Jaguars Show Promise but Struggle to Close Out Against Dolphins

The Jaguars suffered a heartbreaking loss in their 2024 season opener after controlling much of the game. A late-game fumble, which could have extended their lead to 24-7, instead resulted in a touchback. On the very next play, the Dolphins connected on an 80-yard pass to narrow the lead to 17-14. This crucial turnover shifted the momentum and ultimately contributed to the Jaguars' downfall. In this article, we’ll break down the positives, the negatives, and what needs to change for the Jaguars to come out on top in games like this moving forward.

Trevor & Brian Thomas Jr.

Trevor Lawrence played well overall, and without a few key drops, his stats would have been even better. One misstep came on the second series when he underthrew Brian Thomas Jr. on what should have been a touchdown. Fortunately, BTJ was able to draw a pass interference call against Jalen Ramsey, saving the play.

On this play, the Dolphins are in Cover 1, and the Jaguars run an outside zone play-action with a deep cross and post concept. This route combination can be particularly lethal against Cover 1, as it isolates the deep safety and forces a tough decision. The high safety gets caught peeking at the crossing route, leaving the post route in a 1-on-1 situation. Typically, the cornerback would expect safety help on the post, playing outside and low. However, Brian Thomas Jr. does a fantastic job accelerating and pulling away from both the cornerback, Jalen Ramsey, and the safety who bit on the over route—perfect ingredients for a big play. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, the ball was under thrown, but the Jaguars still drew a pass interference call.

Later in the game, though, this duo would connect on one of the most impressive throws I’ve ever seen from a quarterback.

To truly appreciate this throw, you need to see the end zone angle on the film. Trevor Lawrence threads the needle like few quarterbacks can, and he does it while taking a hit. Brian Thomas Jr. also deserves credit for securing the catch and getting both feet in bounds—an area the Jaguars struggled with in 2023. On this play, the Dolphins appear to be in quarters coverage, and BTJ is running the deep cross. Typically, in quarters coverage against trips, the backside safety would take the #3 receiver across the field. However, the Dolphins' backside safety gets caught with his eyes in the backfield, allowing BTJ to slip past unnoticed. Trevor then delivers a pinpoint strike for the touchdown.

Tank Bigsby

Much to my surprise—and likely everyone else’s—Tank Bigsby looked like a feature back in Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. One could argue, and I will, that he outperformed Etienne. Both backs got 12 carries, but Tank made the most of his, collecting 73 yards with a long of 26 yards. Tank looked like a completely different player, and it was great to see him shine.

On his first carry, Tank Bigsby was forced to bounce an inside zone play all the way to the backside edge—usually not an ideal situation. However, he did a fantastic job making the free defender miss and turning it into a 17-yard gain. On the very next play, Tank picked up 7 yards on a Dart run, and suddenly, the Jaguars were on the move again. This sequence highlighted Tank’s vision and playmaking ability. I still believe the Jaguars are particularly well-suited to running more gap schemes, and this game showed they should lean into that strength more often.

On the fourth drive of the day, Tank Bigsby kicked things off with a solid 8-yard run on pin and pull. While an 8-yard gain might not seem like a game-changer, it’s worth noting that both drives where Tank started with a strong run ended in scores. I’m not saying all the credit goes to Tank, but starting a drive with a positive gain on the first play can set the tone for a successful series.

The last run we’ll cover for Tank came on the Jaguars’ third long drive of the day. I’m not entirely sure if it was inside zone or not, but Tank did an excellent job of finding daylight in a crowded line of scrimmage. The Dolphins were bringing pressure, sending both linebackers on a cross-dog blitz through the A-gaps. However, #11 failed to cross the center’s face, leaving a gap wide open for Tank to burst through, resulting in another big gain to kick off the drive.

Long Drives for the Offense

The Jaguars had two exceptionally long drives during the game, one starting at their own 4-yard line and the other at the 3-yard line. This is an encouraging sign for the season ahead, as it shows the Jaguars are clearly capable of sustaining lengthy, methodical drives in 2024. If they can continue this trend, it will be a key factor in controlling the tempo and wearing down opposing defenses.

The Defense

The defense performed exceptionally well on Sunday against a Dolphins team that is likely to be one of the top offenses in the league. For me, the defensive line lived up to the hype, particularly in the run game. Through the first four drives, the Jaguars' defense forced two turnovers on downs and two punts, setting a dominant tone early in the game.

Here’s a perfect example of the Jaguars defending the Dolphins' bread-and-butter run play, outside zone. The success begins with Travon Walker, who despite being held, sheds his block and forces the running back to bounce further outside. Foyesade Oluokun then does an excellent job scraping over the guard and meets Antonio Johnson—who runs the alley perfectly—in a textbook vice tackle on the running back. It’s a great display of team defense, with everyone executing their roles to perfection.

On the first drive, the Jaguars stopped the Dolphins on 4th down by executing 1-Cross coverage flawlessly. 1-Cross is a variation of Cover 1 where one safety drops down as the “rat” near the sticks, looking to help on in-breaking routes. Darnell Savage did an excellent job reading Tua’s eyes, smartly passing up the first in-breaking route to focus on the second one. His impact on the receiver caused an incompletion, effectively ending the drive. This play is textbook 1-Cross execution and a prime example of how well-coached the Jaguars’ defense was to close out that first series.

Another excellent example of the Jaguars' defense came in their run fits against counter. Each defender maintained gap discipline and executed their assignments perfectly. Plays like these show just how well-prepared and fundamentally sound the Jaguars' defense was throughout the game.

On the Jaguars' next 4th down stop, defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen dialed up a brilliant play call. The Jaguars aligned in a BOSS front (Bigs on Same Side) with a walked-up linebacker, giving the illusion of a 5-man pressure with Cover 1 behind it. When the ball was snapped, the Dolphins' running back flared out, and the rotating safety picked him up, leading Tua to believe he had man-to-man coverage across the rest of the field. However, Foyesade Oluokun dropped into the low hole, perfectly positioned to tip the ball away. It was a masterful play design by Nielsen and well-executed by the defense.

The defense had only one major breakdown all day, and unfortunately, it came right after Etienne’s costly fumble on offense. (When it rains, it pours.) Here, the Dolphins ran a deep cross paired with what I call a “Tyreek choice route.” Tyreek Hill has the option to either run the post or snap the route across the safety’s face. In this case, he cuts across, leaving Andre Cisco in an impossible situation. Imagine running full speed toward Tyreek, not knowing when or where he’s going to make his move—it’s a nightmare for any defender. I’d love to place the blame on Cisco, but the reality is, no one had a real chance on this play. The Dolphins just dialed up the perfect call against the Jaguars’ Cover 1 defense. That’s football.

All things considered, if you had told me the Jaguars would hold the Dolphins to just 20 points, I would have expected a Jaguars victory. So, despite that one slip-up, it was a solid defensive performance overall.

Anton’s Rough Day

Anton Harrison had a tough outing. He was beaten by Jalen Phillips several times in pass protection, had one penalty (and probably should have had two), and struggled in the run game on a few occasions as well. To be clear, this isn’t an indictment of Harrison’s overall ability to play offensive line for the Jaguars—just an honest acknowledgment that this wasn’t his best performance.

On the very first play of the game, the offense ran a bootleg with the offensive line in full slide protection. This should have left Anton Harrison responsible for blocking Calais Campbell, but instead, Harrison bypassed him, leaving Campbell with a free shot at Trevor Lawrence, resulting in a sack. Definitely not the ideal way to start the game.

Just so no one thinks I’m being too negative, here’s a great example of Anton Harrison getting it right. On this play, he absolutely eats up a linebacker on a Dart run, showcasing his strength and potential in the run game.

Here’s another example in full slide protection where Harrison struggled, this time against the another defensive tackle. Harrison seemed to get a little complacent on the play and wasn’t prepared for the tackle to work back across his face, leading to another breakdown in protection.

On this play, the Jaguars ran outside zone, and while Harrison’s first couple of steps were solid, he lost hand placement, which allowed the defensive end to gain leverage and ultimately make the tackle.

On this play, Harrison got called for holding, but even the hold wasn’t executed well. Once again, he was beaten on an inside move while working against the defensive end on split zone. It seems like he struggled at times with his aiming points and angles, leading to some costly mistakes.

On this rep, Harrison simply got beat on the edge. Maybe he expected the running back to chip, but regardless, it was a poor effort. Fortunately, Trevor Lawrence was able to scramble and throw the ball away, avoiding a negative play.

This was such an obvious hold that I couldn’t help but laugh watching it back. The irony is, if Harrison had missed the block entirely, Etienne might have been tackled for a 3-yard gain and avoided the fumble that ended up costing the game.

On the last play of the game, Harrison was beaten on the edge once again. This time, he even got a slight chip from Evan Engram, but it didn’t make much of a difference.

While Harrison had a rough outing, I still believe he’s going to develop into a solid player on this offensive line. The positive takeaway is that the other four offensive linemen performed well overall. Hopefully, Harrison can correct these mistakes and continue to grow with the unit as the season progresses.

Travis Etienne’s Fumble

Unfortunately, this play likely sealed the Jaguars' fate. While it's true that no single play loses a game, this one swung the momentum harder than I’ve ever seen in football. The Jaguars went from potentially leading 24-7 to barely holding a 17-14 lead in the span of two plays. As Bill Belichick famously says, “Ball security is job security,” and this was a painful reminder of just how crucial that is.

Conclusion

For about three quarters, the Jaguars played really good football but once again struggled to close out a big game. This team has a lot of potential, but as we all know, potential means nothing in the NFL unless it translates to wins. To reach the next level and become an elite team, the Jaguars need to figure out how to finish strong and execute in critical moments. I still believe they can get there, but improvement is necessary—especially when it comes to putting points on the board in the second half.

The foundation is there, but the focus now must be on consistency and closing out games. For more in-depth analysis and cutups of the Jacksonville Jaguars, check out our YouTube page.