Mario Williams finally got a sack and the Houston Texans picked up their first win.
David Carr scored the go-ahead touchdown on a one-yard run and the Texans survived a late rally by the Miami Dolphins for a 17-15 victory Sunday.
The Dolphins trailed 17-9 when Daunte Culpepper found Chris Chambers for a 16-yard touchdown with 1:39 to go. Miami went for the two-point conversion, but the pass by running back Ronnie Brown sailed over Chambers' head.
The Dolphins (1-3) tried an onside kick and almost recovered, but the ball squirted out from under Keith Adams and the Texans fell on it and ran out the clock.
After Carr's score put Houston (1-3) ahead 10-6 early in the fourth, Williams, Houston's No. 1 pick, got to Culpepper for a three-yard loss. The sack was the first of his career and his first tackle of the game.
Williams jumped for joy and hugged a teammate as the crowd responded with a standing ovation.
On the next play, Williams and fellow rookie DeMeco Ryans combined to take Culpepper down again, this time for a seven-yard loss. The Dolphins were forced to punt and the Texans responded with another touchdown, this one a three-yard catch by Andre Johnson that increased the lead to 17-6.
Johnson finished with nine receptions for 101 yards.
The Texans found a pass rush against the Dolphins, sacking Culpepper on the first play of the game and harassing him all day. Houston had just three sacks entering the game but got to Culpepper five times. The less-mobile Culpepper has been sacked 21 times this season in his return from reconstructive knee surgery.
He was 23-of-39 passing for 249 yards and a touchdown.
The win was the first for Texans coach Gary Kubiak and came against a defence led by former Houston coach Dom Capers, who was fired by Houston in January after a 2-14 season.
The game was an ugly defensive struggle for most of the first three quarters, with neither team managing a touchdown and the Dolphins' field goals coming off Texans turnovers. It was tied 3-3 at halftime.
The Dolphins took the lead on a 29-yard field goal by Olindo Mare in the third. It was set up by a 19-yard fumble return by Jason Taylor. Taylor sacked Carr and stripped the ball before recovering the fumble. Mare also had a 22-yard field goal midway through the fourth.
Houston finally took the lead on a 10-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Carr's run. The defence bit on a fake to Ron Dayne and Carr trotted into the end zone untouched before celebrating by throwing the ball high up into the stands.
Carr completed 22-of-29 passes for 230 yards with an interception and was also sacked five times.
Will Allen grabbed the ball out of Johnson's hands for an interception in the second. But the Dolphins couldn't move the ball and had to settle for a 52-yard field goal by Mare.
Kris Brown's 32-yard field goal made it 3-3 in the second.
