It was a hectic morning in Miami ahead of their opening week matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The unexpected and major news of the day involved videos circulating around social media this morning, many of which showed Dolphins’ star wideout Tyreek Hill in handcuffs just outside the stadium. Hill was detained for an unspecified traffic violation, but was released and able to play in the opening matchup.
This continues to be a developing story, with the Miami-Dade Police Department already announcing they are launching a full investigation.
Dolphins Grind Out Victory Over Jaguars
On the field, Miami entered the matchup as 3.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Jaguars were +142 underdogs on the moneyline with the over/under sitting at 50 for the game.
Jacksonville struck first in the matchup, with Travis Etienne, Jr. ($7,200, 12.90 FPTS) scoring a rushing touchdown with 4:31 left in the first quarter. Etienne finished with 44 rushing yards on 12 carries while adding 15 receiving yards. Tank Bigsby ($5,000, 7.30 FPTS) split carries in the backfield with Etienne with 12 carries of his own. He turned them into 73 yards on the ground.
The Jaguars kept their foot on the gas and expanded the lead 14-0 on a 14-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence ($6200, 11.28 FPTS) to Brian Johnson, Jr. ($4,700, 14.70 FPTS). The rookie had a solid NFL debut, catching all four of his targets for 47 receiving yards and the touchdown. He trailed only Gabe Davis ($4,500, 9.20 FPTS) for most receiving yards as he had 62 receiving yards on his three receptions. Christian Kirk ($5,500, 4.00 FPTS) also added 30 receiving yards on one catch. Lawrence finished the day with 162 passing yards and completed 12 of his 21 pass attempts.
It took until there was 1:04 remaining in the first half for the Dolphins to secure their first score of the game. Running back De’Von Achane ($6800, 23.00 FPTS) capped off a 12-play 70-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown. The second-year back finished the game with 24 yards rushing on the ground and added seven catches for 76 yards through the air.
Jacksonville extended the lead 17-7 at halftime on a last-second field goal.
The Jaguars had the Dolphins on the ropes and nearly extended the lead late in the third quarter. Etienne was looking to add his second touchdown of the day before the ball was punched out of his hands by Jevon Holloway. The Dolphins recovered the fumble, and this proved to be the turning point of the game.
The Dolphins found their big play ability for the first time following this turnover. Tyreek Hill ($8,700, 29.00 FPTS) was able to break free for an 80-yard touchdown with just over two minutes remaining in the third. Hill ended the day with seven receptions for 130 yards and the touchdown. Hill used this opportunity to, shall we say, pay homage to his legal situation earlier this morning.
The 80-yard touchdown brought Miami within one score, making the game 17-14. The Dolphins were able to tie things up at 17 on a 37-yard field goal with 4:22 remaining shortly after.
Both defenses imposed themselves for the final few minutes, preventing either offense from making much happen. But with the clock fully expiring, Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders came through once again. Sanders connected on a 52-yard field goal as the clock expired to give the Dolphins the 20-17 week one victory.
While it did not look as dynamic as we are accustomed to seeing, Miami still produced 400 yards of offense in the victory. Tua Tagovailoa ($7,000, 21.62 FPTS) threw for 338 yards through the air and a touchdown while completing 23 of his 37 pass attempts. Jaylen Waddle ($6,300, 19.20 FPTS) added 109 of these yards catching all five of the targets thrown his direction.
It was a gutsy win for the Dolphins to pick up the opening week victory. They will look to build off this next week in their matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The Jacksonville Jaguars will return home in search of their opening win of the season as they prepare to face the Cleveland Browns.
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