It wasn’t pretty. In fact, there were large stretches where it was downright ugly, but the Miami Dolphins dug deep and pulled out a 20-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in their 2024 season opener at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

After a slow start, Miami’s offense began to look like itself in the second half, with significant contributions from the usual suspects, namely Tua Tagovailoa, Devon Achane, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle. But there were other contributions as well, including some late tough runs by Jeff Wilson. There was also Alec Ingold running up the middle from the off-set I-formation to great success in short yardage situations, a testament both to Coach McDaniel and the offensive line.

On the defensive side of the ball, Calais Campbell made an impact, as did Emmanuel Ogbah, and Jaelan Phillips. Of course, the biggest and most impactful play of the game came courtesy of Jevon Holland, who punched the ball out of the arms of Travis Etienne on a play that seemed destined to be a dagger in the Dolphins’ hopes of victory. Instead, it resulted in a game-changing turnover that propelled the Dolphins’ to a 4th quarter comeback victory.

Of course, there are plenty of things to break down and worry about, including predictably worrying performances by the interior offensive and defensive lines. Jordan Power and Jalen Ramsey had moments that were worrying. But the fact remains that, despite playing a not-so-great game overall, the Miami Dolphins find themselves 1-0 and looking ahead to a huge divisional matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.

Aaron and Josh are back to discuss, react, and analyze on another fun episode of THE SAME OLD DOLPHINS SHOW at DolphinsTalk.com!