MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins’ first-team offense had its first two drives of its dress rehearsal at Saturday’s preseason finale go about as poorly as possible without turning the ball over.
But going out for a third drive that bled into the early minutes of the second quarter, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the offensive starters got their preseason touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium.
Tagovailoa threw a short pass to slot receiver Malik Washington, and Washington put a juke move on a reserve Jaguars defender to take it 25 yards for the touchdown in Miami’s 14-6 victory.
“We had some self-inflicted stuff,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “You need people to start executing and make some plays together, and I thought the group did. I was pumped about the resolve.”
Tagovailoa finished 4 of 8 for 49 yards and the touchdown to leave the exhibition season on a high note, but his first two series leading the offense went woefully awry.
“We got to see how guys came back from adversity,” Tagovailoa said. “We had a lot of opportunities (Saturday night) to learn from some of those things, and we got to see how guys reacted.”
Tagovailoa took a sack on each of the first two drives. First, he tucked the ball away on a third-and-6 where Jacksonville had his receivers covered for defensive end Danny Striggow to wrap up Tagovailoa. On the second drive, tight end Pharaoh Brown was beat to his outside shoulder against defensive end B.J. Green II, while right guard James Daniels was trying to get over to the left side of the line to help.
For Tagovailoa, after missing six games in 2024, there could be value in simply experiencing a hit in a game setting and coming out unscathed.
“It felt good to get hit again,” Tagovailoa said. “That’s not what people want to hear. As we’re getting ready and getting started to get back into the normal routine of what a season would feel like, it feels good to get out there, get sacked a little bit.
“Sure, was that the result we wanted? No. It feels weird that I’m going to say it, but in my head, it’s like, ‘It feels alright to have gotten touched.’ ”
Beyond the two hits, Tagovailoa had one pass batted in the backfield. He was also well off target on at least one of his throws to an open receiver.
After the touchdown, Tagovailoa found Brown in the left flat for a successful 2-point conversion following a Brown bobble. The Dolphins had kicker Jason Sanders leave the exhibition early, and he wasn’t available to kick.
Tagovailoa also got to hit starting wide receiver Jaylen Waddle once before the conclusion to his exhibition season, an 8-yard completion. He extended that third series that resulted in a touchdown with a fourth-down find of Washington, who has proven to be a reliable target for him.
Washington said of his juke move on the Jaguars defender for the touchdown was “one you dream up.”
Dolphins Deep Dive: Breaking down Miami’s victory in final preseason game
Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II got the start with De’Von Achane held out with a calf tweak and Jaylen Wright week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. He had 43 rushing yards on eight carries.
Gordon said after the game what he was most pleased with was the pass protection reps he put on film.
On the first play from scrimmage Saturday, second-year edge rusher Chop Robinson sacked Jaguars quarterback John Wolford. Later in the first quarter, Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips combined for a sack.
“To get those season jitters out — obviously, preseason doesn’t count — but it’s still the process of game day, getting ready for the game, the emotions that go through it,” Phillips said, “to go out there, short amount of time and get that little half sack was a really great feeling.”
The first defense gave up one first down but then stopped Jacksonville backups.
Miami’s first offensive play saw rookie left guard Jonah Savaiinaea as an ineligible man downfield, negating a quick screen to Washington.
In the third quarter, backup Dolphins quarterback Zach Wilson got into a rhythm and fired a strike over the middle to wide receiver Erik Ezukanma on a fourth-and-16 for a first-down conversion down to the Jaguars’ 7-yard line.
On the next play, running back Mike Boone took carry wide to the right and out raced Jacksonville defenders easily to the pylon for the touchdown. It gave Miami a 14-6 lead after a failed 2-point try.
Wilson also fired a pass with zip into a tight window to wide receiver Dee Eskridge, who has been a camp and preseason standout. Tahj Washington also made multiple catches with Wilson in the game.
Wilson went 9 for 13 for 80 yards.
On rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers’ first play, he was sacked by the Jaguars’ Ethan Downs as the Dolphins’ left side of the line did not pick him up. Despite the setback, he started getting the Miami offense going, firing a throw over the middle into a tight window to wide receiver Andrew Armstrong for a gain of 21 yards.
Ewers went 7 of 8 for 66 yards.
In the second half, edge rusher Derrick McLendon had a sack that had Phillips, Chubb and Robinson excited on the sideline.
“I just feel like our team is so close,” Phillips said. “That long away trip that we had (11 days in Chicago and Detroit this preseason) kind of brought some guys together. … How much we celebrate each other and how happy we get for our guys just kind of shows the character of our team.”
Undrafted rookie safety John Saunders Jr. intercepted a pass and returned it 51 yards at the two-minute warning to seal the Dolphins’ 14-6 win. It brought an array of Dolphins first-team defenders down the sideline to go celebrate with him.
Originally Published: August 23, 2025 at 7:29 PM EDT