4 takeaways from Jaguars win over Dolphins

Jacksonville wins for 2nd time in 11 games

The Jaguars won a slugfest over the Miami Dolphins 17-7 in a game that saw Blake Bortles replace Cody Kessler twice. The Jaguars are now 5-10 on the season with one game remaining. Here are my four biggest takeaways from the game:

No matter who is in  at quarterback, the Jaguars offense is a mess

Cody Kessler started at quarterback. Then he was injured and Blake Bortles went in. Then came out, then went back in again. Bortles led the Jaguars on a field goal drive in the fourth quarter to take a 10-7 lead. The issues are many with the offense. There are injuries, of course. The Jaguars lost Josh Wells to a concussion during the game forcing left guard Patrick Omameh to move to right tackle and Chris Reed to be inserted at left guard. Right tackle Jeremy Parnell was put on injured reserve last week. The offensive line is a shambles. The season can't end soon enough for the offense.

The defense came to play

Whether it was Calais Campbell (a sack and a forced fumble), Yannick Ngakoue (sack), Telvin Smith (interception return for a touchdown), Malik Jackson (fourth quarter sack), the Jaguars defense showed up. Again. The Dolphins aren't exactly a high-powered offense, but after allowing a first drive touchdown, the Jaguars shut down Miami for the rest of the game. 

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1 Calais Campbell #93 of the Jacksonville Jaguars and teammates take the field for their game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium (Getty Images)

Doug Marrone wanted the win

While fans, and maybe some in the front office), would like to wind up with a higher draft pick, Marrone made the move at quarterback when Kessler was healthy with the intention of winning the game. Bortles led a field goal drive to give the Jaguars a 10-7 lead. On the following possession, Telvin Smith intercepted a Ryan Tannehill pass and returned it for a touchdown, stretching the Jaguars' lead to 17-7. Bortles didn't have to do much after that, thanks to the Jaguars' defense's continued dominance of the Miami offense.

One more to go

The Jaguars will finish the 2018 season in Week 17 on the road against the Houston Texans. The Texans will be fighting for a first-round bye and perhaps for home-field advantage. They will have plenty on the line for Houston. What will the Jaguars have for the Texans, who beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville in Week 7? We shall see.