With the Dolphins holding a 30-6 lead, left tackle Terron Armstead out and Tua Tagovailoa taking some hits, Miami pulled its quarterback with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter.
Skylar Thompson replaced Tagovailoa with Teddy Bridgewater inactive with a knee injury.
Tagovailoa finished 22-of-36 for 299 yards and a touchdown.
The Dolphins led 30-0 at halftime, but Tagovailoa took a scary sack near the end of the half when Maliek Collins bent Tagovailoa backward awkwardly. Tagovailoa took three more sacks to open the third quarter with Armstead out with a pectoral injury.
Thompson fumbled on his fifth snap on an aborted snap as the Dolphins gained only 33 yards in the third quarter. The Texans took advantage with a 25-yard pass from Kyle Allen to Jordan Akins to complete a six-play, 50-yard drive and cut the Dolphins’ lead to 30-13.