Dolphins Show Resiliency and Toughness In Comeback Win
As Travis Etienne was running towards the end zone late in 3rd quarter, I said this game was over, as the Jacksonville Jaguars were to go up 24-7, but then Jevon Holland punched the ball out, and it rolled to the end zone, and Kadar Kohu recovered. On the next play, Tua Tagovailoa hit Tyreek Hill for an 80-yard catch and ran for a touchdown. The Miami Dolphins went from looking like going down 24-7 to back into the game 17-14. The turnover changed the game completely as they came back to beat the Jaguars 20-17 in dramatic fashion.
The Dolphins wouldn’t have won this game in the last two years. This team found a way to hang around and made the plays when it mattered most.
The Dolphins were sluggish and out of sorts on offense as the Jaguars shut down the high-flying offense for 2 ½ quarters. The Dolphins couldn’t run the ball, and the Jags took away Tagovailoa’s first reads. The defense struggled with communication issues in the secondary and allowed the Jags to have some long drives.
This was the type of game the Dolphins needed. The Dolphins have played good teams the last few years, and when they get behind and play sluggishly like they did the first 2 ½ quarters, they lose the game.
Watching the game, I felt it was good for the team to see how they could respond against a good team like the Jaguars. The Dolphins answered on Sunday. The fumble started it, and then there was the big play from Tua to Hill. The Dolphins then forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and held the Jaguars on downs after the Jags went for it on 4th down at their own 32 for some reason.
The Dolphins looked like they lost the momentum after Jason Sanders missed a 42-yard field goal badly, but the Defense stepped up and got the offense the ball back for the tying field goal and then the game-winning field goal. The Dolphins were able to pressure Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and sack him, including on back-to-back, when the game was tied to give the Dolphins the ball back. The Dolphins then had a methodical and conservative drive in the final 2:09 to get into field goal range to win the game.
The Dolphins offense was out of sorts all day. They couldn’t run the ball, and as I said earlier, the Jaguars took away those quick slants the Dolphins like to run. However, the Dolphins found a way on offense after the 80-yard touchdown. They made some tough 3 and 1 conversions with Alec Ingold to keep drives alive.
Jeff Wilson had some tough runs, including the final two drives, to put the team in a position to win the game. I’m sure the Dolphins’ offense will get better as they shake off the rust from not playing in the preseason. The tight ends didn’t do well either in the passing game, as the group had three drops.
The Dolphins’ defense has new leadership under new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. With the secondary not working much during training camp due to injury, you felt the team could have some struggles, and they did on Sunday in the first half, but the defense made adjustments and played well in the second half.
I expect the secondary to play better as the season progresses and they get healthier, especially with Jalen Ramsey. The pass rush was a no-show for the most part until the 4th quarter, when it mattered most, as Emmanuel Ogbah and Jalen Phillips had back-to-back sacks on the defense’s last drive.
It was good to see Phillips get a sack after his remarkable recovery from the Achilles Tendon tear last November. I hope he can keep this up and others like Ogbah and Chop Robinson step up.
This wasn’t how the Dolphins drew up their opener, but they found a way to hang around and win. Everyone contributed to them, including the much-maligned special teams for the punting and coverage units.
The Dolphins, at least in week 1, showed they can win a game like this when things aren’t going well, especially on offense when their big plays are contained and the team as a whole was sluggish, to say the least. It was a good character win for this team, and they showed heart and mental toughness. The mental toughness of this team has been questioned, and on Sunday, they showed that they have it.
