Blake Bortles played a clean game and led the Jaguars to victory (Getty)
FINAL SCORE
Miami Dolphins 3-10-7-0 — 20
Jacksonville Jaguars 10-7-0-3 — 23
T.J. Yeldon finished with 80 yards on 25 carries in Jacksonville’s first win of the season (Getty).
Normally it’s Jacksonville who makes the fatal mistake in the second half, losing a game on a poor decision or performance.
But as anyone who watches Cops knows, Crazy things can happen in Florida.
Jason Myers hit a 28 yard field goal with 40 seconds remaining, putting Jacksonville ahead of Miami for good, 23-20. Jacksonville got out to a hot start, and held on late with solid defense and (mostly) mistake-free football. The Jaguars came out aggressive, as Bortles and Allen Robinson connected for over 100 yards and two touchdowns before halftime.
Bortles and the offense cooled in the second half, and looked more like the Jaguars of last week. Penalties and dropped passes short-circuited their drives, as they went scoreless for the majority of the second half. At one point, the Jaguars went three straight drives without converting a first down.
Miami picked up steam as the game went on. After a second week with a slow start on both sides of the ball, the Dolphins stayed afloat with effective play from Tannehill.Tannehill finished with 30 completions for 359 yards and two touchdowns, and was the team’s leading rusher with 17 yards. In his attempts to gain the lead for Miami, Tannehill was frequently handed poor starting field position, and had several drives stymied by penalties. The line was not the same after Brandon Albert left with an injury.
The Dolphins have had 13 penalties for over 100 yards.
Miami (1-1) now returns home to take on Buffalo, while the Jaguars (1-1) will travel to New England.
A Late Penalty Put Jacksonville in Range to Take the Lead
JASON MYERS IS GOOD FROM 28 YARDS OUT! JAGUARS LEAD DOLPHINS 23-20! t.co/HsOuo7bjXk
After a first half that was up and down the field, both defenses dug in for the final twenty minutes. Jacksonville had multiple three and outs, but didn’t turn the ball over and played the field position game. Whether it was bad penalties or dropped passes, the Dolphins couldn’t get out of their own way in the second half, and never capitalized on their momentum.
Tannehill made a fatal mistake with just over two minutes remaining, when the Dolphins were backed inside their own red zone. He took a sack and almost fumbled away the football, in a drive that forced the Dolphins to punt from their own end zone.
With two minutes to play, the Jaguars were given a short field to work with. They struggled to advance, but were aided by a huge Miami penalty. Oliiver Vernon was called for a personal foul, giving the Jaguars a fresh set of downs deep in Miami territory. The Dolphins defense held, but Jason Myers hit another field goal with 40 seconds remaining to retake the lead for Jacksonville.
Dolphins Tie the Game With Impressive Driving
Tannehill has completed passes to eight different receivers, including Jake Stoneburner, who caught a five-yard pass to help tie the game at 20.
The Dolphins mixed it up on that drive, working screens to Lamar Miller and reverses to Jarvis Landry. But the constant was Tannehill, who continued to pick apart the Jaguars back half.
Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill has completed 10 of last 11 passes for 142 yards & 2 TDs vs Jaguars
This is turning out to be a pretty good football game in Jacksonville. The score is now tied at 20 after three quarters.
HALFTIME: Jaguars Lead, 20-13
Ryan Tannehill looked sharp in the first half (Getty).
The Jaguars have scored 20 points in the first half for the first time since 2013. They jumped out early thanks to big plays from Allen Robinson, who is developing a nice chemistry with Blake Bortles. Bortles has 186 passing yards at halftime, and 145 of those went to Robinson. They’ve moved the ball well, and done a good job pressuring Ryan Tannehill on defense.
The pressure is there, but Tannehill has been crazy efficient in the first half.
https://twitter.com/APMarkLong/status/645718749069352960 RE https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphins/status/645715804726493184
The Jaguars offense has been more explosive, but the Dolphins have had better drives. In the second half, it will be interesting to see if Tannehill goes deep and tests the Jaguars secondary, which is dealing with a handful of injuries. For Jacksonville, it will be about limiting mistakes. They’ve shown they can move the ball, but cannot afford to give the ball away the way Tannehill is playing.
Miami Got One Back, But the Jaguars Closed the Half
Staring down a first half lead on the road, Tannehill and the Dolphins were unfazed. He led a seven play drive, culminating in a an outlet pass that Damien Williams took to the endzone. Tannehill was money on that drive, and did an outstanding job avoiding pressure on the touchdown play.
Although pocket awareness has been a past criticism of Tannehill he definitely is doing a great job of avoiding the rush today.
After the touchdown, a quick three and out could have meant a big swing in momentum. But after a stop and a short drive, Andrew Franks missed the first field goal of his career, giving the ball back to Jacksonville. Instead of kneeling to end the half, the Jaguars stayed aggressive. Bortles was almost intercepted, but a questionable pass interference penalty gave the Jags one last chance to score. Jason Myers, in his first season replacing Josh Scobee, banged home a 57-yard field goal to close out the half.
Robinson Broke Loose Again in the Second
Bortles keeps improving #Jags http://t.co/t1hvqsr2ZK
Allen Robinson has officially become a problem.
This time Bortles found him wide open for a 46-yard score, widening the Jacksonville lead to 17-6. Robinson used a double move, faking inside before running deep for the touchdown grab.
The completion capped off another sustained drive from Jacksonville. A 9-play, 90 yard effort, the Jaguars now have over 250 yards of total offense in the first half. Jacksonville finished with 265 total yards last week in their loss vs. Carolina.
Jacksonville & Allen Robinson Started Early
For a young quarterback like Blake Bortles, it’s important to develop a rhythm early. It seems to have happened early, as the Jaguars drove for a touchdown on their opening drive. The 10-play, 82 yard march was capped by Allen Robinson, who caught the Bortles pass off a slant route near the endzone.
After a Miami three-and-out, Bortles and Robinson went back to work. Robinson caught a pass down the sidelines for 52 yards, but the drive ended with just a field goal. Robinson has caught all three of his early targets, for a total of 91 yards and a touchdown.
Preview: Dolphins, Jaguars Collide in the Battle for I-95
Ndamukong Suh will have to play better than he did against Washington (Getty).
Five hours, one stretch of road.
It’s only a fraction of Interstate Highway 95, which can take New Yorkers to the sunshine of Miami, but it’s the distance that separates these two football teams.
For Jacksonville, this game has serious implications. After this game they go on the road first to face New England, then to Indianapolis. A loss Sunday would put the Jags back 0-2, with a very real chance of going 0-4.
To get the win, they’ll need lots of help from a depleted secondary. Both teams are hurting at safety, with Miami having the better remaining unit. Dolphins safety Reshad Jones led the team in tackles last week but is questionable with a hip injury. Jaguars fans know how valuable Jonathan Cyprien can be, but it looks like he’ll miss this game as he’s listed as Doubtful with a finger injury.