Facing a double-digit deficit against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Miami Dolphins secured the 20-17 victory with a strong second half from their defense, an explosive passing attack and a walk-off field goal.
The Dolphins outgained the Jaguars 400-267 in total yards (105-14 in the fourth quarter).
We go Inside the Numbers, presented by BDO, to take a look at the most notable team stats, individual metrics, milestones and more from Miami's Week 1 victory.
Successful Season Openers
With the win, the Dolphins have come out victorious in their last four season openers. This ties them with the Philadelphia Eagles for the second-longest active winning streak to start the year in the NFL, trailing just the New Orleans Saints with six-straight successful season openers. Miami previously defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 (36-34) and the New England Patriots in 2022 (20-7) and 2021 (17-16), respectively.
Tua Tagovailoa, who completed 23-of-37 passes for 338 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville, was the starting quarterback for all four of those contests. He joins Hall of Famer Dan Marino as just the second quarterback in franchise history to start and win four consecutive Week 1 games. Tagovailoa has led the NFL in passing yards after the first Sunday of the season in both the 2023 and 2024 campaigns.
Miami has won six of its last eight and nine of its last 12 season openers. The Dolphins' all-time record in season openers is 33-25-1 and 39-19-1 in home openers. Miami has had 21 season-opening victories since 1993, which is tied with the Green Bay Packers for the most in the league in that span.
Mike McDaniel also improved to 7-1 in the month of September as head coach of the Dolphins. His winning percentage of .875 is the second highest in the NFL since 2022.
Sanders Sets Team Record
Kicker Jason Sanders nailed a 52-yard field goal as time expired to secure the Dolphins victory. Not only was this Sanders' longest game-winning field goal of his career – it was the longest in Miami franchise history.
Sanders has made several game-winning field goals throughout his seven seasons with the Dolphins. Notably, his walk-off field goals against the New York Jets in Week 18 of the 2022 season and against Dallas in Week 16 of the 2023 season clinched playoff berths for Miami.
Sanders connected on two of his three field goal attempts against the Jaguars, all of which were in the fourth quarter. His 37-yard field goal with 4:22 left in the game capped off a 12-play, 73-yard drive that tied the score at 17 apiece. On Miami's following offensive possession, the Dolphins drove the ball 31 yards downfield on eight plays to set up Sanders' game-winning score.
Hill's Historic Pace
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill was a driving force in Miami's second half comeback, as he totaled seven receptions and a game-high 130 yards, including a career-best 80-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a strike from Tagovailoa that cut the Jaguars' third quarter lead to three.
This was also Hill's 125th game of his career. He's among the likes of several NFL legends in statistical achievements at this 125-game mark.
Hill has recorded 10,269 receiving yards (3,639 with the Dolphins), which is the sixth most receiving yards all-time among wide receivers in their first 125 games. He ranks ahead of former All-Pro wideouts and NFL Hall of Famers Marvin Harrison and Randy Moss and trails all-time receiving yards leader Jerry Rice by just 82 yards.
Hill has also totaled 89 touchdowns (77 receiving, seven rushing, four on punt returns and one on kickoff returns), which ranks third all-time among wide receivers in their first 125 games, while his 77 receiving touchdowns rank eighth all-time.
Hill's 130 yards are the 13th-most he's had since joining the Dolphins.
Dynamic Duo
Highlighted by a 63-yard third quarter reception, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle finished second on the team with 109 receiving yards on five catches. This was the first time since Week 12 of the 2023 campaign against the Jets that both Hill and Waddle have eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the same game.
Since the duo formed in 2022, Hill and Waddle have topped 100 yards in the same game on seven occasions. The most receiving yards they've accounted for in a single game was against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 of the 2022 season, where they combined for 361 yards.
In this same game, which the Dolphins won 42-38, Tagovailoa threw for a career-high 469 yards and six touchdowns.
Individual/Team Milestones
Running back De'Von Achane scored Miami's first touchdown of the 2024 season on a one-yard run with 1:04 left in the second quarter. Achane had a busy day as a pass catcher, as his seven receptions and 76 receiving yards were both career bests. He also had 24 rushing yards on 10 attempts and has the most rushing yards of any Dolphins player ever in the first 12 games of their career. Achane ranks second all-time in rushing touchdowns among Dolphins running backs in the first 12 games of their careers.
Defensive tackle Calais Campbell started the game for Miami and recorded a sack on the very first play of Jacksonville's opening possession. Embarking on his 17th NFL season, Campbell now has 106.5 career sacks. This was Campbell's 12th Week 1 win of his career, tying him for fifth most of all time.
Wide receiver Grant DuBose, offensive tackle Patrick Paul, cornerback Storm Duck and linebacker Chop Robinson all made their NFL debuts.
Miami recorded its first game of multiple 50-plus yard completions since Week 13 of the 2023 season at Washington. The Dolphins have had six games of multiple 50-plus yard completions under McDaniel, which is the most in the NFL since 2022.
For more analysis from the Dolphins win, listen to the latest episode of Drive Time with Travis Wingfield.
