5 Observations on Jaguars' Week 1 Loss

What did we see during the Jacksonville Jaguars' shell-shocking Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins? We break it down.

Sep 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (3) drives Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) out of bounds in the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars failed their Week 1 mission of a hot start in more ways than one.

After taking a 17-7 lead over the Miami Dolphins into halftime, the Jaguars were outscored 17-0 in the second half and lost 20-17 on a last-second field goal from Jason Sanders.

What did we make of the loss and what does it mean moving forward? We break it down below.

Jaguars proved they can go toe-to-toe with a playoff team, but they still can't finish

If you could sum up the Jaguars' 2023 season in a singular game, it would be like watching this game. The Jaguars looked so much like the team we saw last season, both in positive and negative ways.

They flashed a ton of potential on both sides of the ball and had young players step up in big ways against a legitimate playoff team. But once again, it wasn't enough.

The story of the Jaguars for each of the last two seasons has been an inability to finish teams off. This crept up again on Sunday, with the Jaguars passing up on several chances to put the Dolphins away and run away with the game.

Instead, self-inflicted wounds led the Jaguars to another loss in a winnable game. Until they buck this trend, this is who they are.

Tyson Campbell's injury could be an issue moving forward

Other than a big gain on a 39-yard screen, the Jaguars' pass defense did an admirable job against the Dolphins wideouts.

Tyreek Hill and Jayden Waddle were limited to six catches for 64 yards in the first half, but they exploded in the second half with a combined six catches for 175 yards and a touchdown. This included an 80-yard touchdown from Hill, who beat bad angles in the secondary for the score.

But the worst news for the secondary had nothing to do with Hill or Waddle. Star cornerback Tyson Campbell went down with an injury late in the second-half and never returned, being replaced in the lineup by Montaric Brown.

The Dolphins picked on Brown some, which cold be a sign of things to come if Campbell misses any future time.

Who called the plays?

If Doug Pederson doesn't want any more questions about the play-calling then, well, Sunday went as bad as it could have possibly gone.

The Jaguars' offense looked fantastic in the first half, with Trevor Lawrence having an efficient half, the run game working, and Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis both finding holes in the Dolphins' defense.

The Jaguars got shut out in the second-half, however, and only had one even semi-positive drive in six chances.

The Jaguars punted four times, turned it over on fourth-down, and had Travis Etienne fumble the ball in the end zone on a drive that could have put away the game. Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor aren't the ones who fumbled the ball, and they also didn't have key drops like Evan Engram and Christian Kirk.

But when the two halves look that different, questions are only going to continue.

Jaguars lose big opportunity in AFC South

Every game counts when it comes to division races. Yes, it is a long season and it is only Week 1, but the Jaguars missed the playoffs by only one game a year ago.

And the simple fact is the Jaguars had a great opportunity to keep early pace with the Houston Texans, but they failed to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them.

The Houston Texans are currently sitting in their incumbent spot as the No. 1 AFC South team after being the only team in the division to win.

They defeated the Colts in a decisive road win while the Tennessee Titans let a second-half lead get away from them in a 24-17 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Not only are the Jaguars tied in the cellar with the Titans and Colts at 0-1, but the Jaguars are also tied for the least points scored in the division.

Should there be a split backfield?

There is no questioning which Jaguars running back was more effective between Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne.

Etienne averaged just 3.7 rushing yards and had a long of 11, while his fumble in the end-zone was a 14-point swing and was potentially the most critical play of the early 1 p.m. slate in terms of overall impact.

Meanwhile, Bigsby ran efficiently and helped the offense gain momentum, averaging 6.1 yards a carry and breaking off several big runs, including a 26-yard gain.

How the Jaguars divide the workload will be interesting moving forward. Etienne has been the heart of the offense for two seasons, but they got equal carries on Sunday and the Jaguars could potentially opt to ride with the hotter hand.

If weeks like this happen again, the Jaguars' own hand may be forced in the backfield.

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