5 Things That Went Wrong in Miami Dolphins' Loss to the Texans

For the fifth time in the last six seasons, the Miami Dolphins have started their season 0-2. The Dolphins continue to struggle at home, losing their sixth straight contest (dating back to last season) and 11 of their last 12. After being picked apart by Tom Brady, the Dolphins were looking to make a statement against the Houston Texans but fell just short. 

The fans are showing what such futility at home will do to an organization. Owner Stephen Ross and sponsors Anheuser-Busch and CBS-4 purchased roughly 10,000 tickets to keep the game from being blacked out. 

There are several disturbing trends the Dolphins need to correct if they want to be able to turn this season around. 

Let's take a look. 

A New Season with the Same Special Team Woes

Last season the Dolphins special teams performed so poorly it got a coach fired mid-season.

The special teams does not seem to have improved going into this year. Dan Carpenter had a field goal blocked and missed another in the loss to Houston. Carpenter is coming off a 2010 season where he missed 11 field goals and only hit on 73.2 percent of his attempts. It may be time to bring in some competition to either replace or motivate Carpenter. 

The Running Game Lacks Creativity

Rookie Daniel Thomas made his 2011 debut and had a productive day, rushing 18 times for 107 yards. Thomas looked every bit of the running back the Dolphins traded up to take in the second round of last year's draft. Thomas showed patience, vision and toughness in his debut and certainly is the running back of the future in Miami. 

Thomas did have a costly fumble in the third quarter with the Dolphins down six points and starting to drive. It is to be expected for a rookie to make some mistakes, especially in his debut, but this is something to keep an eye on if it starts to become a trend. 

Reggie Bush took a big hit in touches from Week 1 to Week 2. Bush only touched the ball four times against the Texans, as compared to 20 versus the Patriots. With Thomas returning to the lineup, it was to be expected that Bush would get fewer touches, but not this drastic of a dip.

With Thomas showing he can be an every-down, run-between-the-tackles type of back, Bush should be used as a complementary piece, not a stagnant one. Bush is too versatile to be standing on the sideline for the majority of the game.

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll will need to find a way to get both of these running backs touches and keep the defense off balance.  

Red-Zone Problems Becoming a Trend

The Dolphins have made their way down to the red zone 10 times this season. In their 10 attempts the Dolphins have scored four touchdowns, kicked two field goals and were left scratching their heads four times. Brandon Marshall had a touchdown slip through his hands, and Chad Henne continues to not throw with touch. 

On Sunday the Dolphins made four trips to the red zone, missed two field goals, made one and Brandon Marshall abused former Dolphin Jason Allen for a touchdown. 

Not only is getting so close to the end zone and coming up with nothing or only three points frustrating, it becomes devastating and deflating to a team's momentum. The Dolphins will need to be more consistent and communicate better on the goal line if they will have any hope of becoming more efficient in this aspect of the game. 

Jake Long Is Not Playing at 100 Percent

Jake Long sat out all four preseason games, and spent the majority of training camp on the PUP list with a knee injury. While it may not be a big deal for a veteran like Long to miss some practice time, the offensive line went over a major makeover this offseason and is still trying to jell as a unit. With Long being the only player on the offensive line that is still playing the position he did last year for the Dolphins, having Long be able to practice with the unit during training camp would have been beneficial. 

Through the first two games Long has allowed 1.5 sacks. This is extremely rare for the Pro Bowl left tackle.

Based on his performance thus far, the question must be asked: Is Jake Long healthy?

The Defense Continues to Struggle Against the Pass

After giving up the fifth most passing yards in NFL history, the Dolphins once again struggles against the pass against the Houston Texans and Andre Johnson.

While going up against arguably the best QB and then the best WR in back-to-back weeks is no walk in the park, the Dolphins should have put up a better showing. 

The Texans didn't put up the gaudy numbers but were able to move the ball through the air when they needed to. Matt Schaub was very efficient, going 21-of-29 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Andre Johnson caught seven balls for 93 yards and a touchdown in his homecoming to Miami. 

The Dolphins were without Vontae Davis and Karlos Dansby for much of the day due to nagging injuries, but that excuse can only take them so far. The rest of the secondary needs to step up in their absence. There was miscommunication on Johnson's touchdown with safety Reshad Jones leaving Nolan Carroll out to dry. 

Davis' hamstring injury is something to keep an eye on, and if he is not healthy things will get much worse for the Dolphins before they get better. 

Road Warriors

With all the struggles the Dolphins have had at home, they have gained a reputation as a great road team. The Dolphins were 6-2 on the road last season and will look to turn their 0-2 record around on a long road trip. 

Turning the season around on the road will be no easy feat as the Dolphins'  next three weeks feature trips to play the Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers and New York Jets. The Chargers and Jets will bring a pair of the toughest defenses the Dolphins will face all year, while the Browns are a young, hungry and scrappy bunch that will also provide a test. 

We will learn a lot about this team in the coming weeks, and the fate of coach Tony Sparano and general manager Jeff Ireland could be decided before the Dolphins come back home.