After months of waiting, we finally get to watch the Dolphins play real football this Sunday. And it is against none other than Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars. Since it’s the first game of the season, it’s really hard to predict exactly what will happen, but I will try my best.
I am very confident that the Dolphins will win this game, but that doesn’t mean I am not nervous. Whenever the Dolphins play, I am extremely nervous, even when they are winning by a lot. But also, there is a lot that I am excited to see, and many new players will be making their Dolphins or NFL debuts.
One of the biggest stories of this game will be the battle between the Dolphins offensive line and the Jaguars defensive line. There has been a lot of talk surrounding the Dolphins’ offensive line for a while, and rightfully so, but at least we now know that Aaron Brewer will be able to start at Center, which is a big relief.
In any case, they will still have to battle against a tough defensive line with the likes of Josh Hines-Allen, Arik Armstead, Davon Hamilton, Travon Walker, and others. That is a more than solid group, and they might be giving the Dolphins offensive line a hard time. So, the first key of the game for the Dolphins is for the Offensive Line to control the line of scrimmage.
Another interesting thing to watch in this game is how the Dolphins’ defense performs under new coordinator Anthony Weaver. Defenses often struggle during the first couple of games with new coordinators because of the new scheme, so I wouldn’t overreact if the defense allows over 28 points in this game, especially if Jalen Ramsey ends up not playing.
It will still be interesting to see the new scheme and the new players on the defense, like Kendall Fuller, Jordyn Brooks, Jordan Poyer, Calais Campbell, Chop Robinson, and others. This is true not only for the new players but also for players who have been with the Dolphins but haven’t gotten a chance to play much, like Ethan Bonner. Anthony Weaver mentioned that he would give these types of players a chance to play.
The Jaguars have added some offensive weapons in Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. and already have Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and Travis Etienne. Gabe Davis is the type of player who will randomly have an amazing game and score a couple of long touchdowns, but he is very inconsistent, so as long as the Dolphins can control the big plays, they should be fine. As I said, I don’t expect the Defense to shine this week. But even if they allow 28 or more points, I am confident enough that the Dolphins will score more than that.
Offensively, we know the Dolphins have an amazing offense. As long as the play calling is good, they establish the run early, and Tua gets the ball out of his hands quickly, they should easily be able to put up big numbers and win this game. I am not saying it will be easy, but I am pretty sure that’s what they will do.
The Dolphins have had a tendency to start the year off hot in the last couple of seasons, so I expect more of that. It’s indeed hard to know what will happen in the first game of the season, but the Dolphins seem to just have the better team overall. Let’s just keep it simple and beat the Jags.
