Jacksonville Jaguars Show Maturity, Toughness in Win over Miami Dolphins

After scoring a meager nine points in Week 1, the Jacksonville Jaguars were able to put up 20 points in the first half in Week 2. Despite second-half struggles, they were able to get a go-ahead field goal on an important drive and secure a 23-20 win over the Miami Dolphins.

The Jaguars did a fantastic job of taking control early, scoring through two touchdowns from quarterback Blake Bortles to wide receiver Allen Robinson. They continued to do well on offense, and by the end of the half, they had a respectable 20-13 lead.

Halftime leads with consistent offense are always nice, but the second half is where Jacksonville needed to execute as a team. The offense did its part in the first half, and the defense did fantastically to keep the game in check in the second half.

The Jaguars took a beating from Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill, who completed 30 of 44 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns. However, the defense stepped up against the run and held strong late to allow the offense to re-find its rhythm to go down and give kicker Jason Myers an easy 28-yard field goal to go up with 40 seconds left.

The offense's production mostly came from Bortles, who had an impressive afternoon, especially when compared to his Week 1 performance against the Carolina Panthers, as seen below.

Attempts/Completions	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions	Rating
22/40	183	1	2	54.5
18/33	273	2	0	102.2

Bortles did not make major mistakes, took what the defense gave him and kept the Jaguars in the game to the end. It wasn't an immaculate showing, but his consistency allowed the Jaguars to fight on the front foot more often than not.

He showed incredible poise, as did the rest of the offense. There were some poor drops and connections late, but the Jaguars didn't let that defeat them. The defense came to their aid, and it deserves a ton of credit for the win.

It hardly gave an inch to Miami running back Lamar Miller (1.4 yards-per-carry average) and got pressure on Tannehill late to force mistakes and earn two important sacks. It almost scored itself on a safety, but a smart recovery saved the Dolphins two points and a punt.

But it couldn't save their drive, and the Jaguars offense took its final opportunity with composure that we haven't seen in recent years. Every part of the squad looked mature and ready to get into a fight until the final whistle.

A big concern for the Jaguars this season was whether they could win close games late. Miami made mistakes, but the team was able to finish the game off and perform in a tough situation late.

Head coach Gus Bradley is a coach who can get the players up for a game but hasn't delivered a proper finish against a good team until this weekend. What this means going forward is unsure, but it's certainly a positive mark for Bradley.

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

The Jaguars dealt with injuries to key players, such as corners Davon House and Aaron Colvin and running back Denard Robinson, but still delivered when it counted. Finishing in an NFL game without your starters is extremely difficult, but the Jaguars proved they could handle adversity.

Next week, they go to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to face off against a very good New England Patriots squad. It will be one of the toughest—if not the toughest—games of the season.

But the Jaguars will be going in with their first September win since 2013 and with the confidence to know they can finish in late games. They have to get to that point, but they have shown they can compete with a solid team early as well.

This win means a lot in the long term. It gives Bradley a much-needed win, but it also sets up the team with a proper mentality earlier in the season. Rather than getting to Week 9 or 10 without a win, the Jaguars can go into Week 3 with a notch on the belt.

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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.