Dolphins-Jaguars Five Biggest Storylines ... And How They Played Out

The Miami Dolphins pulled out a last-second comeback victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars in their season opener

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) runs onto the field before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins made it four consecutive season-opening victories when they rallied to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

In the first-ever matchup between the teams on opening day, the Dolphins came back from a 17-7 halftime deficit to win 20-17 on Jason Sanders' 52-yard field goal on the final play of the game.

Ahead of the matchup, we examined the five biggest storylines for the Week 1 matchup, so now it's time to revisit those to see how they played out:

THE JALEN RAMSEY WATCH

Before the game: This is way more than merely seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey facing the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2016, it's about what Ramsey will or won't be able to do because of the hamstring injury that kept him out of practice the past two weeks. Ramsey clearly is a key for the new-look Dolphins defense, which became even more obvious Friday when the team signed him to a three-year contract extension.

During the game: Ramsey, as had been predicted, was on something of a pitch count against Jacksonville, though he ended up playing 41 of the Dolphins' 53 defensive snaps. Ramsey was on the wrong end of two big pass plays for Jacksonville, committing a 40-yard defensive pass interference penalty against rookie Brian Thomas Jr. that set up the Jaguars' first touchdown and later being in coverage on Thomas' touchdown catch. But Ramsey also had one of the best plays of the day for the defense when he sealed the edge on Travis Etienne's fourth-and-1 run outside and then sprinted across the field to help make the tackle after Etienne spun around and ran all the way to the other side.

TUA VS. TREVOR

Before the game: As Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa pointed out Wednesday, he's not really going against counterpart Trevor Lawrence, but their performance most definltely will have a big impact in the final outcome. And while we're not going to be comparing quarterbacks for each Dolphins game on their schedule, this matchup is notable because of the similarities between Tua and Trevor, from their high draft status to their summertime contract extension.

During the game: It was another great statistical performance for Tagovailoa, who finished with 338 yards and a 101.0 passer rating, thanks in large part to his second-half completions of 63 yards to Jaylen Waddle and the 80-yard touchdown to Tyreek Hill. Overall, though, this wasn't quite peak Tua because he did miss Hill wide open deep in the first half and he also took a dubious third-down sack that knocked the Dolphins out of field goal range. Lawrence's passer rating was a very respectable 97.7, though he passed for less than half of Tua's yardage with 162. Lawrence probably had the prettiest throw of the game on that touchdown pass to Thomas over Ramsey and safety Jordan Poyer, but the Dolphins defense held him to 37 passing yards in the second half. The ESPN QBR ratings had Lawrence with the better afternoon, with a 63.1 mark compared to 48.8, but the bottom line here is that Tua was able to hit those big passes and more importantly the Dolphins won.

ROBINSON IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Before the game: The Jacksonville game will (or should) mark the NFL debut for Dolphins rookies, starting with first-round pick Chop Robinson. Because Tahj Washington and Patrick McMorris are on injured reserve and Malik Washington was ruled out, there should be limited action for the 2024 draft class. Robinson, however, could make a big difference if he can get some pressure on Lawrence from his outside linebacker spot.

During the game: This was an extraordinarily quiet NFL debut for Robinson, who ended up playing 16 defensive snaps and 13 more on special teams and didn't record a statistic. In fact, the only time his name shows up in the gamebook outside of participation was his fourth-quarter penalty for lining up offside. The Dolphins got good performances from Jaelan Phillips and Emmanuel Ogbah on the edge, so Robinson wasn't really that needed in this game.

FACING JOSH ALLEN, PART 1

Before the game: Again, the Jaguars' star pass rusher technically now is known as Josh Hines-Allen, but we couldn't resist the name game considering that the Buffalo Bills are coming to Miami for Week 2. It's also not just Hines-Allen the Dolphins offensive line will have to contain to allow Tagovailoa time in the pocket on those plays that are not quick throws, it's also 2022 first-round pick Travon Walker and longtime San Francisco 49ers standout Arik Armstead.

During the game: This particular Josh Allen, now Josh Hines-Allen, wasn't the problem for the Dolphins offensive line, but rather his colleagues Walker and Armstead, who combined for the three Jacksonville sacks. Hines-Allen's stat line showed one pass defensed and two assisted tackles. The Dolphins gladly would take that kind of uneventful performance for the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen on Thursday night.

THOMAS AND TYREEK TIME

Before the game: The. most intriguing wide receivers to watch in this matchup are Tyreek Hill and Brian Thomas Jr. for two different reasons. With Hill, it should go without even saying because of his explosiveness and this time because he missed practice time until this week because of a thumb injury. As for Thomas, this was a first-round pick who was linked to the Dolphins as a potential choice with the 21st overall selection and somebody that head coach Mike McDaniel said he studied ahead of the draft.

During the game: Yeah, we didn't exactly have Tyreek Hill being detained by police before the game on our bingo card, but it happened and became the biggest story in the NFL on Sunday (with apologies to Dak Prescott's huge extension). While the incident will now be an ongoing situation, Hill made sure on this particular day it wouldn't impact his performance. And his 80-yard touchdown right after Jevon Holland came up with his game-turning forced fumble. Thomas, meanwhile, showed why he was such a highly touted prospect. His numbers (four catches, 47 yards, one touchdown) were modest, but they also don't factor that 40-yard penalty he drew after getting behind Ramsey.