Miami Dolphins-Jacksonville Jaguars – Halftime Observations in Week 1

What stood out in the first half of the Miami Dolphins’ season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars:

— We start with the inactive list, which is headlined by three members of the 2024 draft class – Jaylen Wright, Mohamed Kamara and Malik Washington (quadriceps injury). What also stood out was that Jalen Ramsey was not on the list after being listed as questionable with a hamstring injury.

–The opening kickoff was the perfect example of how it should be done by the kicking team: Jacksonville's kickoff landed in the landing zone and then flew out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a touchback that put Miami on the 20-yard line for its season-opening drive.

— While run blocking wasn't great on the first two snaps, the right side of Austin Jackson and Liam Eichenberg deserve a lot of credit for taking the lead on De'Von Achane's 39-yard catch-and-run after a quick throw.

— On a first-and-10, we saw Tua apply one of the lessons he learned last year, which was to surrender quickly rather than try to push through traffic as he fought his way through. It's about short-term sacrifice for long-term benefit. Not an issue here.

— We had a problem with the Dolphins going first down on fourth-and-8 from the Jaguars' 42-yard line on that first drive. While we love aggressiveness, that seemed a little over the top to us early in the game. And we said that before Tua's pass fell incomplete.

— The defense negated the failed risk, thanks to Calais Campbell. The veteran sniffed out a bootleg on the first attempt, leading to an easy 13-yard sack on the first attempt before bringing down Travis Etienne on the next play for a 1-yard loss.

– It could have been a memorable first drive by the defense on third down when Lawrence threw a pass over tight end Evan Engram, but Jordan Poyer didn't react quickly enough after initially focusing on hitting Engram.

– The Dolphins’ second drive resulted in a first down, but was sloppy overall.

— Low points included an incomplete pass when Tyreek Hill was completely free behind the secondary, followed by two bad plays by tight end Jonnu Smith, a drop on a quick throw followed by an offside on third-and-10, and a penalty that was denied after Tua's pass to Hill was incomplete when he was well covered.

— Punter Jake Bailey had a very good first half, starting with a punt that landed at the Jaguars' 3 and then bounced out of bounds at the 4.

– But the poor field position didn’t matter as the Jaguars put the Dolphins’ defense under pressure in every way possible.

– It started with two 25-yard runs by Tank Bigsby and a 19-yard pass to Gabe Davis, who was completely free in the middle of the field.

— Jalen Ramsey, playing despite a hamstring injury, was then hit for a home run by rookie Brian Thomas Jr. and then committed a clear DPI on a short throw, giving Jacksonville the ball at the 1-yard line.

– The Dolphins’ third offensive drive ended in a three-and-out, mainly due to a holding penalty against left guard Robert Jones.

– The second quarter began with Emmanuel Ogbah forcing an incomplete pass through pressure up the middle before the Dolphins got lucky on third-and-9 when Christian Kirk dropped an easy pass near the sideline.

— To add momentum, the Dolphins had Tyreek Hill return a Jacksonville punt, but he only managed 11 yards after a massive 67-yard punt by Jacksonville's Logan Cook.

— Jaylen Waddle showed toughness and concentration on his 12-yard catch in the second quarter in the huddle after the ball deflected near the line. He had to leave the game to be evaluated for a head injury but was able to return.

– After the Dolphins advanced close to the halfway line thanks to a borderline foul on Josh Hines-Allen for unnecessary roughness against the passer, Durham Smythe dropped an easy pass on the flat.

– And then Mike McDaniel decided to try for the first down again on the fourth try, this time from the 45-yard line, and the result was the same.

— As expected, Ramsey did not play a full game, and rookie free agent Storm Duck temporarily took his place opposite Kendall Fuller. Duck made a nice tackle in the open field to stop Travis Etienne for a 1-yard gain, albeit on a second-and-1 play.

– The failed fourth attempt cost the Dolphins the win this time after Christian Kirk got past Kader Kohou on the third and eighth attempt and gained 30 yards in front of Jordan Poyer.

— On a third-and-10 attempt from the 13-yard line, Thomas again got behind Ramsey (this time in zone coverage) and caught a perfectly thrown pass from Lawrence that led to a touchdown and a 14-0 Jacksonville lead.

— Great performance by Achane, who turned a potential loss into a 16-yard gain after catching an outlet pass.

– Tight end Durham Smythe had a really rough first half with some drops and a false start penalty on third-and-1.

— Waddle made a smart third-down reception for 20 yards on the Dolphins' final drive of the first half.

– Achane was the Dolphins’ best offensive player and provided decisive impetus in the running and passing game.

— Achane capped off a drive late in the second quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run that put the Dolphins up 14-7 and breathed some life into the team after a very forgettable first half.

— However, the Prevent Defense allowed completions of 18 and 20 yards, allowing Cam Little to kick a 53-yard field goal on the last play of the half to make it 17-7.