Jaguars vs. Dolphins: Game Balls
The Jacksonville Jaguars made history Saturday night, achieving their first flawless preseason since 1997 with a dominant victory over the Miami Dolphins. Starters played deep into the second quarter and numerous backups had quality evenings, outpacing the injury-riddled ‘Phins to the tune of 31-18.
The Jaguars first-string offense looked particularly sharp, racking up over 150 yards of total offense on back-to-back 12-play drives. As a unit, the offense scored on six of their eight possessions.
The Jaguars defense was equally as impressive in the first half, allowing just two field goals and taking the ball away twice in the second quarter. In the second half the Dolphins finally broke through and scored consecutive touchdowns to soil an otherwise excellent day for the defense.
Not to be forgotten, the special teams unit played a thoroughly clean game and eased some of the pressure on a unit that lacked consistency last season. Although so many members of a soon-to-be 53-man roster had strong performances, one from each of the game’s three phases stood out above the rest.
Offense: Calvin Ridley
Honorable Mentions – Tank Bigsby, C.J. Beathard, the entire starting OL
Former-Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley is back, and his connection with quarterback Trevor Lawrence is beginning to flash on gameday. On the Jaguars first play from scrimmage Ridley secured a quick pass from Lawrence, working on former All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard.
Ridley would get his next look on the following drive, this time snagging an 11-yard pickup on cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. It was of course quickly overshadowed by Ridley’s otherworldly grab on 2nd and 10 shortly afterward.
Again working against Igbinoghene, Ridley adjusted his body mid-route to catch a slightly underthrown ball by Lawrence. The spinning effort went for 28 yards, and gave us a glimpse of how special this connection could be.
Ridley earned every inch of his 50 yards Saturday night, and despite playing in only two drives managed to firmly entrench himself as the Jaguars top option in the passing game.
Defense: Erick Hallett II
Honorable Mentions - Shaquille Quarterman, Ventrell Miller,
In his longest look in the preseason, rookie cornerback Erick Hallett II flashed some of the ball skills he displayed as a two-year starter at Pitt. The sixth-round pick saw a majority of his reps with the reserve defense, and shone brightest in a game that will likely decide his employment status within the organization.
On his first drive, the former Panther was in the perfect position to punish second-year quarterback Skylar Thompson after a bad overthrow on just his second pass attempt. Hallett’s toe-dragging effort to stay inbounds was promptly rewarded with a field goal on offense.
Hallett was all over the place against the Dolphins, adding four solo tackles and a pass breakup to his statline. His interception kept momentum with the Jaguars as they surged to a 17-6 lead at the half, a lead they would maintain throughout the contest.
Special Teams: Brandon McManus
If there was ever a player that needed a confidence boost ahead of the 2023 season, kicker Brandon McManus is certainly high on that list. After nearly a decade with the Denver Broncos, he signed with the Jaguars on a one-year deal in May.
From a volume standpoint, McManus attempted a career-best 36 field goals in 2022. He unfortunately only made 77.8% of his three-point tries, the third-worst mark of his nine-year career.
Through three preseason games, McManus has been nothing short of flawless. He drilled both his field goal tries against the Detroit Lions last week, and against the Dolphins scored a 37-yarder to extend the lead to seven in the second quarter.
He also had a chance to flex his power during pregame warmups, nailing a 68-yard try and barely missing another from 70 yards out.
McManus has looked the part throughout training camp, and his absence after halftime signals his roster security.
