Jaguars vs Dolphins: Final score, recap, and injuries

The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Miami Dolphins, 31-18, in Week 3 of 2023 NFL preseason.

The Jaguars defeated the Dolphins 31-18 at Everbank Stadium on Saturday to improve to 3-0 in the preseason. Jacksonville beat Dallas and Detroit in the first two weeks and will travel to Indianapolis on September 10 for the season opener.

Quick recap

Man. The Jaguars look good.

Jacksonville did start slow, as its first drive ended with a Tank Bigsby goal-line fumble and Miami led 3-0 after one quarter. But an otherwise encouraging offensive performance plus two interceptions of Skylar Thompson — one by sixth-round rookie Erick Hallett II, the other by fifth-round rookie Yasir Abdullah — resulted in a 17-6 halftime lead for the Jaguars.

The offensive line opened up massive running lanes for Bigsby (6 attempts, 37 yards) and Travis Etienne (8 attempts, 39 yards, 1 TD), while Calvin Ridley (3 receptions, 50 yards) continued to impress. Save for Bigsby’s untimely turnover, Jacksonville’s first-string offense seemed inevitable on two 12-play drives of 70-plus yards.

The second-stringers also impressed: Tim Jones and Seth Williams each hauled in deep passes; D’Ernest Johnson and JaMycal Hasty each crossed the pylon; and Montaric Brown and Tevaughn Campbell each came up with a critical pass deflection. The Jaguars outscored the Dolphins 31-9 in the second and third quarters.

The game came to a saddening ending, as Dolphins receiver Daewood Davis had to be carted off the field halfway through the fourth quarter. The two head coaches elected to conclude play and suspend the game.

It’s only the preseason, but Jacksonville looked like the better team in most if not every quarter it played across three games. Saturday’s win could be a foreshadowing of the season to come.

Best highlight

Injuries

Chandler Brewer was previously in concussion protocol but entered the game in the second quarter for Ben Bartch.

Ventrell Miller left the game in the third quarter with a lower leg injury. After looking at it on the sideline, trainers took him to the locker room, and the team listed him as questionable to return.