I take it all back.
This is rock bottom.
Finding new and creative ways to lose in a real pillow fight to the worst team in the league is unforgiveable. I mean, if you consider yourself a legitimate team, you don't lose to Jacksonville. Period.
But I have to say that were five or six just mind-boggling officiating calls that went against Miami that made you wonder if the fix was in somehow.
Either way, this was the kind of game that costs people jobs, if not careers. In Miamiland, it only seemed to fuel more distractions in the form of Deshuan Watson trade rumors, as coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier throw the kitchen sink at any and all options to save their gigs.
The not-so-happy recap ...
Offense
- The offense looked more in sync, winning the time-of-possession battle (32:40) to 27:20) for a change and converting nine of 17 third downs. However, the refusal to use Jacoby Brissett in short-yardage situations cost the 'Fins dearly, the play-calling continued to be supremely headshaking, and scoring only 20 points against this defense is a real letdown.
- Facing a friendly Jacksonville defense, Tua Tagovailoa fired 47 passes in his first game back after fracturing ribs, completing 33 for 329 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn't sacked but did throw a horrific interception and missed high quite a few times. Tua did show some mobility, picking up 22 yards on three rushes on the ground, but he simply must work on sliding. Brissett came in to throw a perfect 25-yard pass on a creative third-and-short play.
- The bizarre running back rotation continued, with an almost-even split in reps among the three backs. Salvon Ahmed led the way in touches with eight for 37 yards, while Malcolm Brown ran five times for 24 yards (including a 16-yarder) and caught a pass for seven. Myles Gaskin contributed just 14 yards on seven touches, catching two passes and mishandling a couple of others among six targets. The continues to be a position group screaming out for an upgrade.
- With the top three wideouts (DeVante Parker, Will Fuller, and Preston Williams) out, Jaylen Waddle got 13 targets, snaring 10 for 70 yards and two touchdowns, despite a long of just 14. He did have a false start, but generally played with more energy, perhaps due to the Jaguars' incessant and bizarre chirping. Mack Hollins caught four for 61 and was called for an iffy offensive pass interference call, while Albert Wilson was the only other receiver targeted, collecting two receptions for 14 yards. Hollins and Waddle dominated reps (97% and 93% respectively), with Wilson getting 23 snaps and Isaiah Ford just five.
- Considering the decimation at receiver, Tua looked for the tight ends early and often, and the group responded. Mike Gesicki owned the Jax secondary, reeling in eight passes for 115 yards, while Durham Smythe had the best receiving day of his career, hauling in five passes for 59 yards. Even Cethan Carter got into the act, catching a pass for eight yards but also committing an incredibly costly holding penalty. Rookie Hunter Long got nine snaps, which is promising.
- The line held up, giving Tua a clean pocket more often than in any game this season. Left tackle Liam Eichenberg in particular stood out, doing a tremendous job on dynamic pass rusher Josh Allen of the Jags despite a false start. Right tackle Jesse Davis had another rough go, and converted guard Austin Jackson had a false start. The running game was nowhere yet again, with just 17 called rushes netting 55 yards. An inability to get push during clear short-yardage situations continues to be problematic, although horrific play-calling certainly played a role here.
Defense
- Playing without its top two corners in Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, Miami allowed a player they should have targeted in free agency, Marvin Jones, to cook them for seven catches, 100 yards, and a touchdown. The anemic Jacksonville offense racked up 396 total yards and 21 first downs, though most of that damage was done in the second half. The unit held Jax to 3 of 12 on third downs, but allowed two of three fourth-downs conversions, including the one that set up the game-winning field goal.
- Andrew Van Ginkel was more active than usual, with six tackles and five solo stops to go with a pass breakup and a quarterback hit. However, his lack of size hurt him in tackling and containment, and one wonders whether he is not better-suited to be a situational pass-rusher due to stamina. On the other side, Emmanuel Ogbah had three tackles, a sack, a batted pass, and a quarterback hit. Rookie Jaelen Phillips took a step back, just assisting on a couple of tackles despite getting his most extensive action with 54 snaps.
- On the interior, Raekwon Davis had three solo tackles and appeared to be celebrating 4- and 5-yard gains routinely for some reason, while Christian Wilkins impacted with three tackles, a quarterback hit, and a sack/fumble combo that could have been the pivotal play of the early season if his coaching staff had cooperated. Adam Butler (25 snaps) had a tackle and a quarterback hit, while Zack Sieler continues to tail off a bit with a single assisted tackle, though he did offer some good pressures in his 29 snaps. The unit got a boost from Davis's return, but it'll bear watching if that coincides with a loss of reps for Sieler.
- Jerome Baker was active as a blitzer and notched eight tackles, three quarterback hits, and a huge fourth-down stop as Miami made a conscious effort to limit his coverage responsibilities. Elandon Roberts had four tackles, but none of the intimidating, tone-setting hits he's known for. Sam Eguavoen and Brennan Scarlett were mostly used as rushers. The lack of difference-making plays from this group continues to be immensely problematic.
- At corner, second-year first-rounder Noah Igbinoghene was forced into action due to injury, and predictably struggled despite four solo tackles. Justin Coleman also collected four solo stops and narrowly missed a game-changing interception. Iggy and Coleman played every snap, with Nick Needham (two tackles) and Eric Rowe (two tackles and a pass breakup) playing more of an even split at nickel. Rowe's play has seemed to tail off alongside his reps (19).
- At safety, Jevon Holland played every single snap, collecting six tackles, a pass breakup, and a phantom unnecessary roughness call. Brandon Jones had five tackles and one stop for loss, but the lack of dynamic plays in the secondary are contributing to the Dolphins dying a slow death on defense. Perhaps related, veteran Jason McCourty played just 14 snaps in this one.
Special teams
- Jason Sanders hit two short field goals and both extra points. His kickoffs lacked their customary depth (perhaps by design, as the approach pinned Jacksonville deep once), but he missed a 58-yarder to end the half in ugly fashion.
- Michael Palardy continues to struggle, averaging just 39.5 yards on four punts despite downing a couple inside the 20-yard line.
- Waddle returned a pair of kickoffs for 38 yards, looking tentative, and fair-caught a punt when he had plenty of space.
- Hollins was his usual self on special teams, playing like a maniac and (in Dolphins fan views, anyway) scoring the winning touchdown on a muffed punt in a world where instant replay works.
- Less a condemnation of special teams than a commentary on how the season is going, but Jacksonville entered this game without a field goal. Some rando off the street kicked three, including 54- and 53-yarders, the former of which miraculously bent in at the last moment.
Momentum plays
- The 'Fins got off to a stellar start, with Tua avoiding a sack to find Waddle for a conversion on 3rd & 9, then hitting Gesicki and Waddle for two more third-down conversions. After running for a first, Tua drilled a slant to Waddle to cap a tremendous drive and stake Miami to a 7-0 lead.
- Brandon Jones took a poor angle on a 24-yard short catch and run on Jacksonville's first play, but Jax tight end Dan Arnold dropped a big gainer on a third-down play to force their first field goal of the entire season to make it 7-3.
- Tua kickstarted the next drive with another strike to G-Sick, who tried to vault multiple defenders. Gaskin fumbled, but recovered it himself, allowing Brissett to come in and hit Smythe on a perfect throw (and a rare creative play call) on 3rd & 1. The second of back-to-back nice gains by Ahmed was nullified by Carter's holding penalty, and a poor throw by Tua on a promising 3rd & 15 screen to Gaskin forced Sanders to tuck a field goal inside the left upright to push the advantage to 10-3.
- After a Jacksonville three-and-out, Brown ripped off a 17-yarder to get a promising drive going, but Wilson ran backwards on a short pass to force a third down play that saw G-Sick held without a call.
- Ogbah's batted pass capped another three-and-out by the defense, and a terrible Jacksonville punt put Miami in business at the Jaguars' 38-yard line. After Tua inexplicably air-mailed a third-down pass when he had a wide-open field for a first-down scramble, he redeemed himself with a strike to Hollins on 4th & 2. Waddle was blatantly held on first-and-goal without a call, and another poor Tua throw to Gaskin forced another Sanders field goal. The 'Fins went up 10 points (13-3), but it felt like -- and would prove to be -- a massive missed opportunity considering field position and the tone of the game.
- A big run by James Robinson was nullified when Phillips was face-masked by a Jax offensive lineman, but sloppy coverage allowed the Jags to convert. Though the D rallied for another stop, the Jacksonville punt was downed at the 2-yard line.
- After a heart-stopping, slow-developing play that saw Tua nearly suffering a turnover for a safety or defensive score, Gesicki was screwed (for the first of two times) on a short catch and reach for a first down, with a terrible spot forcing another lackluster punt by Palardy to set up Jax in Miami territory.
- The Jags converted a 4th & 6 when Rowe was beaten easily, then Iggy was beaten over the top despite solid coverage, with Jones hauling in a perfect, 28-yard Lawrence pass to trim the margin to 13-10 with just 40 seconds left in the half.
- With the Dolphins out of timeouts, Tua hit Hollins for 20 yards, but an eight-yarder to Brown was a poor decision by Tua, as the back was easily tackled in-bounds. Gesicki dragged his feet on an important sideline pass, but with five seconds left, Sanders horrifically hooked the 58-yard attempt to head into halftime at 13-10.
- Jacksonville started the second half by converting a 2nd & 15 that saw Holland get beat despite good pressure from Van Ginkel. The drive got worse when Holland was whistled for a laughably ridiculous roughness call as he was attempting to intercept a 50-50 ball. Robinson then broke a tackle by Brandon Jones and powered all the way down to the 1-yard line, punching it in easily on the next play. The Jaguars went up 17-13, and surrendering the lead felt like it took a lot of air out of the 'Fins.
- Tua converted a third down with a run on the next drive, then hit Waddle to convert another. A back-shoulder gainer to Hollins was called back on a highly questionable offensive pass interference call, and Miami had to punt after Tua threw a jump ball into double coverage that was fortunate not to be intercepted.
- On the following drive, Robinson took control, running through lackluster tackle attempts, as Jax easily moved down the field on a mix of runs and passes. However, Wilkins made the play of the game for the Dolphins, stunting to sack Lawrence and jar the ball loose at a critical moment, with Sieler pouncing on the loose ball.
- Inexplicably, Tua vapor-locked on the following play, moving off of a wide-open receiver to throw the ball directly to a defensive back playing underneath a sideline pattern. Because this was seemingly popular to do on a Brissett play, let's try it here: You see Hollins throttling down on a deep in at midfield, which would have been good for about as easy an 18- to 20-yard gain as you'll see. As Tua hits his back foot on his drop, the receiver is as open as you'll see in the NFL. Instead of immediately firing his way, Tua randomly double clutches and throws it directly to a boundary cornerback who is staring him directly in the face.
- With Jacksonville taking over at Miami's 39-yard line to start the fourth quarter, they targeted Van Ginkel down the field in coverage -- why? -- again. However, Elandon Roberts pressured Lawrence on a 3rd & 2, forcing him to fire wide out and out of the end zone. The Jags elected to go for it on 4th & 2 from the 10-yard line, but Baker sniffed out the run and stuffed it short for a massive turnover on downs.
- The Dolphins took advantage with Tua hitting G-Sick on back-to-back plays to total 52 yards. A catch and run from Wilson converted a 3rd & 6, then Tua hit Smythe deep over the middle, earning a taunting penalty along the way to set Miami up on the 1-yard line. A short pass to Waddle capped off the drive and put the 'Fins back ahead, 20-17.
- A Lawrence scramble led to Needham getting beaten for a first down, and Coleman narrowly missed an interception. But pressure from Ogbah and Brandon Jones forced a throw-away and a Jax punt, though Waddle elected to fair catch despite having a ton of room for a return.
- The drive of the game took place next. A Gaskin catch appeared to convert a 3rd & 1, but an on-field change in decision and then a Miami challenge were not enough to get the play right. On the very next play from scrimmage, Palardy's punt hit the return man and bounded into the end zone, where Hollins grabbed it for a Dolphins touchdown. However, even on another 'Fins challenge, a clear angle where the ball hit the returner's finger went ignored, awarding Jacksonville possession instead of staking Miami to a 27-17 lead.
- A back-shoulder throw to Jones converted a 3rd & 9 over Iggy, but pressure from Ogbah and Iggy forced another third-down incompletion. However, a 54-yard field goal attempt improbably curved in hard and late, tying the game at 20 with 3:40 remaining.
- After Brown converted a 3rd & 1, G-Sick was once again screwed on a catch and reach on a 3rd & 6 play. Instead of putting in Brissett to convert the 4th & inches, the Dolphins inexplicably went shotgun and had Tua hand to Brown, who was dragged down short of the first down when Smythe was beaten inside by Allen. Brown's second and third efforts were not enough, handing the ball back to the Jags in Miami territory.
- An Ogbah sack forced a 3rd & 20, but a short pass somehow netted 12 yards, setting up a 4th & 8. After initially deciding to throw a Hail Mary, Jacksonville reconsidered after a Miami timeout, and with just 4 seconds remaining, managed to snap the ball, drop back, throw a pass, catch it, slide down, and call timeout -- all in four seconds. Despite this not being how time works, the Jaguars still had to convert a 53-yarder with one second left. Improbably, they did so, meaning that a shitty team with a joke of a coach ended a 20-game losing streak over the 'Fins.
2021 Schedule
Jacksonville 23, Miami 20 (1-5)
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