Here’s all you need to know before watching the Jaguars face off against Miami Dolphins this Sunday on TV or live.
This game represents a must-win opportunity for the Jaguars’ defense. Their front seven must stand strong to contain Miami Dolphins’ speed offensively and keep Tua Tagovailoa unharmed.
| Position | Jacksonville Jaguars | Miami Dolphins |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Trevor Lawrence | Tua Tagovailoa |
| Wide Receivers | Gabe Davis, Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas Jr. | Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle |
| Running Back | Travis Etienne Jr. | Raheem Mostert |
| Fullback | — | Alec Ingold |
| Tight End | Evan Engram | Durham Smythe |
| Left Tackle | Cam Robinson | Terron Armstead |
| Left Guard | Ezra Cleveland | Robert Jones |
| Center | Mitch Morse | Aaron Brewer |
| Right Guard | Brandon Scherff | Liam Eichenberg |
| Right Tackle | Anton Harrison | Austin Jackson |
| Defensive Ends | Arik Armstead, Josh Hines-Allen | Zach Sieler, Calais Campbell |
| Defensive Tackle | DaVon Hamilton | Benito Jones |
| Linebackers | Foyesade Oluokun, Chad Muma, Devin Lloyd | David Long Jr., Jordyn Brooks, Emmanuel Ogbah, Jaelan Phillips |
| Cornerbacks | Ronald Darby, Tyson Campbell | Jalen Ramsey, Kendall Fuller |
| Safeties | Andre Cisco, Darnell Savage | Jevon Holland, Jordan Poyer |
Jacksonville
The Jaguars will kickoff their regular season road games against two of the AFC’s premier clubs: Miami (under Mike McDaniel) has made playoff appearances the last two seasons under wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill; an offense which could prove formidable against an opponent with increased offensive depth such as Jacksonville has gained this offseason. Sunday will provide us with an interesting test as we see whether we can slow Miami down enough.
The Jaguars opened with a field goal, but were unable to capitalize on three opportunities during subsequent drives. A crucial drop from wide receiver Christian Kirk early in the second quarter on 3rd and 9 and Travis Etienne’s fourth-and-1 fumble prevented any comeback attempts by Jacksonville.
On the ensuing kickoff, Dolphins punter Michael Thomas managed to secure a first down at Jacksonville’s 40-yard line by grabbing it out of midair, before driving downfield and scoring a field goal. Both Etienne and Bigsby’s fumbles proved costly for Jacksonville as they try to develop their rushing game.
The Jaguars must use defense to control the line of scrimmage and stay on the field on third downs in order to win this game. Also crucial will be limiting Hill and Jaylen Waddle’s speed on defense; otherwise they could face problems keeping up. They must hope their pass rush can match what it showed during training camp and preseason 2024.
Miami
The Miami Dolphins are fresh off a win against the New York Jets and look to keep rolling against Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. Featuring two of the NFL’s premier young quarterbacks in Blake Bortles and Denard Robinson respectively, whoever emerges victorious will take control of first place in AFC South.
After an uneven start, the Dolphins scored in the second quarter to take an 18-7 advantage into halftime. While the Jaguars had their chances to close this gap during the third quarter, Jevon Holland recovered a fumble from running back Travis Etienne Jr. that gave Miami possession at their 20 yard line.
Though they had the ball with just over three minutes remaining in the third, the Dolphins were unable to gain scoring position due to an important mistake by Christian Kirk at wide receiver, dropping passes on third and ninth down in both quarters when well beyond conversion lines and third and fifth down when open well beyond conversion lines respectively. Kirk ultimately cost them their chance at tying the game.
After an uneven start to their season, the Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping to return to playoff contention. To do this, the team needs to improve its play up front and give quarterback Trevor Lawrence plenty of time in the pocket, while also improving in their secondary – which was among the worst last season – by adding starting free safety and cornerback positions; currently missing such players include Daniel Thomas and Esezi Otomewo.
Offense
Although they have lost several key pieces to their offense, the Jaguars still possess a deep group of skill players capable of creating big plays for them. Unfortunately, however, that has been hard for them in this first half due to Miami taking advantage of Jacksonville’s miscues; De’Von Achane’s one-yard rushing touchdown and safety Jevon Holland’s forced fumble in the end zone have helped score some points for them.
The Jaguars have enjoyed an exciting start to their 2017-18 campaign and look like contenders in the AFC. On Sunday they’ll look to continue their impressive performance against Miami Dolphins.
Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence both played significant roles in college national championship teams and now seek to take that same journey into professional football by becoming potential Super Bowl winners. This quarterback matchup in this game could prove pivotal. Both quarterbacks possess formidable credentials. Both Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence come with extensive college resumes that could win national titles; both possess extensive NFL experience as potential future Super Bowl champions.
Tagovailoa struggled in the first half, completing just 11 of 21 passes while being sacked once. By contrast, however, he found his groove in the second half, connecting with Tyreek Hill on an 80-yard touchdown pass and Jaylen Waddle for a 63-yard catch — two major highlights from an otherwise lackluster showing by Tagovailoa.
The Dolphins’ second half defense was also strong. Linebacker David Long Jr. stopped Tank Bigsby from making any gains on his initial play of the third quarter; then Emmanuel Ogbah and Jaelan Phillips sacked Lawrence three-and-out to increase the team’s lead to 17-7. Going forward, their defense will remain one of their key strengths; stopping runs while also being adept at sacking quarterbacks must continue as priorities for success in 2017.
Defense
The Jaguars defense will face a stiff test in Miami against a dangerous Dolphins team capable of scoring on both sides of the ball. Their offense features speedy playmakers like wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle; therefore the Jaguars must contain them and prevent big plays as early as possible in this matchup.
Defense began its matchup against the Dolphins strongly, with a sack and tackle for loss on the opening play of the game. Unfortunately, however, Jaguars secondary was unable to match Miami receivers’ speed, leading them into red zone early. Punt recovery by safety Jevon Holland helped prevent another scoring drive with an effective punt puncture from him punching loose the ball and knocking it away from Miami receivers.
Even though their defense struggled at times, the Jaguars should still take pride in their performance. Ryan Nielsen implemented an effective game plan which successfully contained one of the NFL’s most potent offenses while consistent pressure from their frontline showed off the promise of their young defense featuring Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker as key figures.
Both teams will feature former Jaguars All-Pro defenders in this matchup, such as cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive tackle Calais Campbell who both were instrumental in leading Jacksonville’s dominant defense last season and will likely make appearances. On Sunday they’ll both be at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami will put pressure on their revamped Jaguars secondary with their arsenal of deep receivers. Former Buffalo Bills wideout Gabe Davis and LSU rookie Brian Thomas Jr will provide them with long-range threats, both proving themselves capable of stretching out a game’s potential.
Injury Updates
As much as Daniel Thomas may have been limited during practice this week, he remains on Jacksonville’s injury report for Sunday’s game against Miami despite head coach Doug Pederson’s words that Thomas will play “if he can.” There are also several players listed as questionable or out, including defensive tackle Terron Arsmtead and cornerback Roy Robertson-Harris who may or may not participate in Sunday’s contest.
Miami appears much healthier. While four Dolphins players missed portions of Thursday’s practice, all four have now returned as full participants on Friday – three safeties (Jordan Poyer and Anthony Walker) as well as linebacker Jalean Phillips saw their participation increase from Wednesday’s limited workouts to Thursday’s full session; safety Jevon Holland who is suffering an ankle injury also improved to full participation status on Thursday.
The Dolphins announced they have announced Malik Washington will not return as a rookie wide receiver and his position will be filled by either Robbie Chosen or Erik Ezukanma. Additionally, running back Keilan Robinson has been placed on injured reserve with a toe injury, while safety Andrew Wingard has also been placed on IR with knee issues.
Sunday will mark both teams’ final injury reports before kickoff on Sunday afternoon. For the Dolphins, their report could include adding one of Robbie Chosen or Erik Ezukanma from their practice squad to replace Malik Washington who has been ruled out with quadriceps injury. On the Jaguars side of things, safety Arik Armstead may return from injury reserve; his knee has kept him sidelined since late last season.
