Miami Dolphins vs Jacksonville Jaguars: Jacksonville Grades, Notes & Quotes
In one of the most exciting Jacksonville Jaguars games in recent memory, the Jaguars secured a 23-20 win over the Miami Dolphins thanks to a go-ahead field goal from kicker Jason Myers.
Myers chipped in a 28-yard attempt to give the Jaguars the lead with 40 seconds left. The defense, who played admirably all game, got the final stop it needed to turn the ball over on downs and allow the offense to take a knee.
With the win, the Jaguars improve to 1-1 and get their first win in September since 2012. The team went into the half with a 20-13 lead, but despite a solid performance from the Dolphins offense and sputters from the Jaguars offense, they were able to pull out the victory.
It was a not-so-common "nailbiter" for the Jaguars, but the defense stunted the Dolphins to allow the offense to finally get back in rhythm for the final drive. It wasn't a perfect win by any means, but it's one the Jaguars will certainly take.
Positional Grades for Jacksonville Jaguars
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | A- |
| RB | B |
| WR | B- |
| TE | C |
| OL | B- |
| DL | B- |
| LB | B- |
| DB | C+ |
| Special Teams | A- |
| Coaching | B- |
Quarterback Blake Bortles had a stellar afternoon, completing 18 of 33 passes, throwing two touchdowns and never turning the ball over. He was crucial to the early offensive success and vital on the drive for the go-ahead field goal.
The running backs and wide receivers did their part, with the obvious standout being WR Allen Robinson, who totaled 155 yards and two TDs on six receptions. T.J. Yeldon's 26 carries for 70 yards doesn't look fantastic, but he did a solid job when he had space.
The offensive line did a fantastic job protecting Bortles, but didn't open up much for Yeldon, bumping their grade down to a B-minus. Overall, they can be happy, especially tackle Sam Young, who stepped in for Luke Joeckel and excelled.
The defense did a fine job more often than not, although Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill shredded the secondary. Miami couldn't get anything on the run, however, and that made the Dolphins one-dimensional in the second half.
Special teams did their part with no major screw ups, with Myers' two field goals bumping them to an A-minus. He was crucial, and his 28-yard and 58-yard scores ended up being a big reason the Jaguars won.
The coaching was solid, with defensive coordinator Bob Babich doing a significantly better job adjusting in the second half than offensive coordinator Greg Olson. Getting the win somewhat erases the poor usage of timeouts in the second half.
Blake Bortles Puts Behind Week 1 Mistakes
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Bortles went from a 54.5 QB rating in Week 1 to a 102.2 rating in Week 2, one of the biggest improvements from last week to Sunday's win. A shaky, almost unexpected, performance in Week 1 has now been wiped out by an impressive showing against Miami.
Throughout the game, Bortles showed the same drive and composure we saw at moments last week. Even when the offense sputtered in the second half, Bortles was striving to make plays while also avoiding mistakes that could have killed the Jaguars' chances.
Bortles had more time to throw this week, and the offense is due praise, but Bortles didn't hold on to the ball as long this week, which was crucial to a mistake-free performance. He was direct from start to finish, and that was a big improvement.
QBs have to be confident, and that starts with good performances in big wins. Bortles can take away that confidence after a solid performance in a terrific win. The Jaguars needed Bortles to live up to his preseason performances, and he did so this week.
Offensive Line Has Ups and Downs, but Good Enough to Win
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The offensive line had a tough opponent in Miami's front four. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive end Cameron Wake are electric enough on their own, but DE Olivier Vernon and DT Earl Mitchell were also going to be tough competitors.
In the end, Vernon's personal foul on tight end Clay Harbor put the Jaguars in surefire field-goal range, but they still played tough as a unit all night. But despite all their work, they couldn't get a sack on Bortles.
The offensive line was consistent and disciplined to not allow a sack throughout the game, and they can be proud of their performance.
However, the run-blocking wasn't nearly as good. The Dolphins were gonna make plays somewhere, but they got manhandled late when the handoffs were going to Yeldon. Negative rushes are worse than any incompletion, and the Jaguars had plenty of those thanks to the Dolphins defensive line.
The offensive line was important today, but they weren't perfect. They've got things to work on, and it's not like they get a break when visiting the New England Patriots next week.
Telvin Smith Makes Second-Half Plays to Help Secure Win
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Defensive end Jared Odrick did some good things last week, but he was also somewhat quiet and made his fair share of mistakes. This week, he cut down on the mistakes and instead turned it up in the second half to be an impact player in the Jaguars' 23-20 win.
Odrick, like the rest of the defense, did a solid job last week but couldn't make a major play to turn the tide. He more than made up for that this week, with a late sack and forced fumble as well as a great swat to force an uncomfortable 3rd-and-17 for the Dolphins at their own 1-yard line.
They didn't convert, and Odrick's incredible series gave the Jaguars the ball back and the ability to score the go-ahead field goal. He may not have lit up the game with his two tackles coming up to that point, but he was incredible when it mattered.
The Jaguars need their various members to keep stepping up in key situations, and they can't rely on any single individual. Odrick proved that the Jaguars can trust him to carry his weight and then some if he's in an opportune situation.
Gus Bradley Praises Defense for Bouncing Back, Recognizes Mistakes
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Head coach Gus Bradley had a lot to be proud of after Sunday's win, but his praise primarily went to the Jaguars defense. In his postgame press conference, as streamed by Jaguars.com, Bradley discussed a difficult but exciting win.
“We have a lot of respect for Miami and their team," Bradley said. "Extremely hard fought game. Really credit to our guys, they played their tails off start to finish."
Bradley also acknowledged the loss from last week and how the team prepared for the Dolphins in Week 2.
“We didn’t play up to our capabilities. They came out Wednesday and went right back to work… It was more of a getting back to the things we know... It never was about confidence. Last week wasn’t about confidence. It was more about what we did. It was about getting back to that."
The Jaguars did a lot to recover from last week's loss. The staff and the team have faith in Bradley's process, and the Jaguars sticking to it earned a win against a good Dolphins team on Sunday.
Blake Bortles Admits Mistakes, but Is Looking Ahead
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Bortles had an excellent showing, but he's not planning on enjoying the aftermath for too long. Bortles recognizes that they still made mistakes and that there is still work to do.
"I think we still shot ourselves in the foot a couple times, but not as much as last week,” Bortles said when asked in postgame interviews about the team's performance compared to last week.
There were some errors, and the offense certainly struggled in the second half, but they drove down the field when it mattered. Bortles doesn't plan on losing focus and is looking forward to Week 3 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
“From our point of view, we expected this outcome," Bortles said. "We wanna celebrate, and we will, but we will move on and get ready for New England.”
Part of winning is developing the right mentality, and Bortles' calm, expectant demeanor is fantastic to see. A young QB like Bortles can't spend too much time soaking in wins, especially with a road trip to the Patriots next week.
All stats were provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise stated.
Evan Reier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter @evanreier.
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