JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the Jaguars get ready to open the 2024 season against the Miami Dolphins, one word that's come up often is speed.
When you have Tyreek Hill on the other side of the ball—whose nickname is literally 'Cheetah'—plus Raheem Mostert, last season's league leader in rushing touchdowns, along with a plethora of other weapons, the Jaguars defense will have its hands full to start the new campaign. But in a way, it’ll be a great test to see where this defense really stands early in the season.
"Speed kills," Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell said. "When you have an explosive offense, that allows them to put points on the board. So, you trust in your game plan and stop the explosive plays, which keeps you in games and puts you in winning situations."
“Speed, speed, speed. And a lot of misdirection, a lot of motions and shifts. Obviously, they do a great job with that in their run game as well and it kind of can cause you to just distort your eyes a little bit, and get off your cues," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson noted. "That's where some of the big plays have come for them. Obviously, we know Tyreek [Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill] and Waddle [Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle] and the guys. There’s just a lot of speed and something that we've got to be able to at least try to match, otherwise, be in the right position.”
Along with all the speed the Dolphins bring, head coach Mike McDaniel is quickly proving to be a great offensive mind. He’s also known for having a trick up his sleeve, so the Jaguars can expect to see a wide range of new plays as the season gets underway. But with all the unknowns of a Week 1 matchup, the Jaguars’ priority is to stay within themselves.
"We just have to own what we do. It’s Week 1, so a lot of things might not have been seen before. Obviously, they have ways to get their guys the ball. But if we own what we’re doing on defense, stay confident with bumps and communication, get guys on guys, and eliminate a lot of their catch-and-run plays, that’s our goal," Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun said.
"Just trust your technique. Trust the coaches' game plan, and trust the other 10 guys playing with you that they’ll handle their business as well," Campbell said.
The Jaguars defense will look to slow down a Dolphins offense that ranked first in the league in total offensive yards per game and scored the second-most points throughout last season.
Week 1 kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8, at Hard Rock Stadium.