MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — For the Miami Dolphins, the day started with chaos and ended with celebration.

Jason Sanders kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired, and the Dolphins — on perhaps one of the most bizarre days in their history, a day that saw two players handcuffed outside the stadium a few hours before kickoff — beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-17 on Sunday to win their fourth straight season opener.

Tua Tagovailoa was coming off a great offseason, throwing for 336 yards and a touchdown and leading Miami on an eight-play, 31-yard drive over the final 2:09.

“We just had to get our heads out of our (ass),” said Tagovailoa, who delivered an impassioned halftime speech in which he addressed teammates and coaches alike with Miami down 17-7. “That was it. That was it.”

Tyreek Hill started the comeback with an 80-yard touchdown catch that sparked Miami’s sluggish offense in the third quarter and pulled the Dolphins within 17-14. After the score, Hill placed his hands behind his back as if in handcuffs, hours after he was laid facedown and handcuffed in the street by Miami-Dade police officers after being pulled over for a traffic violation near Hard Rock Stadium.

“I honestly have no idea. No idea. No idea, man. It was crazy. No idea,” Hill said when asked why he was handcuffed after being pulled over, he said, for speeding and reckless driving. “I wasn’t disrespectful because my mother didn’t raise me that way. I didn’t curse. I didn’t do any of that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”

So did the police. Miami-Dade officials responded quickly, saying an investigation into the officers’ conduct had already been opened and one of the officers had been placed on administrative leave.

When he saw Hill was handcuffed, defensive tackle Calais Campbell stopped to help him as he drove past the scene. He, too, was handcuffed and said officers told him the reason was because he ignored their direct orders.

“That’s definitely a first,” Campbell said. “It’s definitely surprising, especially with probably our best player. That’s not what you want to see.”

Hill finished with seven catches for 130 yards. Devon Achane had seven catches for 75 yards and ran for 25 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

Sanders connected on a 36-yard field goal with 4:22 left to tie the game. The Dolphins defense then got into the act, tackling Trevor Lawrence on two consecutive plays, giving Tagovailoa the chance to complete the winning drive.

Lawrence, who also signed a big contract extension in the offseason, completed 12 of 21 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. Tank Bigsby had 73 yards on 12 carries.

Rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had a 14-yard touchdown catch and drew a pass interference call on cornerback Jalen Ramsey — who was listed as questionable with a hamstring injury — on Jacksonville’s first touchdown drive. The play put Jacksonville on the 1-yard line and Travis Etienne ran it in from there.

Etienne had the ball knocked out of his hands by Dolphins safety Jevon Holland just before he crossed the goal line in the third. Miami scored one play later when Tagovailoa found a rampaging Hill, who ran past two Jaguars defenders into the end zone.

“Obviously turnovers are deadly, especially in the red zone,” Lawrence said, “but I thought Travis came back well and kept his head in the game. … We had a lot of time left in the game and we should be able to handle the adversity and score on the next series.”

After the Dolphins stopped a fourth down on Jacksonville’s next drive, Sanders missed a 42-yard field goal that would have tied the score.

Achane had a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but otherwise the first half of the season was largely a bust for the Dolphins, who were expected to be as good or better offensively after reclaiming most of the weapons from a unit that led the NFL in total yards in 2023.

Miami lost the ball twice and had to score four times before Hill scored a touchdown.

“What motivated me the most was when we came in at halftime and it was the first time I heard Tua’s Hawaiian accent,” Hill said. “It’s crazy. He was excited and animated in the locker room. I was like, ‘OK, I like this.'”

Jaylen Waddle had five receptions for 109 yards, including a 63-yard catch that put Miami at the Jacksonville 26-yard line while trailing by 10 points. However, Miami fell behind three straight times and Tagovailoa had a third-down sack that put the Dolphins out of field goal range.

Injuries

Jaguars: CB Tyson Campbell injured his hamstring in the fourth period.

Dolphins: Waddle was evaluated for a concussion after taking a hard hit in the first half but returned a few plays later. … LB David Long left the field in the third quarter with a hand injury but returned.

Next

Jaguars: Next Sunday they host Cleveland.

Dolphins: They play Buffalo on Thursday night.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl