Defensive Playmakers Lead Dolphins to Win over Jacksonville
A casual observer might look at the Miami Dolphins’ 27-13 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and believe that the Dolphins were physically dominant with their execution and overall talent, but that’s not how the story unfolded in Week 8. On the field, Miami’s win took tremendous efforts by key defensive players in order to seal the Dolphins’ fourth victory.
Entering the game at 1-6, the Jaguars were likely to be overlooked by the Dolphins, who have been playing great football since their Week 4 win against the Oakland Raiders.
After all, the Dolphins play the San Diego Chargers at home next week, which will be a major test of whether the team can defeat one of the top Super Bowl contenders. So naturally, the Jaguars game was a trap for a team that wasn’t properly focused on its opponent.
These trap games have haunted the Dolphins in recent years, with 2013 featuring a few occurrences alone. Despite being the more talented team, Miami tends to play down to its opponent, leaving little breathing room at the end of the game, or it just flat-out loses it. This inconsistent nature is generally due to poor coaching and a locker room lacking enough leadership.
Leadership certainly wasn’t an issue on Sunday, as every Dolphins’ defensive star left the field with a significant contribution to the team’s victory. Let’s take a look at the playmakers on the Dolphins defense who played a critical role. (No, the good-luck pigeon does not make a cameo in this list).
Louis Delmas Delivers
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It took Delmas until his seventh game as a Miami Dolphins player to execute what he was brought in to do, but Delmas is well-deserving of the game ball for his contributions on Sunday. Delmas was brought in to force turnovers and be an on-field and off-field leader for the Dolphins, and he didn’t let anyone down with an interception and fumble recovery.
After a first quarter in which the Dolphins defense was on the field for all but four minutes, Delmas began the second half with a bang as he read Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles’ eyes perfectly and stole the ball mid-air. With the ball secured, Delmas scurried down the field 81 yards for an easy score, giving the Dolphins a 7-0 lead.
Miami never looked back after that score, growing its lead to 24-6 before a garbage-time touchdown by the Jaguars.
Delmas also was in the right place on a Bortles fumble in the second quarter, ending another long drive by the Jaguars offense. That fumble recovery led to a 52-yard drive and a Dolphins field goal.
Without question, Delmas was the biggest playmaker for Miami, and his presence was needed for Miami to overcome a sluggish start.
Reshad Jones Continues Creating Impact Plays
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In Reshad Jones’ third game back from suspension, he continued to show that he is one of the premier safeties in the AFC. His six solo tackles and one sack led the Dolphins defenders, per ESPN.com.
Jones has to play within a set role to be this effective, and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle has allowed him to roam and play closer to the line of scrimmage. That’s where Jones excels, and that role allowed him to be a 2012 Pro Bowl player.
His presence on throws over the middle by Bortles curtailed multiple potential receptions, as there was too much traffic even for Bortles to throw through. Jones has become a player whom opposing teams must locate every play before the ball has snapped.
If they fail to, Jones will make them pay.
Cameron Wake Shows Dominance
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Sometimes great play doesn’t show in the final statistics, but when there’s an elite talent such as Cameron Wake on the field, that player tends to rack up the numbers in impressive fashion. With five solo tackles and a sack, Wake was one of the most productive players on the field.
Wake is one of the most underrated players in the league, and although he’s 32 years old, he hasn’t lost a step. He bullied the Jaguars’ right tackle Austin Pasztor right back into the passing pocket, forcing Bortles to make rushed and poor passes.
There are few players more fun to watch than Wake every week, and his continued excellence is nothing short of impressive. Miami absolutely needed his big performance in Week 8 to win as comfortable as they did.
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Brent Grimes Uses Veteran Tricks
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Although Brent Grimes was called for one defensive penalty on Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts, he later redeemed himself with a pick-six. The mark of a great cornerback is the ability to recover from being beaten, and Grimes showed that he is still one of the best playmakers in the NFL at cornerback.
On the Jaguars’ first play of the third quarter, Blake Bortles stared down his receiver on a curl route, but he failed to remember that Grimes excels at jumping such routes. Grimes was on the hip of Shorts the entire route, and Bortles’ pass fluttered enough for Grimes to step in front in stride.
Twenty-two yards later, Miami took a commanding 17-3 lead and took all energy out of the young Jaguars. Bortles became yet another one of Grimes’ victims on those comeback routes, and he continues to play at a high level.
Olivier Vernon Proves He's Not Just a Sidekick
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The Dolphins’ “other” defensive end has made major improvements in his game once again this season, and although he may not match his lofty sack total from 2013, he is a more consistent and better overall player this year.
Olivier Vernon was able to notch three solo tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit, in addition to his pressures that were not recorded. His ability to set the edge in the running game was impressive all game, as most of Denard Robinson’s success came up the middle of the defense.
Vernon’s ability to complement Wake is a much-needed injection for the Dolphins defense, and his game against Jacksonville showed maturity and polish to his game.
Jelani Jenkins
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Miami allowed their first 100-yard rusher of the season after Denard Robinson totaled 108 on Sunday, but that amount is somewhat distorted by his 41-yard run in the first quarter. He averaged just 4.17 yards per carry after his chunk gain, in large part due to the play of Jelani Jenkins.
Jenkins had six total tackles against the Jaguars, which was tied for second on the team. His ability to clean up plays from the weak-side position was beneficial as the Jaguars’ interior line had a good performance against Miami’s defensive tackles. With Koa Misi out due to injury, Jenkins needed to play as well as he did to help overcome Jason Trusnik’s weaknesses.
His forced fumble on Bortles also was a major turning point for the Dolphins defense, as it ended a prolonged drive into the Dolphins’ territory.
Bottom Line
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The Dolphins’ win wasn’t easy to stomach because the offense didn’t light up the scoreboard against the Jaguars, but the team found a way to win. Miami has struggled dearly with poor performances against lower-quality opponents under Joe Philbin’s tenure as head coach, but Sunday’s win was a much-needed win.
Although the Dolphins have a bend-don’t-break type of defense, they are showing the ability to force turnovers much more effectively in recent games than in the first few. That progress is vital as the Dolphins prepare for their upcoming foe, the San Diego Chargers.
All stats used are from ESPN.com.
Ian Wharton is a Miami Dolphins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, contributor for Optimum Scouting, and analyst for FinDepth.
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