The Jacksonville Jaguars are off to a rough start to their 2024 campaign following an embarrassing defeat on the road against the Miami Dolphins, 20-17.
At one point, the Jaguars held leads of 14-0 in the first half and 17-7 in the second, leaving many to wonder what happened after such a great start to the game.
Jaguars Wire broke down the matchup’s All-22 film to digest Sunday’s events with better context, sharing its biggest takeaways below.
Defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen impressed in his first game with the Jaguars
One of the key matchups Sunday was Ryan Nielsen’s Jacksonville defense versus arguably the most explosive offense in football. One key concern was capping the big plays Miami has been known to produce throughout the last two seasons.
Despite Dolphins receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle producing crucial explosive plays late in the contest, Nielsen otherwise called in a great game. Jaguars defenders on all three levels of the field flew around the field but rarely appeared out of place outside of a couple of occasions.
One of the most impressive things from this unit is that it rarely got caught in Miami’s barrage of shifts and motions, staying disciplined and on task while forcing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa off his spot and forcing throws.
Jacksonville’s linebackers were stout in their run fits. According to Next Gen Stats, the run defense held Miami to just 69 yards of offense on 23 touches and negative 44 rushing yards over expected, the lowest since Week 9 of 2021.
Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun played terrific in coverage and against the run. He made an excellent play in the second quarter on fourth & short by shadowing double slants on the front side and nearly secured the interception.
Other defensive players such as safety Darnell Savage Jr. and defensive lineman Arik Armstead had quality performances.
Before leaving the game with an injury, star cornerback Tyson Campbell played with sound technique in press-man and zone shells. Rookie Jarrian Jones had a couple of one-on-ones with Hill and held his own.
Edge rusher Travon Walker’s season is off to a great start. He piled up two sacks in Week 1 with elite explosiveness, power at the point of contact, an impressive bull rush, and the rare athleticism he has been known for since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2022.
Jacksonville’s first-half offense displayed a glimpse into the future…
Sunday offered a peak into what the 2024 Jaguars offense could become under whoever is calling plays in Jacksonville, head coach Doug Pederson or offensive coordinator Press Taylor. There were more under-center, vertical passing concepts that opened up the offense to an extent. The operation seemed steadier and smoother.
Franchise signal-caller Trevor Lawrence had a quality first half, making a terrific throw seemingly every series. He had a couple of middle-of-the-field darts for big completions, including the beautiful bucket drop to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. to go up 14-0 in the second quarter.
Lawrence did a great job using his eyes to manipulate second and third-level defenders while maintaining his progressions.
The Jaguars have the potential to field a consistently explosive offense. Second-string running back Tank Bigsby broke off a couple of nice runs. Thomas also looks as advertised as a deep threat, showing vertical separation almost consistently with subtle movements to create space and opportunities for Lawrence to make accurate, on-time throws.
Jacksonville could have continued to mash its foot on the gas and attack Miami’s secondary with vertical play-action attacks from under-center and route concepts to put its players in positions to succeed. As the score later showed, it didn’t.
…but the second-half offense offered a not-so-good blast from the past
As soon as the Jaguars’ offense took the field in the second half, there was an easy tell to the momentum swing that began to occur. What went from an explosive and dynamic first 30 minutes to a stale and conservative final 30.
Pederson or Taylor let their foot off the gas almost entirely, especially after running back Travis Etienne Jr. fumbled in the red zone.
The offense reversed back to what led to its demise late in the 2023 season. There were very few concepts that allowed Lawrence to attack the middle of the field and several play-action rollouts that only allowed for the short area of the gridiron to be attacked.
Thomas received no targets in the second half, a head-scratching reality considering his earlier production paired with Jacksonville’s late offensive stalls. The Jaguars offensive line largely held its own throughout the game, allowing Lawrence to navigate the pocket and reset his base when needed.
The lack of aggression from the offense was staggering and it allowed Miami to take the field for just enough plays, including the 80-yard touchdown by Hill, to stage a successful comeback.
There was also too much faith placed in the Jaguars’ rushing offense and defensive performance to secure the victory. This kind of approach has far too often put coaches at a disadvantage against explosive teams such as the Dolphins or Kansas City Chiefs.
Jacksonville will host the Cleveland Browns in the Jaguars‘ home opener this weekend. They have the offense and personnel to be an aggressive, explosive offense. If the Jaguars learn to keep mashing the gas pedal when up 10 or more points, this could be a potent team throughout the season.
