Malik Willis threw two touchdown passes to rookie Caleb Douglas, ran for another score and pushed forward for the game-clinching first down on fourth-and-1, and the Miami Dolphins held off the New York Jets 28-25 on Sunday, October 25, at MetLife Stadium.
It is the first win for Jeff Hafley as Miami’s head coach. The Dolphins, coming off their bye, improve to 1-5 and avoid their first 0-6 start since 2019. The Jets fall to 2-5 and are 0-8 in AFC East games under Aaron Glenn, who blamed himself first after the loss.
Miami finally leads
The Dolphins had not held a lead all season before their opening drive. They went 76 yards in seven plays, and Willis hit Douglas for a 7-yard touchdown on third-and-goal. It was the first opening-drive score the Jets had allowed in six games.
New York answered in four plays. Geno Smith found tight end Mason Taylor, the son of former Dolphins star Jason Taylor, for a 13-yard touchdown on third-and-10 to tie it. Miami then put together a 14-play, 60-yard drive that used 7:35. Ollie Gordon II converted a fourth-and-1 at the Jets 2 and scored from the 1 on the next play for a 14-7 lead.
The Jets reached the Miami 21 on their next possession, but safety Michael Taaffe intercepted a pass meant for Taylor at the 15. Late in the half, the Dolphins drove 91 yards in 15 plays and 8:38. Willis kept it alive with a 5-yard scramble on fourth-and-2 and scored on a 2-yard scramble with six seconds left. Miami led 21-7 at halftime.
The Jets come back, twice
Braelon Allen opened the second half with a 27-yard run, but that drive ended when Jason Sanders, a longtime Dolphins kicker in his first season with New York, hit the right upright from 40 yards. On the next Jets possession, Omar Cooper Jr. caught a 60-yard pass and then a 3-yard touchdown to make it 21-14 with 5:50 left in the third.
New York had a chance to tie early in the fourth. The Jets reached the Miami 1, but runs by Andrew Beck and Allen were stopped, Smith was sacked for a 12-yard loss on third down, and Sanders settled for a 33-yard field goal to make it 21-17.
Willis answered three plays later. He flipped a short, side-armed pass to Douglas, who tiptoed along the sideline and ran 63 yards for a touchdown and a 28-17 lead with 4:44 left. The Jets kept coming. On fourth-and-4 from their own 41, Smith threw short to Isaiah Davis, who went 41 yards to the Miami 18. Three plays later, Smith hit Taylor for a 12-yard touchdown. Penalties wiped out New York’s first two tries at a two-point conversion, but Smith found Taylor on the third to make it 28-25 with 3:24 left.
Hafley goes for it
Miami faced fourth-and-1 at the Jets 49 at the two-minute warning. Hafley asked his offensive linemen what they wanted to do. “When I saw the look in their eyes, I was very confident that we’d get it,” he said. “As soon as I saw that, there was no doubt in my mind that we’d go for it.” Willis pushed up the middle for 2 yards, and the Dolphins ran out the clock.
“He trusted us,” Willis said, “and we trusted him.” On a day when Willis had a hand in three of Miami’s four touchdowns, the win belonged to the whole roster. In the locker room, the players soaked Hafley with water. “My socks are wet,” Hafley said. “It was a really, really special moment, one that I’m appreciative of and one that I won’t forget.”
The numbers
- Malik Willis: 14 of 21 for 208 yards and two touchdowns, no interceptions; eight carries for 37 yards and a touchdown.
- Dolphins skill players: Gordon ran 25 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. Greg Dulcich caught five passes for 86 yards, and Douglas had two catches for 70 yards and two scores.
- Geno Smith: 23 of 30 for 287 yards, three touchdowns and one interception; sacked twice.
- Jets skill players: Cooper had five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, Taylor five for 62 and two scores, and Allen 104 rushing yards on 17 carries.
- Defense: Jordyn Brooks led Miami with nine tackles, two for loss. Minkah Fitzpatrick had 10 tackles for New York and Jamien Sherwood had eight with two tackles for loss.
- Kicking: Zane Gonzalez made all four extra points for Miami. Sanders was 1 of 2 on field goals.
The Jets outgained Miami 377-360 and averaged 7.1 yards a play, but the Dolphins won the game in the places that decide close ones. Miami went 3 for 3 on fourth down, scored touchdowns on all three of its red-zone trips, did not turn the ball over and held the ball for 34:36. New York turned it over once, in the red zone, and came away with a field goal from the 1.
Injuries
Miami running back Jaylen Wright left in the fourth quarter with a quadriceps injury, safety Dante Trader Jr. hurt his left shoulder, and cornerback JuJu Brents left with a stinger before returning. For the Jets, who played without Breece Hall again, defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat hurt his knee late in the second quarter and did not return.
What comes next
Miami hosts the New England Patriots on Sunday, November 1, at 4:25 p.m. ET. The Jets host the Las Vegas Raiders the same day at 1 p.m. ET.
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