Fitzpatrick stellar as Dolphins pick up first win of season
Veteran hits on first 12 attempts and tosses 2 TDS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Different team, familiar result for Ryan Fitzpatrick against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Fitzpatrick accounted for three touchdowns and led Miami to a 31-13 victory Thursday night, becoming the first NFL quarterback to notch six wins over the same opponent with six teams.
The lopsided outcome also gave the Dolphins (1-2) their first double-digit victory in 39 games, ending the longest drought in the league.
Fitzpatrick completed his first 12 passes — a career high — as Miami scored touchdowns on its first three drives for the first time since 2011.
He ended the night celebrating another victory over the Jaguars (1-2).
Fitzpatrick improved to 6-2 as a starter versus Jacksonville, with wins coming with Cincinnati (2008), Buffalo (2012), Tennessee (2013), Houston (2014), the New York Jets (2015) and now Miami.
Fitzpatrick also ran for 39 yards and a score, his 37year-old legs looking as fresh as any in Miami’s backfield.
He completed 18 of 20 passes — the last one to himself — for 160 yards and two touchdowns in his latest successful outing against the Jags, who made countless mistakes while failing to consistently move the chains and get off the field on third down.
In short, they looked exactly like the team most outsiders expected them to be this season.
Adding injury to insult, the Jaguars may have lost linebacker Leon Jacobs for the season. Jacobs was carted off the field on the opening drive with a right knee injury.
Fitzpatrick had TD passes to Preston Williams and Mike Gesicki — his best throw of the night — in the first half and ran for a score in the third.