When the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins took the field on Sunday for their season opener, all eyes were on the quarterbacks. Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence signed for over $500 million of combined contract value this offseason and their performances will be heavily scrutinized on a week-to-week basis.
However, it was the defenses that really shined throughout this game. Both teams added new defensive coordinators, Ryan Nielsen for the Jaguars and Anthony Weaver in Miami, and both teams should be incredibly happy with the early results against two offenses that have hopes of being among the best in the league. Not everything has to be a referendum on quarterback play, sometimes the 11 guys on the other side just came to play — and they certainly did on Sunday.
The Jaguars’ defense was noteworthy, especially considering they were facing one of the most explosive offenses in the league over the past two seasons. The Dolphins didn’t even get into the end zone until there was one minute left in the first half and didn’t score again until Tyreek Hill broke off an 80-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
Outside of two field-flipping plays by Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Jaguars’ defense sat all over what the Dolphins were trying to do. And the 80- and 60-yard plays by Hill and Waddle, respectively, is just the danger of playing the Dolphins. They have those two players for that specific reason, but even just holding this team to 20 points should be seen as a major win.
Nielsen did a phenomenal job in Atlanta last season with a defense that didn’t have near the level of talent that this current Jacksonville defense has. With a few more sturdy players in the front seven, the Jaguars’ defense could be in store for a really special year under the tutelage of Nielsen.
The same can be said for the Dolphins. They got cut up a bit, giving up 17 points in the first half, but they allowed none in the second half and gave their offense a chance. The Jaguars’ passing game was neutered in the second half outside of a desperation drive to try and win the game, but the Dolphins’ defense forced a fumble on the goal line during that drive that turned the tides in their favor. Outside of the 94-yard drive that ended in said fumble, the Jaguars were held to just 10 yards on 17 plays, which is about the closest statistical representation you can get to a butt-kicking.
It might take time for the Dolphins because they’re implementing a defensive scheme from Baltimore that tries to run literally everything at a high level. Even with that, the improvement from the Dolphins in the second half suggests that they at least have a beat on what’s going wrong and know how to mitigate that in-game. That spells potential for big-time success as the season moves along. It helps to have star players like Jalen Ramsey and Jevon Holland coming up big in the second half, but this appears to be an improved defense from the one Vic Fangio was running a year ago. If they can win games when their offense sputters, they might have a chance to actually win a playoff game if injuries don’t pile up like last year.
Jaguars-Dolphins was a reminder that even though the quarterbacks grab the headlines, some of the substance can be found in the other 21 players on the field. In this case, the 11 opposing players on the field made life tough for Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence, two of the better quarterbacks in the league. This is largely a strong start for both teams, even if one of them had to go home with their first loss of the season.