3 Dolphins winners (and 2 losers) from the Week 1 win over the Jaguars

There was exciting football played in Week 1 and the Miami Dolphins ran the emotional spectrum from the start of the game to the final seconds. The Dolphins even kicked off their 2024 nail-biter with some pre-game drama.

The Dolphins have started the season 1-0, and for Mike McDaniel, it is the third consecutive opening-day win as a head coach. The Dolphins will head into Week 2 ready to face the Bills, and they need to find a way to win this game. The Dolphins know the path to the AFC East title goes through Buffalo, and so does the amount of respect this team lacks because they have been owned by the Bills in recent years.

On Sunday, the Bills didn't matter. The Jaguars did. Several players stood out for the right reasons, and others stood out completely for the wrong reasons:

Winnner: Tyreek Hill

Imagine starting your day in handcuffs, thrown to the ground, rescued by team security and teammates, and then having to go to work. Tyreek Hill did just that: He got to work and was his typical self. Hill produced despite being covered the entire game, but he persevered until he found an opening. He shrugged off early game dust and ended the day with seven receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown. He was open on another play that would have resulted in a touchdown, but he was overthrown by Tua Tagovailoa.

Loser: Durham Smythe

Durham Smythe has never been known as a great pass-catcher, but against Jacksonville, he was borderline horrendous. Some of the coverage that Tua threw into wasn't good, and some of these throws were a lot harder than they needed to be given how close Smythe was from the quarterback, but Smythe consistently dropped passes, which is something that can't happen. The Dolphins' tight end position continues to be horrible, and while McDaniel tried to get them involved, his trust in the unit can't be very high after Sunday's performance.

Winner: De'Von Achane

There wasn't much to love about the rushing game for the Dolphins. At one point, Tua led the team in rushing with 11 yards. Raheem Mostert struggled, and De'Von Achane did as well, but Achane made up for it in the passing game. Achane caught seven passes for 76 yards and scored a rushing touchdown as well. Despite running the ball 10 times, he only managed 24 yards, but overall, the Dolphins blocking up front was not good, and that is why his statistics were as low as they were. Regardless, when the Dolphins needed a big play, Achane was there. He converted three first downs overall in this one.

Losers: Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg

Take a pick with this one. If there was a better player between Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg, you might give it to the latter, given the penalties that Jones had called on him Sunday. The Dolphins interior line was not good, and while this won't be the wake-up Chris Grier needs, it most certainly should be. Neither guard was able to open lanes off center, and neither guard was able to protect the quarterback consistently. The Dolphins line play was so bad, McDaniel used quarterback rollouts to get Tua away from the pressure. Grier doesn't seem too worried and has said that Tagovailoa gets the ball out fast enough, vs. the Jags, the star QB was harassed because his receivers were not open for that quick-read option, and that exposed the problems with Jones and Eichenberg.

Winner: Calais Campbell

Calais Campbell has been in the NFL for a long time. He is the Tom Brady of the defense in terms of longevity. If Week 1 was any indication, he shouldn't consider retirement just yet. His opening drive sack was impressive, and he totaled three tackles on the day, two for a loss. While his stat line doesn't show much beyond that, his presence was enough for the Jaguars to change their blocking schemes, allowing others to make plays. Campbell showed up in a big way and made the loss of Christian Wilkins far less noticeable.