The Sports Xchange

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Quarterback Ryan Tannehill set an NFL record on Sunday but smartly — and quite accurately — deflected credit.

Tannehill completed 18 of 19 passes for 282 yards and tied a career high with four touchdown passes to lead the Miami Dolphins to a relatively easy 44-26 win over the Houston Texans at Sun Life Stadium.

The Dolphins (3-3) built a 41-0 halftime lead over the Texans (2-5) and cruised from there.

Counting last week, Tannehill completed an NFL-record 25 consecutive passes. But of his four touchdown passes on Sunday — including two to wide receiver Jarvis Landry — 144 of the 167 yards were accomplished after the catch.

Tannehill was especially complimentary of Landry’s 50-yard catch and run in the first quarter.

“He made 46 guys miss on the way to the end zone,” Tannehill said, exaggerating by about 40.

Either way, the Dolphins are 2-0 under interim head coach Dan Campbell, who replaced the fired Joe Philbin. Miami has been dominant under Campbell, beating the Tennessee Titans 38-10 in the former tight end coach’s debut.

Houston got three touchdown passes from quarterback Brian Hoyer — two to wide receiver Nate Washington and one to running back Arian Foster, who also scored once on the ground.

However, Foster left the game with 4:04 left in the fourth quarter, suffering a right Achilles tendon injury even though he was untouched on the play. Foster will have an MRI on Monday, but the NFL Network reported that Foster has a torn Achilles tendon and will miss the rest of the season.

“It obviously didn’t look very good,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “I feel terrible for him.”

This was Miami’s first win against the Texans. The Dolphins had been 0-7 against the Texans, who built their win streak from 2003-12.

Miami scored on its first possession, driving 88 yards on six plays. The march culminated with a 53-yard slant pass to wide receiver Rishard Matthews, who broke a tackle and was gone on the longest reception of his career.

The Dolphins made it 14-0 on Landry’s spectacular 50-yard catch and run. Landry caught a quick out on the left sideline, nearly stepping out of bounds. Instead, he ran all the way across the field, making at least six defenders miss, getting 40 yards after the catch.

Miami made it 21-0 on a 10-yard TD pass to Landry, who dragged a defender into the end zone for the final 5 yards.

The second quarter was more of the same as Miami scored on a 54-yard screen pass to running back Lamar Miller and a 23-yard interception return by safety Reshad Jones.

On the play by Jones, Houston tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz dropped a pass and then tipped it up as he fell down, virtually gift-wrapping a pick-six for Jones, who punctuated his play with a wild sideways flip into the end zone.

Miller then scored on an 85-yard run as the Dolphins set the franchise record for most points in a half, breaking the previous mark from 1967. Miller finished the game with 175 rushing yards and 236 yards from scrimmage.

What we learned about the Texans:

1. The Texans defense, which did not give up more than 33 points in any game last year, was embarrassed, giving up 41 in the first half alone. Granted, one of the touchdowns was on an interception return, but the rest was scored on a Houston defense that has a superstar lineman in J.J. Watt and numerous other highly regarded standouts such as linebackers Brian Cushing and Jadaveon Clowney and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. The Texans also had an ugly 48-21 loss at the Atlanta Falcons earlier this season.

2. Arian Foster’s career trend is on a downward spiral. He missed a combined total of 11 games, bothered by lingering leg issues. He was still a force for those two years, averaging 4.5 and 4.8 yards per rush, respectively. This year, he has again been bothered by injuries — a nagging hamstring pull — and his production has slipped badly. He had just 104 yards on 45 carries entering the Dolphins game. On Sunday, he left the game with 4:04 left, suffering a right Achilles tendon injury despite not being hit on the play. He finished the day with 18 carries for 59 yards and five catches for 66 yards, scoring two touchdowns.

3. The Texans should never had let quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick go after last season. Fitzpatrick is no All-Pro, but the current New York Jets starter is better than what the Texans have to choose from — Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett and Tom Savage.

Etc.:

–QB Brian Hoyer entered Sunday with decent numbers. But he was brutal against Miami in a scoreless first half, completing just 6 of 23 passes for 61 yards and one interception. Hoyer padded his stats after the Dolphins took a 41-0 halftime lead and finished with 23 completions in 49 attempts for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He had just that one first-half interception.

–RB Arian Foster continues to struggle this season. He entered Sunday with just 104 yards in 45 carries. He was better than that against the Dolphins, scoring two touchdowns and compiling 59 yards on 18 carries and 66 yards on five catches. But he left the game with 4:04 left in the third quarter when he injured his right Achilles tendon. He was not touched on the play, falling while trying to run a simple pass pattern. He will have an MRI on Monday, but NFL Network reported Sunday that Foster has a torn Achilles tendon.

–WR DeAndre Hopkins cooled off on Sunday. He entered the game with gaudy stats through six games — 52 catches for 726 yards and five touchdowns. But he caught just six passes for 50 yards and no touchdowns on Sunday as the Dolphins clamped down on him.