MIAMI GARDENS — It wasn't always pretty.

It was, by Miami Dolphins' standards, a start-and-stop kind of day.

It began under weird circumstances.

But it ended just right for the Dolphins' tastes as they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-17 Sunday afternoon in a game that looked like a season-opener. Plenty to build upon, but plenty of work to be done.

The Dolphins couldn't breathe easily until this one was over, because Jason Sanders provided the winning points on a 52-yard field goal as time expired. Sanders' kick capped an eight-play, 31-yard drive and he was rewarded when snapper Blake Ferguson ran toward the net behind the end zone and retrieved the ball to present it to his kicker.

The day began under a cloud when it was learned that Tyreek Hill had been detained by police during an incident while entering the Hard Rock Stadium parking area. Hill managed to shake it off, catching seven passes for 130 yards including an 80-yard touchdown bomb that helped turn around the game. Jaylen Waddle added five catches for 108 yards in support of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who completed 23 of 37 passes for 336 yards.

Takeaways from the win:

More: Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill detained after traffic incident

Anthony Weaver's defense gets critical takeaway

New defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver discussed his unit's attention on takeaways this past week, saying they've "preached turnovers" and chart takeaways in practice, with a goal of at least two per day.

The Dolphins got a takeaway in the third quarter, and it was huge.

Just when it seemed the Jaguars might put the game away via a 24-7 lead, Jevon Holland poked the ball out of running back Travis Etienne's hands. That's when Kader Kohou scrambled like mad for the ball. He had to. If the ball had scooted out of the end zone, the Jaguars would have retained possession via a much-criticized rule.

Kohou managed to grab the ball before his momentum carried him through the end zone.

On the next play, Tagovailoa hit Hill for an 80-yard bomb.

What was Doug Pederson thinking?

Sanders let the Jaguars off the hook (temporarily, that is) when he missed a 42-yard field-goal try wide left, and by a wide margin.

For some inexplicable reason, Doug Pederson opted to gamble on fourth-and-1 from his own 32 despite leading 17-14. Etienne took the handoff running left, but when he found Emmanuel Ogbah waiting for him, he reversed field. No matter. Kendall Fuller and Jalen Ramsey were still there on the right and stopped him, giving Miami the ball on the 30.

It seemed as if the worst Miami would come away with would be a 17-all game. Wasn't meant to be there, even though Pederson deserved to be punished for his poor decision.

De’Von Achane denied? What about a definitive angle?

It didn’t prove critical in the end, but it could have.

Late in the first half, De’Von Achane landed in the end zone on what appeared to be a 3-yard touchdown run. Players celebrated. They played the fight song over the P.A.

But it wasn’t a touchdown.

The referee turned on his mic and announced that Achane was ruled down on the 1.

Replays were inconclusive at best. If anything, based on one angle, the Dolphins could argue they’d scored.

Before you knew it, the ref signaled ready-for-play. Achane plunged up the middle to cut the deficit to 14-7, but the question remains: If New York reviewed the play, how did it do it so quickly? And if this is 2024 (we believe it is), how is it possible that every NFL game doesn’t have cameras down on the goal line to settle it?

Most annoying part of the game

Achane’s touchdown came with 64 seconds left in the first half.

Jacksonville got the ball on its 23 after the kickoff.

Right away, Trevor Lawrence completed passes of 18 and 20 yards, setting up a 53-yard field goal to end the half.

No excuse for Miami’s D to let up in such a situation.

This and that … 

Calling an aggressive game is almost always going to be applauded, but on fourth-and-8 near midfield? Tagovailoa’s pass, intended for Braxton Berrios, was incomplete. At least Miami’s defense, led by Calais Campbell’s two big plays for losses of 14 yards, assured that the Jaguars couldn’t capitalize. … The Dolphins’ good-luck charm, Kevin Harlan, called the game for CBS. … Temperature at kickoff of the wild-card game in Kansas City in January was -4. Temperature at kickoff Sunday was 91 — a swing of 95 degrees. That doesn’t even take into account the “feels like” conditions, which calculate to a 127-degree swing. … Jake Bailey’s first punt flew out of bounds on the Jacksonville 4 after traveling 47 yards. And we thought the coffin-corner kick was a lost art. Bailey also had a 57-yard punt with good hang time. ... You've heard of third-down backs? Looks like Jeff Wilson Jr. might be Miami's designated fourth-quarter back. Soften the defense through three, then send in Wilson, Miami's best power running back. ... No time to rest. The Dolphins' next game is Thursday night at home vs. Buffalo.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins have plenty to build on, plenty to work on after beating Jags