphins defeated the Houston Texans 28-3 in the second week of the preseason.  The starters indeed ended up starting, with Tua Tagovailoa and the offense getting two full series together before departing the game. 

The foregoing is my immediate, knee-jerk reaction without the benefit of reflection or a second watch of the game.  

What I liked: 

-Tua refocused and helped lead a methodical TD drive after throwing an interception on the first play of the game.  Good resilience. 

-Raheem Mostert ran well in the first quarter and the line opened some nice holes for him.  He scored on a 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter, the Dolphins' first trip to the end zone of the preseason.  Yay for points. 

-David Long, Jr.  had two nice run stops on the Texans' first scoring drive, including a tackle for loss where he almost met the ballcarrier in the backfield.  Impressive showing for a player looking to wrap up his starting spot. 

-Xavien Howard stopped a drive in the red zone with a nifty pass break up on 3rd and 5. 

-Salvon Ahmed gained steady yardage in the first half on the ground and through the air, finishing with 99 rushing yards on 12 carries and 4 catches for 32 yards and a receiving touchdown. After Gaskin's solid showing against Atlanta, the RB competition is starting to get very interesting. 

-Skylar Thompson converted an impressive third down with a pass to Ahmed while the pocket was collapsing on him.  He showed poise on that drive, ending it with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Ahmed to go up 14-3. 

-Thompson finished the day 15 of 22 for 157 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions.  A nice bounce back game this week. 

-Ahmed took a handoff off the left side for a 65-yard run.  The left side of the line bulldozed their defenders, and Ahmed turned on the jets around the corner and up the sideline before being tripped up in the red zone.  

-Three plays later, on 3rd and 11, Thompson waited and found Braxton Berrios on a deep crossing route for a 19-yard touchdown and a 21-3 lead with just 10 seconds left in the first half. 

-Chris Brooks ran hard and physical in the second half, teeing off on and dragging tacklers up the field.  He took a screen pass 18 yards for a touchdown to extend the Dolphins' lead to 28-3 late in the third quarter.  The offensive line deserves credit for knocking some holes open, as well.  Another running back with a nice game for the Dolphins on Saturday.  

-As a team, Miami totaled 205 rushing yards on 38 carries for the game.  Excellent day on the ground.  

What I didn't like: 

-Tua's interception.  LB Denzel Perryman dropped RIGHT IN THE PASSING LANE IN FRONT OF TUA'S FACE and number one threw the ball right to him.  Not sure how he didn't see him, but he didn't.  

-At first I thought he made the tackle willingly, but on rewatch, it looked like Tua was tossed down and basically accidentally rolled into Perryman.  Tua has no business trying to make a tackle in the preseason, so that concern is alleviated.  

-High snaps.  The first led to a near-safety on the starters' second drive.  Then another contributed to a 14-yard loss via sack by rookie Will Anderson on Thompson's first drive.  Simply a lack of focus.  Can't happen. 

-The De'Von Achane injury.  The NFL Network broadcast didn't offer an explanation as to what happened, but it appears he was on a cart after leaving the field and was taken to the locker room, per multiple reports.  The team feels snakebitten with injuries adding up, and hopefully this isn't a serious one.  Despite the depth in the running back room, his absence would still be felt, as his explosiveness would have provided a boost to the return game at a bare minimum, as well as giving the Dolphins another home run element in the backfield.  

-Special teams still aren't very special.  Punt coverage was fine, with no long returns allowed.  The kickoff return team didn't block well and Achane was trying to evade would-be tacklers way earlier than he should've in the first half.  The kickoff coverage team allowed a 44-yard return.  Not the disaster of week 1, but still not where it needs to be. 

Featured image via Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports