Jason Myers kicked a 28-yard field goal with 40 seconds left in the game to give the Jaguars a 23-20 win over the Miami Dolphins Sunday before 64,443 at EverBank Field. It was Jacksonville’s first win over Miami in their last four meetings.
“They played their tails off from start to finish,” Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley said. “Some of the things we challenged our team with last week, I loved the way they responded this week and battled and came out.”
The Jaguars scored on their opening possession with an 82 yards 10 play drive. The TD on its opening drive was the first since last season when they scored against Dallas in Week 10. Jacksonville QB Blake Bortles found wide receiver Allen Robinson for a 3-yard TD.
Bortles was 18 of 33 for 273 yards, with two touchdowns to Robinson, no turnovers or sacks. Robinson caught six passes for a career-high 155 yards.
Jaguars’ rookie running back T.J. Yeldon ran for 70 yards on 25 carries. Bortles rushed for 27 yards.
Myers, an undrafted rookie kicker from Marist College, had earlier connected on kicks from 27 and 58 yards. Myers missed a 42-yard field goal in the season opener against Carolina.
“I didn’t feel anything different. I was just out there trying to hit a nice smooth ball and it went in down the middle. So it was a good kick,” Myers said. “There’s always pressure for field goals, especially after last week. I felt smooth and I was hitting the ball well pregame. So I just wanted to make sure I got a good hit on the ball.”
Miami QB Ryan Tannehill completed 30 of 44 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns.
“I loved the way they responded this week and battled and came out. Our receiving group came back and really played well after what took place last week,” Bradley said. “There are some mistakes out there we need to correct but overall the intensity and how we played the game I’m very pleased.”
WINNING DRIVE - Following a 6-yard run by running back T.J. Yeldon to the Miami 34, veteran linebacker Olivier Vernon shoved Jaguars tight end Clay Harbor to the ground was penalized 15-yards. Jacksonville had first down at the 19-yard line with just under a minute left to play, leading to Myers’ winning kick. “It was just a dumb play by me, that was it, we lost,” Vernon said. “It’s over with man, they played better ball than us. I take full responsibilities for my actions, on to the next week.” The penalty was Miami’s 13th for a total of 112 yards.
MIAMI GAME NOTES - The Jaguars scored 10 points in both the first and second quarters, the first time since 2012 that Jacksonville had put together back-to-back quarters of 10 points or more... Miami head coach Philbin shot down a published report, citing anonymous sources, suggesting defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was freelancing instead of doing his assignment based on the defensive play call... Jacksonville allowed no sacks after giving up at least four in eight consecutive games... The Jaguars promoted cornerback Peyton Thompson from the practice squad to the team’s active roster in time for the game. To make room on the roster, the club released wide receiver Bryan Walters…. Jaguars’ defensive end Jared Odrick has played in 66 consecutive NFL games dating back to 2011
ROBINSON INJURED - The Jaguars could be without running back Denard Robinson for several weeks. He sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Sunday’s win. Robinson left the game in the first quarter following a 9-yard run and did not return. Running Toby Gerhart missed the first two games with an abdominal strain and is still a question mark.. The Jaguars expect to get cornerback Davon House back this week. House played with chest congestion Sunday and left the game with dehydration. The defense also played without three starters, safety Johnathan Cyprien, defensive end Andre Branch and defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks.
AROUND THE AFC SOUTH – The Jaguars and Tennessee Titans sit at the top of the division with 1-1 records with Jacksonville being the only AFC South team to win this Sunday. Indianapolis and Houston at 0-2. The Colts lost 20-7 to the New York Jets at home Monday night. Tennessee QB Marcus Mariota was sacked seven times and fumbled three times in a 28-14 loss to the Browns. The Carolina Panthers survived a late Houston rally and held on to beat the Texans 24-17.
UP NEXT – Host New England improved to a 2-0 following a 40-32 victory over the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots and Jaguars will meet for the 11th time overall and for the first time since New England claimed a 23-16 road win on Dec. 23, 2012. The Jaguars will visit Gillette Stadium for the first time since the 2009 season. The Jaguars will visit Foxborough for the seventh time overall, with the Patriots having won all six previous games against the team in New England. Three of the wins were in the regular-season and three were postseason wins. The Jaguars claimed a 25-10 win in the 1998 wild card playoffs, the Jaguars only victory against New England. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium.
