Last season, the Dolphins came within one win of back-to-back playoff appearances. Although their season started out slowly in this game, they eventually found success by making timely plays after timely plays.
The defense did an admirable job of disrupting Hill and Jaylen Waddle’s fast-break offense, though more pressure must be applied on Tua Tagovailoa for success.
| Player | Team | Position | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins | QB | Completed 23 of 37 passes for 338 yards and 1 touchdown. |
| Tyreek Hill | Miami Dolphins | WR | Recorded 7 receptions for 130 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown. |
| Jaylen Waddle | Miami Dolphins | WR | Contributed 5 receptions for 109 yards, with a long of 63 yards. |
| De’Von Achane | Miami Dolphins | RB | Rushed 10 times for 24 yards and 1 touchdown; added 7 receptions for 76 yards. |
| Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | QB | Completed 12 of 21 passes for 162 yards and 1 touchdown. |
| Tank Bigsby | Jacksonville Jaguars | RB | Rushed 12 times for 73 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. |
| Travis Etienne | Jacksonville Jaguars | RB | Rushed 12 times for 44 yards and 1 touchdown; had a critical fumble near the goal line. |
| Brian Thomas Jr. | Jacksonville Jaguars | WR | Made 4 receptions for 47 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown catch. |
| Gabriel Davis | Jacksonville Jaguars | WR | Tallied 3 receptions for 62 yards, with a long of 22 yards. |
Offense
The Dolphins utilized all their offensive assets effectively in Sunday’s win. Wide receivers Tyler Lockett and Mike Wallace each finished with over 100 yards receiving, running back Malik Washington scored his inaugural career touchdown and rookie tight end Jonnu Smith recorded 71 yards from 8 receptions including 33-yard reception that set up Jason Sanders’ game-winning field goal.
Miami struggled initially in this game, but ultimately found success through timely plays that paid dividends. For instance, they converted on 3rd and 14 thanks to an excellent forced fumble from linebacker Jevon Holland who punched free after Travis Etienne had lost possession. This turn over proved crucial as Miami marched downfield for their game-winning touchdown score.
Tua Tagovailoa found his groove as the game progressed, eventually throwing for 336 yards while connecting on several big plays with Tyreek Hill (e.g. a 80-yard catch and run touchdown). In the second half, the team found greater consistency. While Tua started off shakily, eventually becoming comfortable with his wide receivers and eventually finding an 80-yard catch and run touchdown run from Hill.
Miami’s defense was impressive as well, holding the Jaguars to just two third-down points while creating multiple takeaways – particularly down the stretch when Miami sacked Trevor Lawrence twice and forced Da’Shawn Hand to fumble the ball away.
The Dolphins possess a very capable defense, but they need to become more consistent across all phases. Third down inconsistency has become too often, which cannot be tolerated against top offenses. Jordan Poyer and Kendall Fuller’s addition has helped bolster this unit; their loss will no doubt leave a gaping hole up front; their mettle will be put to the test when facing the Browns this Week 2.
Defense
Defense players of a team serve to prevent opponents from scoring points or goals by blocking, tackling and intercepting balls or pucks. A great defense is essential to any winning team!
The Jaguars defense deserves praise for how it performed in the first half. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for only 64 receiving yards on six receptions from nine targets; Hill’s 80-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown being an exception to that rule.
But Jacksonville’s defense struggled mightily against Miami’s speedy offense and that proved the key factor in their defeat.
Part of the problem stemmed from the Jaguars defense’s inability to force turnovers; only one was managed on this day, and that proved costly when Dolphins scored on their opening possession of second half with field goal and touchdown; after which, Jaguars defense had to hold off an uprising.
This isn’t the first time the Jags have let a lead slip through due to poor passing defense; last season they lost a 14-point advantage game for similar reasons. Now, however, they hope to avoid repeating history by fixing any defensive flaws they might be encountering this time around.
Debates over which side is more essential has long raged within football. Some believe the best teams are constructed around strong defense, while others stress offensive play as being more essential. With efficient offense, it may even be possible for an average passing defense team to win championships; on the other hand, an average or below-average defensive unit might struggle just making the playoffs let alone winning championships.
Special Teams
Special teams play can make or break a game, yet is often ignored or taken for granted. Bad punts and missed field goals tend to stand out more due to how we consume football; that is one reason why keeping track of special teams stats is important.
At one point in the second half, it looked as though Jacksonville’s Jaguars would run away with this game. Down 17-7 with less than two yards remaining to score, running back Travis Etienne came within two yards of scoring his third touchdown and giving Jacksonville a three-possession lead – only for safety Jevon Holland to pop the ball from Etienne’s hands and force a fumble that Miami cornerback Kader Kohou recovered quickly after it had occurred.
The rest of the game was difficult for the Jaguars, as they went 0-5 on third-down conversions and failed to generate any fourth-down attempts. Winning games in the NFL is hard when you can’t move the chains; especially against an opponent with strong passing skills like San Francisco.
On the plus side, Trevor Lawrence performed well in the first half, completing 9-of-14 passes for 145 yards and throwing one touchdown. Unfortunately, however, he was sacked three times consecutively during the second half, without much support from his teammates; Christian Kirk and Evan Engram both dropped passes that could have altered the course of this contest.
In the first half, the Jaguars defense was formidable, holding back an aggressive Dolphins offense to just four points on one field goal. Particularly notable was linebacker Foyesade Oluokun’s 10 tackles and pass deflection; Tyson Campbell made four tackles as well as an interception in coverage.
Though lacking key contributors, the Jaguars defense should remain formidable moving forward. Brian Thomas’ arrival and Bradley Chubb’s development should only add to their power in the secondary.
Time of possession
An NFL team that hopes to win needs to move the chains on third down and that’s why ranking high in time of possession matters so much – giving the offense an opportunity to move down field and score touchdowns or field goals. Other factors come into play too – turnovers, red zone efficiency and third down conversion rates can also play a part; but one thing many overlook is just how important time of possession matters in football games.
The Jaguars entered the second half with a 17-7 advantage against Miami Dolphins and looked poised to extend that advantage in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, several miscues by Jacksonville and an effective Miami defense conspired against them and put an end to any chance of that happening.
First, Jacksonville was unable to convert any third-down opportunities during the second half. That included two critical drops by wide receiver Christian Kirk on third down at 3rd and 9 in the second quarter and again on 3rd and 5 in the fourth quarter – both would have moved the chains further and propelled Jacksonville closer towards Dolphins territory. Finally, on their final drive of the game quarterback Trevor Lawrence was twice sacked back-to-back plays by an effective Miami defensive front.
Lawrence had another solid performance as one of the premier young quarterbacks in the league. He completed 23-of-34 passes for 155 yards and also scored one touchdown. Unfortunately, Lawrence’s day came to a disappointing close against Arizona.
But Sunday proved a tough day for the Dolphins, who struggled to stop Jacksonville Jaguars offense and found themselves on the losing end of a 20-17 loss. Jason Sanders scored late game-winning field goal which saved them. It marked their first fourth-quarter field goal since 1999 as well as first home opening loss since 2010 against an AFC opponent; prior to Sunday they had won eight AFC meetings against Jacksonville.
