Arian Foster averaged just 3 yards per carry against the Dolphins on Sunday. (US Presswire)

Texans coach Gary Kubiak wasn't happy with how his team ran the ball in the season opener. Houston rushed for just 83 yards on 35 carries in Sunday’s 30-10 win over the Dolphins.

“I think it’s across the board,” Kubiak said Monday. “It starts up front. It always starts up front. We got to do all things better, coach it better, call it better, do it better, backs, wide receivers, tight ends. You know what I mean, it’s not one thing.”

Texans running back Arian Foster had 79 yards and two touchdowns on the day but only averaged 3.0 yard per carry. Ben Tate had five rushes for just six yards.

In particular, Kubiak wasn't pleased with the way the Texans closed the game. In the fourth quarter, Houston had a first-and-goal from Miami’s 3-yard line but had to settle for a 19-yard field goal. On the team’s final two drives, the Texans rushed six times for six yards with two three-and-outs.

“I think that’s a mark of a good team,” Kubiak said. “Everybody knows you got to run it to finish a game, you still line up and run it. We didn’t do that [Sunday].”

The right side of the offensive line features two new starters from a year ago in right guard Antoine Caldwell and right tackle Derek Newton. Kubiak wasn’t putting the running game woes on them, though.

“Obviously, they are two new players for us,” Kubiak said. “That was Newton’s first start in the NFL. So, some good, some bad. I think we knew that going in. That is what we’re going to get. Caldwell has started some games, but I’m looking at the big picture. We didn’t run the ball well whether we ran it right, left, or up the middle.”

Quick Hits

  • Kubiak wasn't surprised by Andre Johnson’s performance Sunday (8 catches, 119 yards, 1 touchdown). “Andre the last 10 days of camp has really looked like the Andre I remember from four or five years ago,” Kubiak said. “I’m talking about from a work standpoint at practice. Andre is a guy that needs to do it in practice to do it in a game. That’s the way he is. He had an excellent week last week, and it showed in the game.”
  • The special-teams play wasn't strong against the Dolphins. “We didn’t cover well, we didn’t return well, something that we had been doing pretty consistent during the preseason,” Kubiak said. “We had some guys playing some special teams getting going again that need to be big special teams players for us. Whitney Mercilus needs to play well for us, Mister Alexander. Throughout the course of the preseason, we did protect some of those guys when we’re looking at young players and it showed [Sunday].”
  • On the injury front, Kubiak said that LB Bryan Braman (hamstring) should be ready to go Wednesday. Linebacker Tim Dobbins left Sunday’s game with a neck injury but is doing better. “Dobbins is out of the hospital, doing good,” Kubiak said. “He ran with the team [Monday]. All indications are he’s back on the field Wednesday; just got a real good shot. Like I said, his neck was bothering him a little bit but everything looks fine.”

Follow Texans blogger Sean Bielawski on Twitter @CBSTexans.