Phins Tested Hard In 4th Qtr Comeback!
Phins fought like champs to get out of a hole to take the win late in the 4th Qtr
The Miami Dolphins were in deep trouble playing from behind most of their Week 1 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars until big play on offense and defense flipped the script in their 20-17 victory. On the verge of defeat with Jags RB Etienne going in for the score, Jevon Holland punched out the ball causing the turnover over, and then one play later Tua and Hill delivered an 80-yard touchdown, turning the momentum on a dime. The game quickly sped out of control for the Jaguars ending with a Jason Sanders 52-yard field goal capping the Phin’s 4th Quarter comeback. But, despite the win and all the good, key parts of this team need fixing fast with the 1-0 Buffalo Bills coming into town for the Thursday Night primetime matchup in four days. But, ugly or pretty, the only thing that matters is notching the win and that’s exactly what the Phins did!
Phins Dug Themselves Out With Impact Plays
The offense was stuck in neutral until late in the 2nd Qtr when the lack of consistency was overcome by a big play on 3rd and 8 to Jaylen Waddle for 20 yards. The big play sparked a scoring drive that closed the gap to 17-7. And that’s how it was for the offense all day, low consistency but big plays, until the end of the game when Miami pounded the life out of a tired, sun-beaten Jags defense on the ground to finish them off. But the great news is Tua guided the offense with 338 yards and 1 touchdown through the air with zero turnovers who was the low-key star of the offense. Tua’s early miss deep to Hill was more than balanced by the big strikes to Waddle and the Hill score later in the game. He managed the offense and made key critical strikes delivering what was needed in key moments. And it wasn’t an easy job given how poor the offensive line performed most of the day. The O-line had a few moments on some big pass and at the end of the game run blocking, but for the most part, they were an eye-sore. You can bet with the best football software that this team’s future will depend on how they trend for the rest of the season.
The Defense Bounced Back with Consistency AND Big Plays!
The defense came out of the shoot on fire in the 2nd Half producing both big plays and consistency, shutting out Trevor Lawrence and the Jags’ offense to zero points after letting up 17 pts in the 1st Half. Holland had a huge day with three big plays. Punching the football out of Etienne’s hands as he was about to cruise into the endzone was Holland’s biggest play on the day, but he was also key in stopping Jacksonville on two key 3rd Downs. I think Holland should have received the game ball with these three plays.
Emmanuel Ogbah, Zack Sieler, and Calais Campbell all had big days, controlling the Line of Scrimmage tallying up 8 tackles, 3 sacks, and 3 TFLs. This was key to slowing down the Jags’ run game building enough steam to lead Jacksonville to the win. Of course, Holland’s play was critical, but after that, the Dolphins’ run defense locked up the Jags’ ground game. Weaver deserves a ton of credit for making adjustments and getting his players to rise to the occasion in the 2nd Half.
Bills on Deck in Prime Time Matchup!
Bills talented defensive back Taron Johnson left the game with a forearm injury and Josh Allen hurt his non-throwing hand, so the Bills are dinged at key positions coming to Miami. The Dolphins appear mostly unscathed with David Long Jr. suffering a hand injury. This put the Dolphins in the best position to beat the reigning Division Champions and set a course to take the title. Both teams are on a short week, but the heat won’t be as bad for the Bills because it’s a night game.
Can Head Coach Mike McDaniel get the Phins over the hump and beat their arch-enemies? I sure hope so, but we’ll have to wait and see. I’m just glad we are going into this game 1-0! Let’s make it 2-0 and prove to the league we are aiming for the top of the league!
What do the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans think about the victory and the upcoming Bills game?
Jimmy,
Great article! I am stumped as to why this team has not gone out after pre-season and brought in another OL or two? I did not think the OL was terrible, Brewer, Armstead, Jackson, for the most part played well. The run game did not click until late in the game. We need to sign a few more quality veteran OL guys. Maybe there just was not anyone of quality available, or who could jump in quickly and learn the wide zone blocking system we run. I was also hoping the team would sign a quality “name” player at WR but that did not happen either. Again, maybe not available like the OL or the asking price was too steep! What are your and MJ’s thoughts?