The Miami Dolphins were acknowledged as the most explosive defense in the NFL heading into their home opener hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars. Nonetheless, the Duval Devout were hopeful the Jags’ upgrades in the offseason might provide answers to the question of how to beat Miami. New defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, Arik Armstead acquired at defensive tackle, a revamped defensive back corps, and rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. were only a few of the factors on display in Week 1 for Jacksonville. Unfortunately, some older factors crept back in to bring the 20-17 loss on the road.

The Good

Thomas was perceived as a deep threat during the preseason, but it seems the BTJ is showing early he has a future as a top receiver in Duval County running all routes on the tree. While his first big play was a defensive pass interference drawn from former Jaguar veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey in the endzone to set up the Travis Etienne touchdown from the one, Thomas’ first NFL regular-season catch was a six-yarder and his first score was in the red zone from 14 yards out. That kind of versatility will serve quarterback Trevor Lawrence well as he’s set to earn his contract extension.

That wasn’t the only rookie that brought the Jags points to set up the 17-7 halftime lead. Former Arkansas kicker Cam Little hit his first regular-season field goal from 53 yards out. If the Jacksonville offense only needs to go half the field to get points, that’s all the easier it is for them to stay competitive if the offense stalls.

The defense had to be listed in the “good” holding this Dolphins offense to only a touchdown for 43 minutes of action. Armstead with a sack and Travon Walker with two was a big part of that. While Miami finished with 338 yards passing, 182 of those yards came from big plays that this group is known for. Even if you put the field goal attempt this game on the scoreboard that the Phins missed on the scoreboard, Jacksonville still had an opportunity to win the football game thanks to their defense’s Week 1 performance.

The Bad

A 14-point turnaround with Travis Etienne fumbling the ball into the endzone on a sure touchdown to breathe life back into Miami with 2:19 left in the 3rd quarter for the first turnover of the regular season belongs here. The Phins head coach Mike McDaniel looked smart immediately having quarterback Tua Tagovailoa bomb the ball to hit star receiver Tyreek Hill for an 80-yarder after the Jags defense had him handcuffed to that point.

That’s not where the offensive struggles end. It’s one thing to open your season giving up a sack to 17-year vet and former Jaguar Calais Campbell it’s another to go cold late in the game. Campbell challenged the interior offensive line which was pointed out as a key to this game last week.  They had an opportunity to close the game out after the Dolphins missed a field goal early in the 4th quarter but went scoreless in the final six drives

The Spotty

Mental errors chipped away at the Jags’ throughout the game. Christain Kirk dropped a 3rd down completion that hit him directly in the hands, defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Walker had back-to-back penalties, and Lawrence and the offense had a red zone delay of game penalty — and that was just the 1st half. It’s awesome for the Duval Devout that they recovered from those calamities. The Jags got the ball back after the Kirk drop and forced a turnover on downs to conclude the drive with the dual defensive end fouls. The offense recovered from the delay of the game thanks to Thomas’ touchdown catch that made it 14-0 at the time.

Mental errors continued to cause a meltdown late in the game — proof living dangerously isn’t how you lead a team to the playoffs. This is a lesson the Duval Devout hope is learned for the home opener at Everbank Stadium next Sunday hosting the Browns.