Fitzpatrick solidifies hold on Dolphins’ top QB spot
MIAMI — Ryan Fitzpatrick emerged early Friday from the Miami Dolphins’ first victorious locker room of the year wearing a tropical print shirt adorned with purple pineapples as a complement to his beachcomber beard.
It was a Dad shirt, which is OK because the 37-year-old Fitzpatrick has seven kids.
“Being the elder statesman on the team, I’ve adopted more of the senior-citizen look in terms of some of the touristy shirts, and my waistband is sitting a little higher than it used to,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick doesn’t look like the prototypical NFL quarterback, and that’s true even after the ball is snapped. His style resembled a sandlotter Thursday night, when he led the Dolphins to a 31-13 victory at Jacksonville.
Fitzpatrick ran for 38 yards and a score, lowering his shoulder into tacklers more than once. He was a lead blocker on one of Miami’s best running plays, and even had a reception when his pass was batted in the air. That was one of his 18 completions in 20 attempts for 160 yards and two scores.
“Running and trying to throw a block here and there and getting hit, that stuff helps me get into the game a little bit,” he said.
Miami’s 0-2 start amplified calls for rookie Tua Tagovailoa to take over at quarterback, but Fitzpatrick tamped down the talk for another week, at least.
Reality check
This is what the Jaguars were expected to look like in 2020.
The Jaguars did little right Thursday night.
They dug themselves another early hole, were downright dysfunctional in all three phases — especially on defense — made mistakes aplenty and were out of it long before the fourth quarter began.
They might not be tanking, but they surely have some folks once again thinking about their chances of landing the overall No. 1 draft pick next April. That was the general consensus heading into the season, and it seems renewed after Jacksonville flopped in prime time.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew was shaky in the pocket and careless with the football. Chris Conley dropped two passes that would have resulted in first downs and was flagged for offensive pass interference. Rookie cornerback CJ Henderson
seemed to think he was still in college, forgetting to tag a receiver down after a catch. And Jacksonville’s pass rush was so inept that the 37-year-old Fitzpatrick looked half his age while making plays passing, running and even receiving.
The result was an embarrassing rout in front of 16,563 socially distanced fans. It was Jacksonville’s third lopsided loss in its past five games at TIAA Bank Field, each of them by at least 17 points.
This one showed just how thin Jacksonville’s margin for error is this season.