Miami, FL
Jaguars vs. Dolphins: Halftime Thoughts
The Jacksonville Jaguars are entering halftime with a 17-5 lead over the Miami Dolphins.
So, what did we see in the first half of Jaguars vs. Dolphins? We break it down below.
The offense rebounded from a bad start
It was just one drive, but the opening drive of the 2024 season was the epitome of what the Jaguars struggled with in 2023. The Jaguars lost 13 yards on the first play after leaving veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell unblocked.
Campbell is the largest human being in the stadium, so it is hard to believe the Jaguars dialed up the right scheme. The next two plays included a run for negative yards and an overthrown pass on 3rd-and-long.
The Jaguars’ next drive, however, was a masterpiece. Tank Bigsby ran hard and gained 25 yards on his first two carries, while Gabe Davis’ first target was a 20-yard gain and the first shot to Brian Thomas Jr. resulted in a 41-yard defensive pass interference on Jalen Ramsey.
Travis Etienne then hit paydirt from one-yard out to complete a 96-yard scoring drive and a statement.
Running games were biggest discrepancy
The Dolphins offense simply looked claustrophobic for most of the first-half, and this was largely because the Jaguars forced them to look one-dimensional. The Dolphins gained just three yards on their first six carries, with the Jaguars’ defensive line living behind the line of scrimmage.
The Dolphins attempted to get to the edge, but Travon Walker dominated in the running game to prevent it.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars picked up 50 yards on their first 12 carries. The rushing attack was led by Tank Bigsby, who was out-carried by Travis Etienne but gained 31 yards on his first four carries, giving him a 7.8 yards per carry average compared to Etienne’s seven carries for 11 yards.
The Jaguars’ offense stayed balance in large part due to the running game.
Jaguars have the quarterback advantage
Other than a 39-yard screen pass that saw De’Von Achane do all of the work, the Jaguars handled Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa early in the first half. Tagovailoa was 5-of-10 for 32 yards outside of the screen pass on the first three drives of the game, which led to a turnover on downs and a punt.
Tagovailoa missed an open Tyreek Hill for a touchdown on the second drive as well.
Trevor Lawrence wasn’t perfect in his start with a poor throw on 3rd-and-long on the first drive, but his second drive saw him pick up yards with his legs and hit Gabe Davis with a well-placed 20-yard throw.
His throw to Brian Thomas Jr. ensured it would either be a touchdown or a pass interference, too. Lawrence then hit a 30-yard throw to Christian Kirk and a 14-yard touchdown to Thomas Jr. for legit big-time throw moments, which the Dolphins didn’t get.
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Hafley, the former Boston College head coach, joined the Dolphins in a virtual interview on January 14. He has interviewed with at least six of the nine teams with head coaching vacancies, including a scheduled interview on Saturday with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Packers hired Hafley as their defensive coordinator in 2024, luring him away from Boston College where he was 22-26 in four seasons. He led Boston College to three bowl-game invites during his tenure, but COVID-19 concerns cancelled two of the games.
Before taking the Boston College job, Hafley had been the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Ohio State for the 2019 season. He has had various defensive coaching positions, primarily working with the defensive backs, with the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL as well as at Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Albany, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute at the collegiate level.
The NFL prohibits coaches under contract with a team from interviewing with another team in person before January 19. Teams must also not be in the playoffs, or they must be on the bye before the Super Bowl, before a coach can be interviewed in person.
Fans filled the Miami Beach Convention Center on Friday for the Fan Central event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
“Miami, it’s a city that you know is kind of there with everything being financially up there, but this is, look at all of the families and kids out here having a great time and to do it free,” said UM fan Robert Federhofer. “We are thankful. We are so thankful.”
Travelers arrive without game tickets
Some fans traveled through multiple states just to be in the same city as the College Football Playoff, even without plans to attend the Indiana-Miami game.
“Tickets were a little bit too high, but if I find $5,000 on the floor, I will definitely be going to the game for sure,” joked Hoosier fan Bryan Sanders.
Free concerts hit Lummus Park
Saturday and Sunday, music lovers can take in free concerts at Lummus Park in Miami Beach.
Locals join in championship buzz
Even Miami natives are playing tourists in their own city to celebrate the championship.
“We’ll be here tomorrow. We’ll be here Sunday,” said one UM fan in South Beach. “And the Canes are going to win, baby.”
The championship game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
Game date, time and location: Thursday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. EST, Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (South Florida), NBC Sports Boston
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida), 98.5 FM The Sports Hub (Boston)
VITALS: The Miami Heat (21-19) and Boston Celtics (24-15) meet for the second of four regular season matchups. Earlier this season, the Celtics recorded a, 129-116, win in Boston on December 19. The Heat are 54-87 all-time versus the Celtics during the regular season, including 30-42 in home games and 24-45 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
C Bam Adebayo
F Norman Powell
F Andrew Wiggins
CELTICS
G Payton Pritchard
G Derrick White
C Neemias Queta
F Jaylen Brown
F Sam Hauser
Spread: Heat +2 (-112), Celtics -2 (-108)
Moneyline: Heat +108, Celtics -126
Total points scored: 233.5 (over -110, under -110)
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Questionable – Knee
Tyler Herro: Probable – Toe/Ribs
Davion Mitchell: Doubtful – Shoulder
Nikola Jovic: Probable – Knee
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
CELTICS
Josh Minott: Out – Hamstring
Jayson Tatum: Out – Achilles
QUOTABLE
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra: “I think now we have positive teaching points from this. We’re going to conquer the third quarter. We’ve had so many incredible first halves, even in the games that we’ve lost. If we can get some of these games, like even where we play poorly in the third, just get to the fourth, we have great competitors in our locker room.
They love these kind of moments where it’s electric in there and you have to make big plays. So it was good to see us overcome the third quarter, there was a little bit of a glitch there where we kind of went back to some of the things that get us in trouble.”
For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
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