Week 1 proved to be an exciting one already as every team showcased the results of their offseason efforts through highlights and essentially via victories in giving their respective fan bases a better idea of what to expect for the rest of the 2015-16 season.
One of the teams that made an impact in opening week were the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins managed to start the new season on a winning note at the expense of the Washington Redskins, 17-10. Now, up next on their schedule is a date with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who’ll get a second shot in notching their first win after beginning their season with a disappointing 20-9 loss to the Panthers. Read on below for more about this AFC East matchup.
For more Week 2 game previews, you can click here for Steelers vs. Patriots and here for Browns vs. Jets.
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Miami Dolphins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Preview
Where: EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL
When: Sunday, September 20, 4:05 PM ET
Line: Miami Dolphins (-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars (+7); total: 41.5 – see all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Miami Dolphins
It wasn’t a pretty win but the Miami Dolphins will take it nonetheless. The Dolphins managed to kick off their 2015 campaign on a good note with an ugly 17-10 triumph despite a mediocre performance which saw them trail by as much as 10 points in the first half to the Washington Redskins.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Come the second half, though, they were able to shake off their early game mistakes and execute some crucial plays down the stretch. The biggest play in the game came from Jarvis Landry, who returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown in the final period which gave Miami its first lead. Landry served as one of the main sparks in their offense by eventually finishing with eight receptions (which ties a career high) for 53 yards all in all.
Of course, it wasn’t solely Landry who deserves credit for the victory. Their quarterback in Ryan Tannehill, who had his own struggles and inefficiencies during the game, was still able to have a decent performance despite having three sacks to his name. He completed 22-of-35 passes for a total of 225 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
Running back Lamar Miller also failed to get going as he finished with just 13 carries for 53 yards and had one catch for 22 yards on a screen. Miller will be looking to get more touches this time around, as he attempts to take advantage of the Jaguars’ defense, which ranked 26th in 2014 with 370.8 total yards allowed per game.
Over on defense, newly-acquired Ndamukong Suh will be trying to move on from a forgettable Dolphins debut, where he was only credited for one solo tackle and an assist. Suh will likely be in for a strong bounce back performance opposite Jacksonville—a team that incurred a total of 45 sacks last year.
Suh and the rest of the Dolphins pass rush forced Kirk Cousins to two interceptions and should be able to pressure the similarly turnover-prone Blake Bortles into a pick or two. After throwing two more interceptions in Week 1, Bortles now has 19 INTs in 15 career games played.
Miami is 7-3 SU and 5-5 ATS in its previous 10 games as the favorites.
Heading into the 2015-16 NFL season, one team that was expected to at least have some level of improvement in terms of offense was the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars, though, stayed true to their old selves of 2014, as their offense was flat out horrible. They couldn’t really get much of a groove on with a Panthers defense that forced them to commit several mistakes and ultimately limited them to just 75 yards in the second half and 265 yards overall in their 20-9 defeat on Sunday—their fourth consecutive season opener loss.
Starting quarterback Blake Bortles can attest to this struggle as he had another typically poor game. Bortles completed 22-of-40 passes for just 183 yards with a touch down and two critical interceptions while being sacked five times. But even with this loss, there were a few things to look forward to for the Jaguars.
One of those bright spots is their running back in T.J. Yeldon, whom the Jaguars believe will (eventually) be the heart and soul of their running game. That was quite evident in their matchup against the Panthers, as the rookie running back gained 51 yards in 12 carries in his first NFL regular season game. It’s just a matter of time before Yeldon, who sprained his finger during training camp, gets his full form back.
A date with the Miami Dolphins for Week 2, though, is going to be another challenging task for the Jaguars, who are still searching for an identity. The Dolphins have a pretty formidable offense that posted 350.1 total yards per game in 2014 and have won their past two meetings with Jacksonville with an aggregate score of 51-16.
Also, the Jaguars will still be without tight end Julius Thomas and possibly their key left tackle Luke Joeckel, who injured his ankle in Sunday’s loss.
Jacksonville is 2-8 SU and are 4-5-1 ATS in its past 10 games as the underdogs.
