In recent times, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins haven’t been under the national spotlight all that much and one could understand why when considering their struggles. Both entered the offseason with a lot of issues to fix, and in the credit of their from offices, they did the best they could under the unusual circumstances COVID-19 caused.

Tonight, both teams will get to show off the progress that was made from January to this point as they both entered the regular season with a lot of doubters via Thursday Night Football. Here are our predictions for the game as the Jags and Dolphins meet for their ninth non-preseason battle:

James Johnson (@Sportsgrind_Don): Jaguars 35, Dolphins 28

Although there are no moral victories in the NFL, the Jags’ performance against the Tennessee Titans was encouraging to fans. However, the team must put it behind them and make sure the Dolphins don’t catch them by surprise. Under a young focused Gardner Minshew II, I believe that shouldn’t be a problem and he will thrive against a battered Dolphins secondary in the prime-time setting just as he did last year when he acquired his first NFL win.

Phil Smith (@PhiltheFilipino): Jaguars 34, Dolphins 24

The Jags are coming off a tough loss, albeit a loss that showed fans their ability to battle back from double-digit deficits. I think most fans are just happy that the early-season Thursday Football appearance isn’t against the Titans. Jay Gruden, Gardner Minshew II, and the rest of this offense have shown that they might have some special brewing in that playbook. I fully expect the Jags’ wideouts to dominate in this matchup against a young and battered Dolphins secondary. Get ready for the fireworks, Duval! This team is about to put up a lot of points en route to a 2-1 start.

Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis): Jaguars 31, Dolphins 23

The Jaguar season got off to a strong start. Coming off of a crushing 33-30 defeat against the Tennessee Titans, Gardner Minshew II and the Jags will be looking to rebound and cement themselves as a playoff contender. I think they do just that versus the Dolphins on prime-time television. The 2-1 Jacksonville Jaguars has a nice ring to it.

Robert Ricks (@rrickswriting): Jaguars 26, Dolphins 13

Coming off of a big loss against the Titans, the Jaguars showed that they could be a legit offense. This will be a big game for this young, hungry Jaguars defense as they should do enough to force Fitzpatrick into a couple of picks on the day.

Will Frost (@willfrost_): Jaguars 27, Dolphins 18

The media has been all over the “Battle of the Beards” this week as people try to drum up excitement for a fairly low-key Thursday Night Football game. However, we should expect a heavy dose of each team’s rushing attack on a short week, even after center Brandon Linder was ruled out with an injury.

Minshew was lights out in Week 1, but when asked to throw the ball a little bit more against Tennessee the team began to struggle with turnovers. With many predicting a shootout, running back James Robinson should be given more responsibility in the Jaguars offense to slow the game down.

With Josh Lambo missing due to a hip issue, the offense simply has to find the endzone whenever they have the ball in this game, as the team won’t be able to rely on his excellent recent field percentage.

Jacob DeLawrence (@_Jdela): Jaguars 31, Dolphins 21

Coming off an expected loss but surprising performance against the Titans, the Jags get to host the Dolphins this week. The Dolphins’ defense has allowed a great deal of success through the air each of the past two weeks, which should bode well for Gardner Minshew II and a fun high-powered Jags offense. The defense manages to prevent any Fitzmagic and the teal clad Jags win.