Which Jaguars Stood Out Most in Week 1 Matchup?

Despite the Jacksonville Jaguars' Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins, which players stood out?

Sep 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs with the football against Miami Dolphins linebacker David Long Jr. (11) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Each week during the 2024 season, we will take a quick post-game look at which Jacksonville Jaguars stood out the most.

Win or lose, rain or shine, we will hand out game balls to an offensive, defensive and special teams player.

In this edition, we take a look at the Jaguars' tough 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on the road.

Offense: Tank Bigsby

Tank Bigsby earns the first offensive game ball of the season after the Jaguars' passing game disappeared in the second half. Lawrence only attempted seven passes in the second half, with two of those being dropped on third downs by Evan Engram and Christian Kirk.

As a result, it is Bigsby who was the most consistent producer.

Bigsby finished the game with 12 carries for 73 yards, and most of the time the Jaguars' offense was at their best was when they were operating under center with Bigsby in the backfield.

The Jaguars will always want to have Travis Etienne involved, but Bigsby was the top player on Sunday.

Defense: Travon Walker

Even without knowing the pressure numbers, that game felt like one of the best games of Travon Walker's young career.

He was all over the field and came up huge for the Jaguars on several occasions, whether it be a third-down run stuff after setting the edge or a third-down sack in the second half.

Walker finished the game with two sacks, six tackles, and two quarterback hits. He played a balanced game for all four quarters and was arguably the Jaguars' best defender on the field, and one of the few who didn't make a key mistake in the second half.

The Jaguars needed to see Walker take another leap in 2024, and Week 1 was a nice start.

Special teams: Logan Cooke

This could easily go to rookie kicker Cam Little after he drilled a 53-yard field goal in his first NFL action at the end of the first half. Logan Cooke had a busy day with six punts for 311 yards, though.

Cooke averaged 51.8 yards per punt and held the Dolphins to their 20-yard line or shorter on three punts.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley 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.