By Tiffany Williams –
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Miami Dolphins needed one more yard to finish the job. Malik Willis delivered two, pushing through the middle on fourth down to seal a 28–25 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium and give Miami its first win of the season.
Caleb Douglas caught two touchdown passes, Ollie Gordon II rushed for 103 yards, and Miami’s defense delivered a fourth-quarter goal-line stand that kept New York from pulling even. The Jets rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit but never got another possession after cutting the lead to three with 3:24 remaining.
“A lot of bodies. Just driving my feet and had guys behind me pushing,” Willis said of the clinching conversion. “We got it and that’s all that mattered. We won the down and we won the game.”
Miami coach Jeff Hafley put the decision in the hands of the players who would have to move the pile. Facing fourth-and-one at the Jets’ 49-yard line at the two-minute warning, he trusted his offense to finish a game in which Miami converted all three of its fourth-down attempts.
“There was always a chance. I said to hang on, I grabbed the offensive line, asked them what they thought and wanted to do, and when I saw the look in their eyes, I was very confident we would get it,” Hafley said. “As soon as I saw that, there was no doubt in my mind that we would go for it. I trusted them.”
For New York, the loss dropped the Jets to 2–5 despite three touchdown passes from Geno Smith, a 104-yard rushing performance from Braelon Allen, and another productive afternoon from Omar Cooper Jr. The Jets outgained Miami 377–360, but an interception, a missed field goal, and three consecutive losses of yardage near the goal line left them chasing points.
“When it comes to this game, highly disappointed. Disappointed in myself, first and foremost,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “Defensively, we did not play well in the first half. We gave up 21 points.”
Miami established its offensive rhythm immediately after New York won the toss and deferred. Willis opened with a 12-yard completion to Malik Washington, Gordon broke loose for 25 yards around the left end, and a 32-yard completion to Greg Dulcich moved the Dolphins to the Jets’ 4-yard line.
New York briefly pushed back, dropping Gordon for a 5-yard loss before limiting Jaylen Wright to two yards. On third-and-goal from the 7, however, Willis found Douglas for the touchdown, completing a seven-play, 76-yard possession that put Miami ahead 7–0 with 10:53 left in the first quarter.
“Honestly, it just feels good to be back out there with the team. I was missing them guys on the sideline,” Douglas said. “I’m happy I was able to go out there and play with them and like you said I’m happy to have my first touchdown.”
The Jets answered with an explosive play of their own. Smith connected with Cooper for 52 yards on New York’s first offensive snap, taking the ball from the Jets’ 35 to Miami’s 13 and setting up a quick response.
After the next two plays produced no net yardage, Smith found Mason Taylor for a 13-yard touchdown on third-and-10. Jason Sanders’ extra point tied the game at 7–7 with 8:37 remaining in the opening quarter, finishing a four-play, 65-yard drive.
Miami’s next possession was considerably longer and gave New York repeated opportunities to get off the field. Instead, the Dolphins marched 60 yards in 14 plays, consumed 7:35, and reclaimed the lead behind timely passing, Willis’ mobility, and Gordon’s work near the goal line.
Dulcich caught an 11-yard pass on third-and-seven and added a 12-yard reception later in the drive. Willis then escaped for 12 yards on third-and-nine, moving Miami to the Jets’ 11 before Washington’s 8-yard run eventually helped set up another short-yardage test.
The Jets stopped Gordon on third-and-one from the 2, but Miami kept its offense on the field. Gordon gained the necessary yard on fourth down, then scored on a 1-yard run on the next snap to put the Dolphins ahead 14–7 with 1:02 left in the quarter.
“You know what, that’s really puzzling to me, to be honest with you,” Glenn said of the defense’s slow start. “It was one of those games, it just seemed like they were falling forward on everything.”
New York drove into Miami territory again as the game moved into the second quarter. Allen’s 15-yard run helped the Jets reach the Dolphins’ 21, but Smith’s next pass toward Taylor was intercepted by Miami safety M. Taaffe at the 15 with 11:59 remaining in the half.
The Jets forced a punt, and a defensive holding penalty wiped out another apparent Miami interception on New York’s next possession. That reprieve did not produce points, however, and the Jets eventually punted the ball to the Dolphins’ 9-yard line.
Miami turned that unfavorable starting position into its longest scoring drive of the afternoon. The Dolphins traveled 91 yards in 15 plays, draining 8:38 and leaving New York almost no time to respond before halftime.
Willis started the possession with a 16-yard completion to Dulcich, while Gordon added consecutive gains of seven, six, and eight yards as Miami worked toward midfield. Facing fourth-and-two at the Jets’ 41, Willis scrambled for five yards to extend the drive.
Willis later ran for seven more yards, and a 15-yard completion to Dulcich brought Miami to the Jets’ 5. A defensive pass interference penalty moved the ball to the 1, and after Gordon was stopped for a loss, Willis scrambled left for a 2-yard touchdown with six seconds remaining.
“It was awesome. I think Bobby (Slowik) had a great plan,” Willis said of the first-half passing game. “We went out there and executed it. All 11 were on the same page today. We had a lot of success because of that.”
Miami entered halftime ahead 21–7 after controlling possession for 21:09 and outgaining the Jets 231–114. Dulcich caught all five of his passes for 86 yards before the break, repeatedly giving Willis a reliable target as Miami scored touchdowns on three of its four first-half possessions.
Glenn also acknowledged that New York should have used its timeouts during Miami’s late scoring drive. The Jets instead received the ensuing kickoff with six seconds left and ended the half with a kneel-down.
“That’s something that we should have done is use our timeouts,” Glenn said. His defense had allowed Miami to dictate both the pace of the half and the circumstances in which New York’s offense returned to the field.
The Jets came out of halftime leaning on Allen, who ripped off a 27-yard run on the opening snap of the third quarter. He followed with gains of five and four yards, and Smith later found Taylor for six yards on fourth-and-one to keep the possession alive.
Miami’s defense recovered when M. Herring sacked Smith for a 6-yard loss. A short completion to Garrett Wilson left the Jets facing fourth-and-nine, and Sanders’ 40-yard field-goal attempt struck the right upright, leaving Miami’s 14-point lead intact.
New York forced another punt and finally broke through on its next possession. On third-and-seven from the Jets’ 30, Smith hit Cooper over the middle for 60 yards, carrying New York to Miami’s 10-yard line.
An offensive holding penalty pushed the Jets backward, but Smith completed a 6-yard pass to Allen and an 11-yard pass to Taylor to recover much of the lost ground. He then found Cooper for a 3-yard touchdown with 5:50 left in the third quarter, cutting Miami’s lead to 21–14.
“I just felt like we were making plays when we got the opportunity. Braelon (Allen) ran the ball really hard,” Cooper said. “The offensive line did well. Geno (Smith) was making the right reads. Wide receivers were making plays when it came to them.”
Miami answered with a possession that used another 5:43, converting two third downs before its progress stalled near midfield. A 4-yard sack by N. Lynn forced a punt, giving New York the ball at its own 17 with seven seconds left in the third quarter.
Allen drove the next Jets possession, beginning with a 7-yard gain and opening the fourth quarter with a 16-yard run. Smith added a 19-yard completion to Wilson and a 20-yard throw to Taylor before Allen powered 10 yards to the Miami 1.
With New York positioned to tie the game, Miami’s defensive front took over. Zach Sieler stopped Andrew Beck for a 1-yard loss, J. Uche and Z. Biggers dropped Allen for another lost yard, and Chop Robinson sacked Smith for a 12-yard loss on third down.
The Jets had moved from first-and-goal at the 1 to fourth-and-goal at the 15. Sanders made a 33-yard field goal with 8:57 remaining, but Miami still held a 21–17 lead after a 12-play drive that consumed 6:10.
“It was everything, man. Started off with Zach (Sieler), fullback dive, from there they just kept going backwards,” Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks said. “You know, hate to get them down there, they got down there, but we kept them out of the end zone. Proved to be the big moment of the game.”
Smith defended his decision to take the third-down sack rather than force a throw. The possession produced points, but the missed opportunity to reach the end zone remained one of the afternoon’s decisive sequences.
“There was nothing there. You’ve got to take the sack right there and not force the ball and give your team a chance to get points,” Smith said. New York would spend the rest of the game trying to erase the lead Miami preserved on that stand.
The teams exchanged punts before the Dolphins finally delivered their first points of the second half. A Gordon run and a Jets defensive holding penalty helped move Miami forward, setting up second-and-seven from the Dolphins’ 37.
Willis threw short to Douglas on the left side, and Douglas turned the completion into a 63-yard touchdown. With 4:44 remaining, Miami had stretched its lead to 28–17 and forced New York into another urgent response.
“We just game planned, man. Like we said, Coach Slowik had a great plan,” Douglas said. “We knew that they were a big cat team (the corner cat) and I was hot and made a play.”
Glenn said the Jets were in a corner blitz on the play and failed to finish after the catch. Douglas ended the afternoon with two receptions for 70 yards, both catches producing touchdowns.
“But he caught the ball and then we’ve just got to make a tackle,” Glenn said. “I’m going to put that on the call and then on us just all executing together.”
New York responded by moving 65 yards in seven plays. Facing fourth-and-four at his own 41, Smith found Isaiah Davis for 41 yards, and another completion to Davis moved the Jets to Miami’s 12.
On third-and-four, Smith connected with Taylor for a 12-yard touchdown with 3:24 left. The conversion required three attempts: an illegal shift erased a completion to A. Mitchell, defensive pass interference wiped out an incompletion toward Wilson, and Smith finally found Taylor for two points to make it 28–25.
That was New York’s final offensive play. Gordon opened Miami’s next possession with a 14-yard run, followed with seven more yards, and forced the Jets to spend their remaining timeouts before two shorter runs brought the game to its final fourth-down decision.
“He asked the offense if we wanted to go for it or not. We said yes,” Willis said. “He trusted us and we trusted him giving us the opportunity. It was a great job by the O-line going out and executing.”
Willis’ 2-yard gain allowed Miami to finish with kneel-downs. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, added 37 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, and finished with a 130.7 passer rating.
Gordon carried 25 times for 103 yards and a touchdown, helping Miami finish with 156 rushing yards and a 34:36 advantage in possession. Brooks led the Dolphins with nine tackles, while the defense’s two sacks came on possessions that ended in a missed field goal and a made field goal.
Smith finished 23 of 30 for 287 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Cooper caught all five of his targets for 115 yards and a touchdown, Taylor added five catches for 62 yards and two scores, and Allen contributed six receptions for 30 yards to go with his 104 rushing yards.
“It definitely stinks. I feel like, not even feel like, we were literally inches away from it possibly being a different outcome,” Cooper said. “So, it stings and just like every other loss, it sucks but we just know we have to put the work in and come out harder next week.”
Wilson finished with two catches for 26 yards on three targets, with Miami making him a focus of its coverage. Smith said the Jets needed to find more opportunities for their top receiver, while Wilson said a heated sideline exchange did not reflect a dispute between the two.
“We were collaborating. I don’t even think I was talking to Geno,” Wilson said. “We were both heated, but not at each other at all.”
New York also lost defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat to a knee injury during the second quarter. Glenn said the extent of the injury would be determined during the week, adding another concern after a game in which the Jets allowed Miami to convert all three of its red-zone opportunities into touchdowns.
“I like to think we’re heading in the right direction. 2-5 is not a good spot, though,” Wilson said. “We’re the only ones that can get ourselves out of it. Got to keep chopping and hope that it all comes together here soon. Make it come together.”
Miami left with corrections of its own after allowing several long completions and watching a comfortable halftime lead shrink to a one-possession game. But this time, the Dolphins also left with a victory and a locker-room celebration Hafley said he would remember.
“I just wanted the win for them. I wanted them to feel this,” Hafley said. “All of the hard work, all of the things we’ve been asking them to do since OTAs and just staying to the process.”