The Dolphins beat the Jacksonville Jaguars by 13 points in a game where they clearly did not play their best football. Against any other the team the Dolphins probably would have lost this game, however this speaks volumes about the talent of this team. In years past the Dolphins would have normally lost a game like this.
The Jaguars controlled the ball and momentum for the entire first half, however the Dolphins were able to get a pick six which helped them to take a 10-3 lead into halftime. Tannehill and the offense had no answer for the Jaguar pass rush, and could not stay on the field for longer than 3 plays at a time. On defense the Dolphins were giving up a lot of yards but they where not giving up touchdowns, which proved to be the difference maker in the first half.
The biggest key was that the Dolphin defense were causing turnovers and even scored 2 pick sixes in the game. The offense was having trouble getting into a rhythm until late in the game, however when a team’s defense is scoring, then sometimes the offense does not have to be that sharp to win the game.
The Dolphins clearly played down to the level of the Jaguars, but they were able to make the big plays when it really counted. Good teams can get away with not playing their best football against weaker opponents and still come out victorious. It shows that this team is different than past years, because they won this game by double digits against a team that some football gambling fans would say out played them for most of the game. But at the end of the day a win is still a win, and it does not matter how ugly it may have looked, because every win is critical in the Dolphins quest for a playoff appearance.