Fitzpatrick beats Jaguars again, this time with Dolphins
Different team, familiar result for Ryan Fitzpatrick against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Fitzpatrick accounted for three touchdowns and led visiting Miami to a 3113 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 (12) their first doubledigit 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 (12).
“It’s why I still play,” Fitzpatrick said. “I enjoy playing, especially when you’re having success. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world sometimes getting to go outside and play football with my friends.”
He improved to 62 as a starter against Jacksonville, with wins coming with Cincinnati (2008), Buffalo (2012), Tennessee (2013), Houston (2014), the New York Jets (2015) and now Miami.
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.
Everything went so well for Fitzpatrick that even a pass batted down at the line of scrimmage in the fourth bounced right into his arms for a reception.
Fitzpatrick also ran for 39 yards and a score, his 37yearold legs looking as fresh as any in Miami’s backfield.
“Fitz is out of his mind,” Gesicki said. “He’s (37) and playing like he’s 23. You see the fun he has. After I scored, we came off the field chest bumping and screaming. It’s so much fun to play with him.”
He completed 18 of 20 passes — the last one to himself — for 160 yards and two touchdowns as the Jags made countless mistakes while failing to consistently move the chains and get off the field on third down.
Adding injury to insult, the Jaguars might have lost linebacker Leon Jacobs for the season. Jacobs was carted off the field on the opening drive with a right knee injury.
Jacksonsville rookie Brandon Wright made his NFL debut against Miami, joining a small list of Black placekickers in league history. The group includes Gene Mingo, Cookie Gilchrist, Donald Igweibuike, Obed Ariri, Cedric Oglesby and Justin Medlock.
Wright missed one of his two extrapoint attempts and injured a groin in the fourth quarter.
Turf talk: Giants head coach Joe Judge is pushing back against the 49ers’ complaints about the field turf at MetLife
Stadium, which San Francisco has said had a hand in the team’s rash of injuries in a victory against the Jets on Sunday.
The 49ers will be back on the same field to take on the 02 Giants this Sunday. Judge has had his team work on the field since training camp opened in late July. None of his players complained about it, he said.
The NFL said the latest inspection of the field on Wednesday showed the Field Turf surface meets all applicable standards and protocols for its field surfaces.