MIAMI GARDENS — A grinning Tua Tagovailoa held his hands up and rubbed his thumbs against his pointer and middle fingers on Sunday afternoon while bouncing towards Jevon Holland's locker.

The unsaid message from Miami's franchise quarterback was clear: It's time to "pay up" for a defensive centerpiece who'd just saved the Dolphins in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL regular season.

With the Dolphins trailing Jacksonville 17-7 late in the third quarter, Holland forced Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. to fumble as he was steps away from scoring a debilitating touchdown to push Miami's deficit to three possessions.

Instead, Dolphins defensive back Kader Kohou was on the ball in the back of the end zone. On Miami's ensuing play, Tua Tagovailoa threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill, kickstarting the Dolphins' rally to a 20-17 victory.

"Somebody's gotta start it off," Holland said of the momentum-changing play. "We needed a turnover at that point and couldn't let them score. I had to get that ball out.

"You don't really think about those things. You kind of just black out. I've practiced them. I've got over a thousands shot on ball in practice so when practice becomes reality and then game time with live reps. ... It changed the momentum of the game and I was happy to be the one whose name was called."

More: Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland at front of line for new contract with Tua, Tyreek signed

Jevon Holland forced fumble turns the tide

The Dolphins were careening towards a Week 1 loss in Hard Rock Stadium prior to Holland's heroic goal-line play.

At the time, Jacksonville led by 10 and was putting the finishing touches on a 6-play, 96-yard scoring drive that would've put the sputtering Dolphins offense down three possessions.

After the fumble, Jacksonville's offense turned the ball over on downs and punted twice, managing just eight yards of total offense for the rest of the game.

"Huge man, that's Jevon man, that's what he does," Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips said. "We've seen this time and time again, guys just stepping up when we need them the most. So yeah, that was a really, really big place man."

Kohou acknowledged Holland did most of the heavy lifting on the game-saving turnover.

"If you were in the game, you probably could have picked [the fumble] up, too," Kohou told reporters with a laugh.

Jevon Holland contract situation unresolved

Holland, a second-round draft pick in 2021 out of Oregon, is playing on the final year of his rookie contract.

The Dolphins splashed cash on several key players this offseason, including a fresh $212 million-dollar deal to Tagovailoa, a $90 million-dollar extension to Tyreek Hill and nearly $85 million to receiver Jaylen Waddle.

Holland remains waiting for his Dolphins payday, though he appreciated the plaudits he received from teammates like Jordyn Brooks, who danced across the locker room to Holland's locker while clad in a Teddy Bridgewater jersey from Miami Northwestern High.

"That means a lot because they trust me," Holland said. "And that's important for me because I play for my teammates. And myself, but my teammates more than anything else. Their families are strong and my family is strong. I want to play for them because I know they have people to feed, too."

Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa celebrates Jevon Holland turnover with 'pay up' gesture