Miami Dolphins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Complete Report Card Grades for Jags
No team is better at beating itself than the Jacksonville Jaguars. Period.
In a frustratingly confusing matchup the Jaguars somehow lost to the Miami Dolphins 27-13.
If you just saw the score, you’d think the Jaguars got dominated, but you’d be wrong.
The Jaguars managed to outgain the Dolphins 377-326 and won the time-of-possession battle by almost six minutes.
The Jaguars defense was absolutely lights-out this game and constantly put the offense in situations to win. Unfortunately, the offense was unable to get into much of a rhythm and squandered multiple opportunities.
Rookie quarterback Blake Bortles had another performance to forget, tossing two interceptions, and was a key reason why the offense was unable to get going.
On a bright note, running back Denard Robinson continued to look like a feature running back and totaled 108 yards on 18 carries.
Overall, the Jaguars defense put forth a winning effort that the offense just couldn’t match. Until the Jaguars can put together complete games as a team, they’ll be nothing better than a bottom-feeder in the NFL.
Let's take a look at which positions are the Jaguars' weakest.
Quarterback
1 of 11
It was another long day for rookie quarterback Blake Bortles. Bortles threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns and put a lot of pressure on his defense early.
In my opinion, Bortles continues to show great regression in his reads. It seems like he doesn’t recognize coverage well and hardly ever acknowledges safeties. Bortles needs to work on slowing the game down. Too often he rushes throws that end up being intercepted.
Hopefully we see him begin to develop in the final half of the season.
Grade: F
Running Back
2 of 11
Denard Robinson continues to be the lone bright spot in this offense. In the first half alone he ripped off 90 yards on 11 carries.
Robinson is running the ball with great vision—he’s seeing lanes well and is able to power through tacklers. His Week 8 performance gave him back-to-back 100-yard games and should give him some added momentum in the second half of the season.
If Robinson continues to be the force he’s been over the last two weeks the future looks pretty good at the running back position for the Jaguars.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver
3 of 11
Well, it wasn’t an awful day for the Jaguars receivers, but I wouldn’t call it an overly productive day either.
The bright spot here is that rookie receiver Allen Robinson (five receptions, 82 yards, one touchdown) really seems to be a legitimate weapon and is almost reminiscent of Keyshawn Johnson with the way he converts “possession” catches. Time after time, Robinson converted on third down, which is what you expect from a guy with such length.
Unfortunately, this unit still really struggles with drops. While some of that can be attributed to Blake Bortles’ errant throws, the unit has to do a better job battling for contested catches.
Simply put, there are just too many missed opportunities with this group.
Grade: C+
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Tight End
4 of 11
This was a really quiet week for the tight ends. Clay Harbor was targeted three times and only posted one reception.
There is legitimate concern about this group from a run-blocking perspective, but it’s even more alarming when it fails to provide a security blanket for Blake Bortles in the passing game.
This really is a position of weakness that the Jaguars are going to address sometime in the offseason.
Grade: F
Offensive Line
5 of 11
You knew the offensive line was going to be in for a tough matchup when left tackle Luke Joeckel went down in the first quarter with a concussion.
It would only snowball from there.
The offensive line continues to allow Blake Bortles—sacked four times in Week 8, via Sporting News—to be under an extreme amount of pressure. I don’t know if the line just isn't that good or it struggles making adjustments, but the bottom line is that it's not getting the job done.
The bright spot here is that the run blocking has looked much improved. However, given that the Jaguars abandon the run in the second half every week, this is a small note.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
6 of 11
OK, this is where the negativity stops. The Jaguars defensive line continues to be the best unit on this team. As a unit it amassed three sacks and seven quarterback hits against the Dolphins.
The two players who really stood out this game were Sen’Derrick Marks and Ryan Davis. Marks may be one of the top-five interior defensive linemen in this league. Marks consistently got pressure on Ryan Tannehill and was incredibly explosive off the line of scrimmage.
Davis, who has seen minimal snaps, makes the most of his opportunities. Davis got extended work this week and recorded two sacks with it. He now has four sacks on the season and is proving that he is an asset on this defense.
Grade: A
Linebacker
7 of 11
After losing starting middle linebacker Paul Posluszny to a torn pectoral muscle for the season, there were questions about how the linebacker unit would fair this week.
Honestly, I forgot Posluszny was even out.
The linebacker unit was the best it’s been all season, and it almost looked as if Posluszny has been holding it back. Posluszny is a dynamic tackler, but he struggles in coverage and lacks good speed.
Linebackers J.T. Thomas (six tackles, one interception) and Telvin Smith saw increased playing time and really seemed to spark the unit.
Overall, Jacksonville's linebacker unit looked quicker and more competent against the Dolphins. You have to wonder if the injection of youth is a good thing for the Jaguars, who get to start their future at linebacker a little earlier than planned.
Grade: B+
Secondary
8 of 11
I’ve been pretty tough against this unit all year, but Sunday it did a really nice job against the Dolphins receivers.
I thought Mike Wallace would have a field day against the Jaguars’ cornerbacks, but he was limited to just two receptions for 59 yards, despite being targeted seven times.
I believe this team really has something with young corners Demetrius McCray and Dwayne Gratz. Both play with aggressiveness and physicality, and given the experience they could become a very formidable duo.
Overall, the secondary has to feel like it had a great day limiting the Dolphins to just 196 receiving yards.
Grade: B
Special Teams
9 of 11
While normally reliable, it was a really rough day for the special teams unit against the Dolphins.
Despite Josh Scobee, who is very dependable, converting two of his three field-goal attempts, the field-goal unit proved to be problematic. On two occasions the protection units faltered, resulting in one blocked field goal and another that was almost blocked. On another occasion, an offensive lineman was penalized for a false start that took the Jaguars out of field-goal range altogether.
I’ve never questioned the quality of the positional special teamers, Josh Scobee and Bryan Anger, but I am concerned about the other players who fill roles on the units.
The Jaguars have to focus on protecting their kicker if nothing else because that’s where most of their points are coming from this year.
Grade: D
Coaching
10 of 11
Despite the loss, I really felt that Gus Bradley had a strong game plan coming into this matchup. The offense was trying to implement an efficient, balanced strategy, while the defense was swarming for 60 straight minutes.
This issue here was with execution. Gus Bradley will have to focus on getting his players to remaster the basic mechanics. The only reason the Jaguars lost this game was because they couldn’t beat themselves.
Grade: C+
Cumulative Grade
11 of 11
| Quarterback | F |
| Running Back | A |
| Wide Receiver | C+ |
| Tight End | F |
| Offensive Line | C- |
| Defensive Line | A |
| Linebacker | B+ |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | D |
| Coaching | C+ |
Overall, this was a tough loss for a team who seemed to have a real shot to win. It all boils down to one thing: execution. The Jaguars need to get out of their own way, limit the mistakes and figure out how to play a complete football game.
Despite the defense being lights-out, I can’t grade the team solely on its play. The offense was abysmal and left a lot of questions to be answered.
Grade: D+
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
