3 dreadful stats that defined the Jaguars in Week 1 loss to the Dolphins

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2024 NFL Season with high expectations. They didn't live up to them in Week 1, losing to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. The Jags surely feel frustrated knowing they could've come away with the win but failed to seal the deal. That said, there's not much they can do but learn from their mistakes and get ready to take on the Cleveland Browns in their first home game of the year.

This begs the question, what exactly went wrong for Jacksonville in Week 1? The following three stats provide a clear picture:

The Jaguars couldn't convert on money downs vs. the Dolphins

You will have trouble winning football games if you cannot move the chains on third down. Somehow, the Jags managed to score twice in the first half against the Dolphins despite their inability to convert on money downs. However, it came back to haunt them in the second half, when they went 0-5 on third down and their lone fourth-down conversion failed. Compounding the issue is that the defense gave up 17 unanswered points. Looking back, there is plenty of blame to go around.

Wide receiver Christian Kirk had two drops on third down. Tight end Evan Engram had another one. Had they been able to reel in one or two of those passes, the outcome of the game would've been different. On the other hand, head coach Doug Pederson deserves criticism for going for it on fourth-and-2 on the Jags' 32-yard line.

The Jags still had a three-point lead at that point of the game, so it was an unnecessary risk. The silver lining is that Miami couldn't take advantage of the turnover, failing a 42-yard field goal attempt. Unfortunately, the Jags also failed to capitalize on their opportunity.

Trevor Lawrence only attempted 7 passes in the 2nd half vs. the Dolphins

Trevor Lawrence had a good first half, going 9-of-14 for 145 yards with one touchdown. But leading 17-7, the Jaguars had their star quarterback attempt just seven passes in the second half. He only completed three of them but he would've moved the chains if it weren't for drops by Christian Kirk and Evan Engram.

Then, in the Jaguars' last drive of the game, Lawrence was sacked twice in back-to-back plays. Anton Harrison gave up one and Cam Robinson allowed the other. No. 16 had a few bad throws throughout the game but he must get better help from his supporting cast.

The Jaguars gave up 143 yards to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on two plays

The Jaguars' defense deserves a bit of praise for not getting help from the offense but limiting the Dolphins to 20 points. Sure, they gave up 13 points in the second half but there's only so much they can do before they relent. In total, they allowed 400 total yards but 143 of those came in two big plays by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Head coach Doug Pederson told the media that defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen must coach his unit better, and there's some truth to that. After all, it doesn't make sense to contain an offense for most of the game only to put all the work to waste on two plays. That said, the offense must also do their part and stay on the field longer to give their defense a chance to get their breath back.

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