3 Keys For the Jaguars' Offense Vs. Miami and A Short Week
The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) return home to take on the Miami Dolphins (0-2) in a primetime Thursday night matchup tomorrow. The Sunshine State showdown is not only a point of pride for the two Florida teams, it’s a chance for either the Dolphins to make a comeback or the Jaguars to prove they’re not a fluke.
The Jaguars are favored by three points as of print, following their last-play loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. But the Dolphins, spurned by a little Fitzmagic [Ryan Fitzpatrick], led the Buffalo Bills in the 4th quarter before Josh Allen (the other one) and the Bills put together two scoring drives to win 31-28.
This is two weeks in a row that offenses (the New England Patriots and the Bills) have picked apart the Dolphins' defense. The Jaguars, led by their own bit of Minshew Magic, put up nearly 500 yards of offense on Sunday against the Titans in a 33-30 loss. But Fitzpatrick has been strong as well (31-47, 328, 2/0 vs Bills) meaning this could come down not so much to who is stopped, but to who does the most with their time.
With that in mind, here are three keys for the Jaguars' offensive against the Miami Dolphins.
Be Efficient In the Red Zone
This is a good motto for all games but it can be especially true on Thursday. The Bills were able to go 2/2 against the Dolphins in the money zone, while the Patriots went 2/3 in their Week 1 win versus Miami.
Over the first two weeks, the Jaguars have gone 6/7 (86%) in the red zone. There have been five passes and one run, all scored by six different players. Offensive Coordinator Jay Gruden told reporters on Tuesday that being able to spread the ball around in the redzone to different personnel has been “a little bit” to credit for the production.
But he also credits the work up front to give Minshew time, referencing the 14-yard pass to Chris Thompson against the Titans as a prime example.
"I think protection has been outstanding when we get down there. We had a, you know, we had a hot route, free unblocked player that Gardner recognized, he lofted up a perfect pass to Chris Thompson, who, you know, any—that ball could have been thrown not many places. It was a perfectly thrown ball and Chris went up and got it, made a big play.
“So that's that's part of the redzone, tight window throws, guys making plays, that's a major part of it right now we're doing that. And like I said, we're gonna see different coverages, more drop baits, more man-to-man, tight man-to-man, different leverages, and how we can attack those type of defense will be how good we do. But obviously the redzone start has been very good.”
Minshew’s 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Eifert on Sunday came between two safeties. And his 45-yarder to DJ Chark (while not a touchdown or in the redzone) that set up the Eifert touchdown also came in double coverage.
Tyler Eifert (88) catches a touchdown between two defenders. © George Walker IV / Tennessean.com
“I think you just have to understand, you know, body positions down there. A lot of times if guys, if their eyes aren’t on you, then there’s still opportunities to put the ball out there even if there is not much space,” explained Minshew.
Take the Big Plays
Speaking of that 45-yard shot to Chark downfield, plays such as those could also be a difference maker on Thursday.
Most coaches will say the best plan for a game and quarterback is to take the smart play; to pick up a few yards at a time to methodically move down the field and don’t try to force the hero play. Three consecutive plays to the flat picking up four yards at a time moves the chains just as easy as taking a big shot that could become a turnover.
Yet, the Dolphins defense was slashed countless times on Sunday by the Bills. Buffalo had five receivers with game-long plays of 25 yards or more; three of them were for 46 yards or more. Allen had a total of nine explosive plays (15+ yards passing) and every drive that included an explosive play ended in a touchdown.
Ok, but what about yards after the catch? A very good point. According to Next Gen Stats, in Week 2, Allen led the league in completed air yards, meaning on completions versus Miami, his balls traveled farther on air than any other quarterback in the league.
Gruden zeroed in on that when watching the tape. He’s hedging his bets that the Dolphins will give us so many explosive yardage completions for another week.
“There were some big plays that were given up. I think they'll address those things. You know obviously Buffalo—Allen made a couple good plays with the legs scrambling to find some people. They broke coverage a couple times, unfortunately, but I'm sure they'll, they have good coaches over there, they’ll get all that stuff fixed up. But I think when it comes to Miami, I think you're gonna see a lot of man-to-man. And that's what we're gonna have to beat, for the most part.”
Minshew—who was 7th in the league in completed air yards this weekend—mimics his coach’s message of not overlooking what the Dolphins can come back and do on Thursday.
“They’re talented, very talented in the backend right there. They did a good job matching up with the guys. They do a pretty good job against the run and they’re very disciplined in what they do. And also, just like last week, they mix up the looks pretty good. So, it’s a good challenge especially on a short week.”
Do More…But Not Too Much
There are plenty of challenges on a short week. The one Gruden is currently fighting? Striking a balance between implementing new plays without overwhelming a famously young group.
“It’s tough because as an offensive coach, you want to try to add some new things that fit what you’re going against,” explains Gruden.
"Up against Miami, they’re a different style of defense, so that calls for some different style of plays. But being a short week, we want to also make sure these guys know what to do so they can play fast.”
There was a noticeable difference in the Jaguars playbook from Week 1 to Week 2 as the versatile rookie Laviska Shenault was given more responsibility. The tight ends James O’Shaughnessy and Tyler Eifert—who caught a combined two receptions for eight yards in Week 1—also saw an increased load. The two brought in a total of seven receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown against the Titans.
Part of this is due to the Jaguars offense running 27 more plays versus Tennessee as they did versus Indianapolis.
Now Gruden will look to bring together a young group with new looks that can take advantage of the minimal amount of tape the Miami Dolphins will have to scout.
Concludes Gruden, “that’s the biggest thing, is trying to find that balance between being a little bit different, but also challenging our guys to make sure they can play fast.”
