Jaguars vs. Dolphins: Keys To the Game
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in their home away from home this weekend, to take on the Miami Dolphins. As quarterback Trevor Lawrence noted, “It’s kind of ironic we’re going all the way to London to play a team from Miami.” And to add even more storylines to this matchup, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went 22-2 as a starter in college. His first loss—and only loss in 2018—was to freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the National Championship.
While it doesn’t seem geography was taken into account for this game, there are other factors that could play a huge role. If the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to grab their first win of the season whilst in London, England, it will take these three keys to the game.
Make In-Game Adjustments
For the past three weeks, the Jaguars have seen a solid first half, waste away in the final 30 minutes. The inability to make in-game adjustments has proved detrimental, as the offense was unable to answer the opponent’s rally. Against the Dolphins, those in-game adjustments will be necessary, given how the Dolphins game-plan on defense.
“They’re a game plan specific defense,” explained offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. “So, they’ll have a specific plan for us. You watch the games, they don’t plan everybody the same way, so there will be some in-game adjustments that we need to make during the game.”
Over the past three games, the Jaguars have gained 639 yards for 35 points in the first half. In the second half, they’ve slipped to 507 yards for 14 points. Versus both the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals, in the third quarter the Jaguars were held to one drive for three yards and negative four yards respectively.
If the Jaguars are going to turn around their second half performances, it’ll require adjusting all-game against a defense that demands such a game.
“[The Dolphins are] a team that does that to where they have certain rules: this week they want to play these receivers this way or this quarterback this way and throw this look in there,” said Lawrence, agreeing with Bevell. “You have to react in the game, but you have to know what they’re doing. You have to see it and say, ‘I saw this. This is what they’re doing,’ and then react from there. That’s where the film study really comes into play. It’s not necessarily about always knowing exactly what they’re going to do before it happens, it’s about reacting too. But obviously, that’ll be a big game to watch and just putting a good plan together. They do a good job.”
Prepare For Tua…and Brissett...
Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t played since Week 2, when he suffered fractured ribs. In his place has been Jacoby Brissett, who completed 65.2% of his passes for 858 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions, in the last three games, all losses.
Brisset went to the locker room during the Dolphins Week 5 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but did return to the game.
Miami head coach Brian Flores told reporters this week that if “all goes well” in the final practices, Tagovailoa will start Sunday. But the Jaguars are preparing for both passers, especially since Tagovailoa’s pain level won’t be entirely known until he takes that first hard hit in the game.
“They are different, but they’re not,” said Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer this week. “The offense—they’re both excellent quarterbacks. We had good conversations with Jacoby, I’ve known him since I actually recruited him out of high school, so he’s played really, he’s throwing the ball really well. But we believe it’s going to be Tua, that’s our understanding. But we’re certainly going to get plenty of film to study Jacoby.”
Added middle linebacker Damien Wilson, “You do not really go off quarterback tendencies, you just go off [their] passing concepts because I do not think the passing sets are going to change as much with a whole different person being under center. They are going to run what they want to run regardless, so we just focus on that part.”
...But Especially Prepare For Tua
As Meyer stated, the plan is to face Tua. That means the Jaguars pass rush must gird up for yet another mobile quarterback who will make it difficult to get pressure. The Jags—who have eight sacks thus far this season—not only will be chasing down a mobile guy though. They’ll be facing a left-handed quarterback for the first time this season.
“The ball looks weird coming out – for starters. Thankfully though we do not have to many of those in the league,” admitted Wilson.
Tagovailoa facing a left-handed passer means Jacksonville must prepare the entire defense to be a mirror image of itself.
“Now most of those rollouts and the spinouts, we’ve been doing this all year, but most of them are going to go to that side. He’s an athletic quarterback, he has a really strong arm, and it’ll be a challenge.”
