The NFL season kicked off with fireworks, as seen in how the opening game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs ended by a hair’s breadth — or a toe’s breadth, in this case. With fans already feeling the spirits of the football season, many are surely excited for the rest of the Week 1 games. One of those is a clash between the Miami Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Two teams with offensive firepower, it’ll be a treat for spectators in the Hard Rock Stadium. This article will be focusing more on the Dolphins, making bold predictions about Mike McDaniel’s squad for their season opener.
Entering a new campaign, there’s nothing more that the Dolphins want than to bounce back from what previously happened. On track for that AFC East title, Miami ended their 2023 regular season with two straight losses, the last of which handed the AFC East crown to the Buffalo Bills. Follow that up with a Wild Card loss to the Chiefs and their late-season collapse became even more heartbreaking.
The good news is they’ll have an opportunity for redemption. While there were notable offseason roster tweaks, the Dolphins still have their main core of offensive players intact. Tyreek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert — it looks like the yards will pile up for Miami once again. This also implies that nothing less than a deep playoff run is expected from the team, looking at their talent on paper.
Luckily for fans, the Dolphins’ first game on Sunday will give a glimpse of their capabilities with the retooled supporting cast. Without further ado, here are some bold predictions for the game.
Tyreek Hill will have 100+ receiving yards
On pace for a 2000-yard campaign last season, an ankle injury hurt Tyreek Hill’s chances at the feat. Nevertheless, the wideout finished with 1,799 yards in 16 games, giving him another First Team All-Pro recognition and the number one ranking on NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2024.
There’s no reason why Hill won’t continue where he left off, and it doesn’t look good for Jacksonville’s defensive backs at present. Cornerback Tyson Campbell is the Jaguars’ best option for covering Hill, but Campbell was bothered by a hamstring injury for a good part of last season, causing him to miss games and perform below expectations when on the field. At present, there’s no telling if he’ll immediately shake off the rust in Week 1.
While the offseason additions of Ronald Darby (CB) and Darnell Savage (S) seem to have improved the Jaguars’ secondary, Miami’s pass-catchers are just too talented. Besides Hill, the Jaguars have Jaylen Waddle and the newly acquired Jonnu Smith to worry about. The passing yards will be plentiful for the Dolphins this coming Sunday, and Tyreek Hill will start his season on a high note.
Jaelan Phillips will get a sack in his return from injury
The loss of Christian Wilkins raises questions about how the Dolphins’ pass rush will perform, but things don’t look as bad as it seems. The Dolphins brought in veteran Calais Campbell (DT) during the offseason, lessening the gaping hole that Wilkins’ departure opened up. Furthermore, they still have quality names such as Zach Sieler (DT), Jaelan Phillips (EDGE) and Bradley Chubb (EDGE). And speaking of Phillips, he’ll likely have a strong showing when he makes his return on Sunday.
The Jaguars’ offensive line isn’t too impressive. While they did acquire center Mitch Morse and will have a healthy Cam Robinson (LT) to start the season, plenty of doubt still lingers with this group. Their 2023 season was underwhelming, as seen by how the Jaguars allowed more sacks on Trevor Lawrence than it did a year prior.
To put it another way, there will be times on Sunday when the Dolphins’ pass rushers will break through the line for a chance to sack Lawrence. Here’s the thing though — Lawrence uses his legs a lot and is known to be adept at avoiding sacks. Miami’s bigger rushers might have trouble with the quarterback’s agility, but someone like Jaelan Phillips? Not so much.
Phillips totaled 43 tackles and 6.5 sacks last season, forming a strong EDGE tandem with Bradley Chubb. With Chubb recovering from injury at the moment, Phillips will be leading the outside rush for the Dolphins in Week 1.
The Dolphins emerge victorious
At the end of the day, Miami will be too much to overcome for the Jaguars, especially on offense. Let’s say that — hypothetically — Jacksonville’s strong pass rush overwhelms the Dolphins’ O-line, pressuring Tua Tagovailoa and disrupting the passing game. Well, Tua can just hand it off to the likes of Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane, who are both more than capable of doing significant damage on the run.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr. may give the Dolphins’ defense some problems, but this won’t be enough for Jacksonville, especially since the Dolphins’ secondary is good enough to match up against Trevor Lawrence’s targets. Christian Kirk (WR), Evan Engram (TE) and Gabe Davis (WR) are all quality players, but Miami has CBs such as the newly-extended Jalen Ramsey and ex-Washington Commander Kendall Fuller to cover Kirk and Davis. Factor in how Jevon Holland and veteran Jordan Poyer will be the Dolphins’ safety duo and it looks like the Jacksonville receivers will be in for a long day.
This game will be the Dolphins’ to take, marking a strong first step in their quest for redemption.
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