Getting this Miami Dolphins season off on a winning note was an adventure like never seen before.
Certainly there was no precedent for an opening day that began with a star receiver in handcuffs on the way to the stadium who then went on to help spark a dramatic comeback victory with an 80-yard touchdown catch and run.
Which led to the surreal celebration in the end zone with Tyreek Hill holding his hands behind his back so Jaylen Waddle could pantomime putting his fellow receiver in handcuffs for the second time Sunday.
There are numerous questions to be answered about why Hill was cuffed and taken to the ground following a minor traffic incident near Hard Rock Stadium a couple hours before the game. Miami-Dade Police Department director Stephanie Daniels said the department is investigating and that one of the officers involved in the incident was placed on administrative duty. I suspect this story is going to blow up as more becomes known about what happened.
The day ended a lot happier than it began for the Dolphins after they turned a 10-point deficit into a 20-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jason Sanders’ 52-yard field goal as time expired.
That wouldn’t have been possible without safety Jevon Holland knocking the ball out of Travis Etienne Jr.’s hands just short of the goal line and Kader Kohou’s recovering for a touchback to prevent the Jaguars from taking a 17-point lead. On the very next play, Hill took a pass from Tua Tagovailoa on a crossing route and danced along the sideline on an 80-yard jaunt that completed a stunning 14-point turnaround in a matter of seconds to cut the deficit to three.
Dolphins have issues to address before facing Bills
The outcome masked some glaring shortcomings that the Dolphins must try to address quickly with the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills due in four days for a Thursday night showdown.
Throughout the first half Sunday the Dolphins seemed intent on reprising their inept effort when last seen in a playoff defeat at Kansas City. Except they weren’t playing on the road in sub-freezing conditions against the champion Chiefs.
Give the Jaguars credit, they played like their offseason efforts to improve were a lot more productive than those by the Dolphins’ front office.
The Jaguars had the Miami offense handcuffed until well into the third quarter.
Watching the ineptness of the Dolphins’ running game, I kept wondering if general manager Chris Grier is still amused by concerns expressed in South Florida media about his offensive line.
Tagovailoa was sacked three times, although at least one of those was on the quarterback. But he had little time to look downfield and was often relegated to screens and short dump-offs, that were generally well covered.
Dolphins’ O-line remains a liability
Holes to run through were nonexistent most of the game. After leading the league last season with an average of 5.1 yards a carry, the Dolphins managed only 3.2 yards a crack against the Jags.
De’Von Achane, who led the league with a 7.3-yard rushing average as a rookie, found little room as a ball carrier, struggling for 24 yards on 10 carriers. Raheem Mostert, who has a career average of 5.2 yards, managed a mere nine yards on six carries.
The speedy Achane was used effectively out of the backfield as a third receiver. He matched Hill with a game-high seven receptions, the longest for 39 yards.
Ultimately, the speed of Hill, Waddle and Achane enabled the offense to gain traction in the second half.
But before Hill’s game-changing play, which came more than halfway through the third quarter, the Dolphins had only 170 yards of offense.
On the bright side for Miami, the defense pitched a shutout in the second half. Linebacker Jaelan Phillips made a triumphant return from last year’s Achilles tendon injury with a third-down sack that ended the Jaguars final possession and led to the winning field goal.
“I think collectively as a group, offensively, it was just one of those deals where we needed to get our heads out of our ass,” Tagovailoa said. “We got punched in the mouth. … It’s how are you going to respond?”
Tagovailoa rallies Dolphins in second half
Considering how little the first-team offense played during the preseason, some rustiness on offense was not surprising. Tagovailoa wasn’t as accurate as usual; among several off-target throws he missed Hill on a deep route in the first half.
What he did do, in addition to leading the comeback, was show leadership qualities expected of a $212.4 million quarterback, which haven’t always been on his calling card.
According to Hill, Tagovailoa had some pointed words at halftime for the offense, including the star receiver.
“The thing that really motivated me the most was when we came in during halftime, and this is the first time I heard Tua’s Hawaiian accent. He was like turned up and animated in the locker room,” Hill said.
“He called me out. I’m like, I’m loving this. I love accountability at its finest. I grew up on my dad telling me, ‘Reek, need you to be better,’ not patting me on the back. For my quarterback to call me out in front of the offense, I had to step up.”
Hill acknowledged to also finding motivation from his run-in with the police. It remains to be seen what the department’s internal investigate will reveal.
Teammates support Hill during stop by police
Hill was restrained in his criticism of the action by the police. But he was shaken by the thought of what could have happened, particularly if has wasn’t a celebrity athlete in that situation.
“What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? It’s hard. Still trying to figure that out. It’s all across the world. You see it. I don’t want to bring racism into it, but …”
Hill did appreciate that several teammates showed up on the scene in support, including defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who was also handcuffed and detained.
“I’m just glad that my teammates were there to support me in that situation because I felt alone,” he said. “But when they showed up, it made me realize that we got a fuckin’ good team this year, dawg.”
It wasn’t the sort of bonding agent any of them saw coming or would care to repeat.
Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.
