Ryan Fitzpatrick Shines, Gardner Minshew Struggles as Dolphins Top Jaguars 31-13

The Miami Dolphins won their first game of the year by defeating the host Jacksonville Jaguars 31-13 on Thursday at TIAA Bank Field.

Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 18 of 20 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a one-yard score. James Robinson paced the Jaguars offense with two rushing touchdowns, six catches and 129 yards from scrimmage.

The Dolphins and Jaguars now have matching 1-2 records.

Notable Performances

Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick: 18-of-20, 160 passing yards, 2 TD; 7 carries, 38 rushing yards, 1 TD

Dolphins RB Myles Gaskin: 22 carries, 66 rushing yards; 5 receptions, 29 receiving yards

Dolphins WR DeVante Parker: 5 receptions, 69 receiving yards

Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew II: 30-of-42, 275 passing yards, 1 INT; 3 carries, 22 rushing yards

Jaguars RB James Robinson: 11 carries, 46 rushing yards, 2 TD; 6 receptions, 83 receiving yards

Jaguars WR Laviska Shenault Jr.: 5 receptions, 33 receiving yards; 1 carry, 1 rushing yard

Fitzmagic Reigns in Jacksonville

Fitzpatrick couldn't have been much better Thursday and nearly tossed the quarterback's equivalent of a perfect game with just two incompletions out of his 20 attempts.

The 37-year-old and 16-year NFL veteran who is with his eighth team carved up the Jags secondary en route to Miami's first win.

He started the game with 11 straight completions, including a three-yard touchdown pass to Preston Williams and an 11-yard score to Mike Gesicki:

That streak set a personal best for Fitzpatrick, who was making his 142nd career start:

The veteran was also an asset on the ground thanks to his 38 rushing yards on seven carries:

Fitzpatrick scored his third touchdown on this one-yard run:

He joined an elite club thanks to his wheels (and remarkable longevity):

ESPN's Mina Kimes joked about Fitzpatrick's tenure, but one has to wonder whether this could actually be the case:

And ESPN's Pat McAfee facetiously provided his MVP vote:

Overall, Fitzmagic is alive and well right now after a dominant Week 3 win.

Almost Nothing Goes Right for Jaguars

The Jags entered Thursday off the heels of two impressive games: a 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts and a close 33-30 loss to the Tennessee Titans, last year's AFC runner-up.

They were three-point favorites over the winless Dolphins but struggled mightily on both sides of the ball en route to a three-score loss.

Considering how well Jacksonville played against two tough divisional opponents to start the season, it was a surprising result for the Jags, and Mike Clay of ESPN compared the team's Week 3 result to its first two games:

On offense, starting quarterback Gardner Minshew II struggled, completing 30 of 42 passes for just 275 yards, an interception and 6.5 yards per attempt. He also fumbled the ball on a sack from Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy, helping set Miami up at the Jacksonville 5-yard line up 21-7 late in the third:

Bucky Brooks of NFL Network commented on Minshew's night:

There were some bright spots for the Jags. Running back James Robinson scored two touchdowns, leading Dane Brugler of The Athletic to wonder how he ended up undrafted:

And the Jags clearly have a well-rounded and promising pass-catching corps. Even without injured No. 1 wideout DJ Chark Jr., a few Jacksonville wideouts made some plays, including Keelan Cole Sr. and rookie Laviska Shenault Jr., who is already creating some buzz. 

However, the Jaguars defense could not stop Miami's Fitzpatrick-led offense, with Hays Carlyon of 1010 XL/92.5 FM Radio and John Reid of the Florida Times-Union providing commentary:

Basically, everything that could go wrong for the Jaguars did, perhaps culminating in a questionable ejection of left tackle Cam Robinson after he accidentally made contact with an official while trying to free himself from a pile-up:

In the end, Thursday was a night to forget for the Jags, and now they'll look to get back in the win column in Week 4.

What's Next?

Both teams play next on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. ET.

Miami will host the Seattle Seahawks at Hard Rock Stadium, and Jacksonville will visit the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.