The Sports Xchange
Sep 20, 2015
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jason Myers kicked a 28-yard field goal with 40 seconds left in regulation to send the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 23-20 win over the Miami Dolphins Sunday at EverBank Field.
The Jaguars put together a nine-play drive in 1:08, marching from their own 24-yard line to just inside the Dolphins 10-yard line. Blake Bortles completed three of five passes in the drive, including 18- and 19-yard completions to wide receivers Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns respectively.
The biggest play of the drive came following a 6-yard run by T.J. Yeldon to the Dolphins' 34. Linebacker Olivier Vernon shoved Jaguars tight end Clay Harbor to the ground after the play and was hit with a personal foul. That gave the Jaguars a first down at the 19-yard line with just under a minute left in the game.
Three running plays netted nine yards which brought on the undrafted rookie kicker Myers who had missed a 42 yard field goal the week before against Carolina. But he drilled this one through the uprights for the win.
Miami completed one pass for nine yards following the kickoff but quarterback Ryan Tannehill then threw three straight incompletions to give the Jaguars their first win over Miami in their last four meetings.
After connecting on seven of his first 11 passes through the first quarter and a half, Tannehill got hot and completed 12 of his next 13 throws for 191 yards. He was especially effective to start the third quarter when he hit five straight completions for 86 yards, the last of which was a 5-yard TD toss to tight end Jake Stoneburner to tie the game 20-20.
Neither team could mount a drive after that, however, as the teams traded punts for the next 10 possessions.
Jacksonville scored on its opening drive, marching 82 yards in 10 plays with Blake Bortles connecting with Allen Robinson on a 3-yard touchdown for the score.
Miami could have trailed by one at intermission but Andrew Franks missed a 42-yard field goal with 18 seconds left in the half that would have pulled the Dolphins to within 17-16.
The Dolphins then made two critical mistakes in the final minute of play that proved costly. Cornerback Brent Grimes dropped what would have been an interception near midfield on the Jaguars' first play. Two plays later with the clock under seconds, Miami was called for pass interference at the Dolphins' 40-yard line. The Jaguars quickly lined up for a field goal with Myers converting from 58 yards out for a 20-13 halftime margin.
NOTES: Jacksonville's touchdown on their opening drive was the first of its kind for the Jaguars since Week 10 last year when they scored on their initial possession against Dallas in a game played in London. ... This marked the third straight year that Miami has played in Jacksonville. The Dolphins played a preseason game here in 2013 and won at EverBank Field in a regular-season contest in 2014. ... 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. ... Jaguars DE Jared Odrick has played in 66 consecutive games dating back to 2011. All but the two this season were with the Dolphins where Odrick played his first five years in the league.