The teams, both winless since Week 1 and connected by trade speculation surrounding Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, combined for nine turnovers.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The first turnover came on the Houston Texans’ opening drive. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, pressured by Miami Dolphins safety Brandon Jones, lofted the ball to the end zone, and it landed in the rookie Jevon Holland’s hands for an interception. From there, the Texans and the Dolphins swapped one puzzling giveaway after another: a poor decision by Dolphins quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the first quarter; three lost fumbles by the Dolphins (two by halftime); an attempted throwaway by Taylor that was turned into a sideline interception; back-to-back interceptions in the opening minutes of the third quarter; a late Houston fumble. There were nine turnovers combined. It was ugly, even for teams that entered the matchup with only two combined wins. The Dolphins (2-7), with an impressive defensive performance and an offense led by Brissett after the regular starter, Tua Tagovailoa, was a late scratch because of a fractured finger on his throwing hand, did enough to eke out a 17-9 win at home. “Not going to lie: It’s been a while,” Dolphins safety Eric Rowe said with a grin after the game. Here were two teams with meager playoff aspirations, both without a win since Week 1, connected by trade rumors that started in the off-season when Miami was reportedly looking into trading for Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson requested a trade out of Houston in January after expressing his discontent with not being involved in the team’s personnel decisions, including the hiring of General Manager Nick Caserio. Less than two months after Watson’s trade request, the first of 22 civil lawsuits was filed against him by women who accused the quarterback of coercive and lewd sexual behavior. And neither the N.
