Etienne fumble starts meltdown mode for Jags in loss to Miami

By Hays Carlyon

Oh no, Travis.

What a giveaway.

What a gut punch.

What a disheartening way to open the season.

The Jaguars were 2 yards away from a 17-point lead over Miami with 2:19 left in the third quarter. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne had broken through the line for a 10-yard gain. As he approached the goal line at top speed, Etienne had the ball punched out by Miami safety Jevon Holland. The ball was recovered in the end zone by the Dolphins.

The possibility of a commanding 24-7 lead was vanquished.

The Jaguars never recovered.

Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders hit a walk-off 52-yard field goal to beat the Jaguars 20-17 on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Etienne is a quality player who will probably have a strong season. Still, this will be a tough one to forget.

How the Jaguars responded to the mistake might be more troubling.

The Dolphins immediately scored when Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found receiver Tyreek Hill for an 80-yard touchdown.

A 14-point swing in two plays.

Miami owned the fourth quarter to take a game that could have serious playoff tiebreaker meaning in January.

The Jaguars offense simply wilted in the fourth quarter. On three possessions, the Jaguars gained 13 combined yards.

The play calling and game management by Jaguars coach Doug Pederson and his staff were hideous. Pederson actually went for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 32-yard line – LEADING BY THREE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER. With an offensive line that can’t move people on short-yardage downs. An Etienne run was stuffed for a loss of 2.

A great day defensively (including an impressive debut by defensive coordinator Ryan Neilsen) was spoiled.

There were plenty of bright spots. Controlling the first 43 minutes of the game will bring those.

Rookie receiver Brian Thomas looks ready to make an impact. Running back Tank Bigsby ran well.

Defensive stalwarts Travon Walker, Josh Hines-Allen and Arik Armstead had big plays.

Rookie kicker Cam Little made a 53-yarder with ease.

But this team can’t close. There is no evident killer instinct.

That’s a real concern for an 0-1 team that now must play Cleveland, Buffalo and Houston in the next three weeks.

The Jaguars gave this one away to Miami.

Now, they have to prove they can win a game when maybe the other team was better that day. That’s what it takes to make the playoffs. You hope Sunday’s latest collapse doesn’t haunt this team months from now.

Etienne can’t fumble there, but the team must learn to navigate tough waters in a game. They just let the boat keep taking on water Sunday in Miami. And they sunk.

(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter/X @HaysCarlyon)