Jaguars report card: Offense stalls, defense collapses late in 20-17 loss to Dolphins

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Jaguars report card: Offense stalls, defense collapses late in 20-17 loss to Dolphins

Gene Frenette · The Florida Times-Union

Tue, Sep 10, 2024 ·

4 min read

Offense: D

After a fairly productive first half, the offense went completely limp and scored no points in the second half. Trevor Lawrence (12 of 21, 167 yards, 97.7 rating) completed just 3 of 7 passes for 37 yards in the second half. About the only bright spot was backup running back Tank Bigsby , who finished with 12 carries for 73 yards, and rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. being an integral part of both Jaguars ' touchdowns. The game flipped in Miami's favor after Travis Etienne , one yard from getting into the end zone, fumbled the ball for a touchback that ignited a 13-0 Dolphins run to end the game. When the Jaguars had a chance to regain some momentum after Miami tied the game 17-17, they went three-and-out as Lawrence was sacked on back-to-back plays. That gave the Dolphins just enough time to put together the game-winning drive as Jason Sanders booted a 52-yard field goal at the gun to win it. Receiver Christian Kirk had a couple crucial drops that contributed to the disjointed look of the offense.

Defense: B-minus

The Jaguars established early dominance at the line of scrimmage by denying almost every rushing opportunity. Running backs De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert found little running room inside or outside. That changed quite a bit in the fourth quarter when the Dolphins' offensive line began creating some lanes. An early break for the Jaguars came when a Tua Tagovailoa deep ball for Tyreek Hill at the Jacksonville 12 was overthrown after the receiver beat cornerback Jarrian Jones . Other than allowing Achane to get through a crowd on a short pass for a 39-yard pickup, Ryan Nielsen's unit did a credible job of containing the NFL's No. 1 defense for almost three quarters. Tagovailoa made up for his earlier overthrow to Hill by connecting with him on an 80-yard touchdown down the left sideline , beating safety Andre Cisco and cornerback Ronald Darby . The defense wilted a bit in the fourth quarter as Miami's running game picked up valuable yards, getting Jason Sanders in position to make a tying and game-winning field goal. Hill (7 catches, 130 yards) and Jaylen Waddle (5 catches, 108 yards) did the bulk of their damage in the second half. Still, holding the Dolphins to 20 points should have been enough to win this game.

Special teams: A-minus

Cam Little , drafted for his big leg to replace Brandon McManus , showed why the Jaguars made that investment by nailing a 53-yard field goal at the gun for a 17-7 halftime lead. He had three touchbacks on his first-half kicks, taking returners Braxton Berrios and De'Von Achane out of the mix. Logan Cooke flipped the field by booming a 67-yard punt that forced Tyreek Hill into retreat mode, though he did manage an 11-yard return. Cooke continues to show he's one of the Jaguars' most underrated weapons with his ability to pound punts with substantial hang time. He also angled a 52-yarder out of bounds at the Miami 13, and forced fair catches at the 11 and 8-yard lines. Heath Farwell's unit did their part to win a game that the offense and defense let slip away.

Coaching: C-plus

Other than the head-scratching decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 at his own 32 to start the fourth quarter, and electing to run wide with Travis Etienne for a 2-yard loss, head coach Doug Pederson looked more organized for most of the game than counterpart Mike McDaniel, who used up his three first-half timeouts with more than five minutes remaining. But when the momentum totally flipped on a Travis Etienne end-zone fumble and an 80-yard touchdown catch by Hill late in the third quarter, the Jaguars struggled to find a rhythm on both sides of the ball. The offense getting only 267 yards and 17 points against a pedestrian Miami defense was a terrible start to the season. Pederson's skills at getting this team to reset after this devastating loss will be tested.