Dolphins Victorious in Trap Game Against Jacksonville Jaguars

The game wasn’t pretty for the Miami Dolphins as they escaped from Jacksonville with a 27-13 win over the hometown Jaguars. Miami’s matchup with the Jaguars served as a trap game, as Miami was the more talented team, but with the San Diego Chargers lurking in Week 9, it was easy for the team to overlook the lowly Jaguars.

At the end of Week 8, the Dolphins are above .500. Sitting at 4-3, the Dolphins are in the thick of the playoff race with a brutal upcoming schedule.

Miami certainly didn’t look as sharp as hoped, as the Dolphins defense allowed the Jaguars to sustain long drives throughout the first half. The Dolphins offense sputtered with just nine plays until 4:21 was left in the second quarter, which was a byproduct of poor starting field position, atrocious blocking by left guard Daryn Colledge and zero established rhythm.

With their first three offensive drives taking only 5:31 off the game clock, the pressure increased on the defense to make plays. Fortunately for Miami, the Dolphins secondary was prepared for the challenge.

On the first play of the second quarter, safety Louis Delmas made his first impact play as a Dolphins starter, intercepting an errant pass by Blake Bortles. Delmas had a clear running lane to an 81-yard touchdown, giving the Dolphins a 7-0 lead. That interception was the first of two pick-sixes thrown by Bortles, giving him three total on the day.

Miami’s offense had a rough day performing basic tasks, such as sealing blocks at the point of attack, catching passes and lining up in the proper position. As a unit, the Dolphins offense was a major letdown, after three very strong performances against better competition.

Ryan Tannehill and his receivers struggled to connect for most of the game, with the interior offensive line again allowing pressure as soon as the ball was snapped and Brian Hartline dropping three passes that hit him in the hands.

Tannehill did finally connect with a deep ball to Mike Wallace for a 50-yard gain, which sparked a 95-yard touchdown drive. Later, Tannehill’s three-yard touchdown pass to Rishard Matthews in the third quarter was the only touchdown scored, buffered by two field goals.

Miami had just two other explosive plays, with two 30-yard runs in the second half. Lamar Miller and Tannehill had one each, helping the Dolphins reach 148 yards rushing for the game.

Lacking the consistency and level of execution displayed in the previous three games, Miami had to win this game in an unconventional fashion. By beating the Jaguars by two touchdowns, however, Miami avoided losing the trap game on its schedule.

For the last decade, these are the games the Dolphins have consistently underachieved in, but Miami battled through and came away with a blowout victory. As Miami enters the meat of its remaining schedule, this win could prove to be an indicator of mental toughness and resiliency.

All stats are courtesy of ESPN.com.

Ian Wharton is a Miami Dolphins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, contributor for Optimum Scouting, and analyst for FinDepth. 

Follow @NFLFilmStudy