Jaguars Coach Gives Key to Stopping Dolphins

The Jacksonville Jaguars will have a lot to handle in the Miami Dolphins' offense. Defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen gave insight on how to stop it ...

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson talks with his defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen on the sidelines during first half action. The Jaguars led 20 to 10 at the end of the first half. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in the Jaguars first preseason game of the season Saturday, August10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Jacksonville Jaguars' season opener against the Miami Dolphins could hold major implications on how the the team will fare in 2024. The Dolphins have a fast, game-breaking offense that might be the league's best, and it is a mismatch with a weak Jaguars' secondary.

The game will test all three levels of the Jaguars defense. One of the key storylines to watch is how defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, a new addition from this offseason, will handle such mismatches.

On Thursday, Nielsen gave insight on how he plans on disrupting the Dolphins' vaunted offensive attack.

"Really, really good team, fast team. Shift, trade and motion all over the place. He does a really good job distributing the ball," Nielsen said. "Look, we all know about Tyreek [Hill], [Jaylen] Waddle, but the rest of the group, they do a really good job. If you take those guys away, he'll get the ball to the other guys. So, you can't just focus on one or two. They've got a full offense that we've got to prepare for. He gets the ball out. He knows where to go with the ball. The guy gets out the ball lightning-quick ... So, we've got to do a really good job in our coverage and disrupting him in the pocket. He's playing at a really high level. Watched a lot of his games from last year. How quickly he gets rid of the ball and how well they do a job of seeing your coverage. He knows where to go with the football. It's very impressive."

The Jaguars do have a key mismatch to their favor -- their defensive line against Miami's offensive front. Nielsen has a lot of depth in the interior, along with Josh Hines-Allen on the edge. The Dolphins' offensive line is one of their biggest question marks, per Pro Football Focus.

"The Dolphins lost Robert Hunt and Connor Williams in free agency, two very good and underrated interior offensive linemen," PFF's John Kosko wrote. "Center Aaron Brewer has been hurt for weeks and has had limited practice reps, while Liam Eichenberg has struggled, with a career-high grade of just 50.8 in his rookie season. Additionally, Terron Armstead has struggled to stay healthy in recent years.

"In 2023, Tua Tagovailoa’s performance dramatically declined under pressure, with a PFF grade dropping to 54.4 compared to a stellar 93.9 when kept clean. His passer rating from a clean pocket was an impressive 112.5 but fell to 57.5 when pressured. For the Dolphins to succeed, their offensive line must provide reliable protection."

Collapsing the pocket and dominating the line of scrimmage to free up a talented second-level will be crucial for the Jaguars.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.