The Many Ways Phillips' Opening-Day Performance Was So Impressive

Miami Dolphins edge defender Jaelan Phillips made an impact in his first game since last November, and the magnitude of his performance was complex.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips (15) celebrates after sacking Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (not pictured) during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Jaelan Phillips' return to the Miami Dolphins lineup in Sunday's season opener was a success story from the beginning, and it ended with a storybook finish.

However, his accomplishment has many layers beyond the mere fact that his sack of Trevor Lawrence on Miami's last defensive play gave the offense the ball and set the stage for Jason Sanders' game-winning field goal.

Phillips played 34 snaps in the 20-17 victory at Hard Rock Stadium, accounting for 64 percent of the defensive plays.

"I'm grateful for this opportunity," Phillips said after the game. "It's been a long road coming back from this injury, but I feel amazing. I'm ready just to keep moving forward."

A FIRST FOR PHILLIPS

Phillips' sack on third-and-14, right after Emmanuel Ogbah also had a sack, was significant in many ways in his first game back from his Achilles injury, in part because he's been a slow starter in the sack department in his career.

This was the first full sack on opening day in Phillips' NFL career, which began when he arrived in 2021 as the 18th overall pick out of the University of Miami.

In each of his first three seasons, Phililps's fourth game was the last time he recorded a full sack (he had half a sack in the victory against the Chargers in 2023).

This bodes well for Phillips's season-long outlook because he's been a streaky sacker, with five games with at least half a sack each of the past two seasons.

THE WAKE COMPARISON

How and how much Phillips would be able to play against the Jaguars was a mystery heading into training camp and even in the days before the game, and it's safe to say he exceeded all expectations on every count.

This speaks not only to Phillips' hard work during his recovery but also to his ability as a player.

The Dolphins had some experience with a situation like this many years back after pass-rushing star Cameron Wake tore an Achilles in an October 2015 game. Wake was well known as a workout warrior, like Phillips, but his return to action wasn't nearly as noticeable as Phillips's.

In the 2016 opener against the Seattle Seahawks, Wake came off the bench to play 29 snaps, and it wasn't until the third game that he recorded his first sack of the season.

It should be noted that Wake was 33 when he sustained his Achilles injury, compared to Phillips, who was 24 when he played in the Black Friday game against the New York Jets.

That doesn't diminish the magnitude of what Phillips did, though.

"How incredible is that," defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said Tuesday. "There were times obviously when I was in the league when you think about an Achilles injury like, 'Oh man, is he going to come back? How long is this going to take?' For him to come back, look how he did, be as impactful as he was, just so incredibly impressed by him, the man he is. It's just his sheer fight, I saw it in his rehab and then for him to come back out there and just have the production he did and play the way he did. I call him Mariano Rivera; he is the closer for us and he did that in that game."