The Dolphins finally got one in Week 7, and they did it in style at MetLife Stadium, edging the Jets 28-25 for their first win of the 2026 season. It was also Jeff Hafley’s first victory as Miami’s head coach, fueled by the offense’s best showing of the year even if the defense left plenty on the table.
Miami needed its playmakers to show up, and a few of them absolutely delivered. Malik Willis turned in his strongest outing since arriving with the Dolphins, completing 14 of 21 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns while adding 37 rushing yards and another score. The one thing that still has to sharpen up is his decisiveness, because if that comes, Miami’s offense may have something to build on beyond just one breakthrough win.
The running game also got a big lift from Ollie Gordon II. With De’Von Achane out for the year after a torn ACL, Gordon has started to separate himself in the backfield, and Sunday was another clear step forward.
He piled up 103 yards and a touchdown on 4.1 yards per carry. Through the season, he’s now at 339 yards and four scores on 4.7 yards per attempt, all career highs.
Miami also got a welcome boost from Caleb Douglas, who returned after missing the previous three games with an ankle injury. He made the most of his comeback, hauling in two of three targets for 70 yards and two touchdowns. The offense, as the source of the story makes clear, simply looks different when he’s available.
Greg Dulcich joined the list of bright spots too, especially on National Tight End Day. He caught five passes for 86 yards, which stands as arguably his best performance since joining Miami last season.
But the win wasn’t clean. The secondary had a rough afternoon, with missed assignments throughout the game.
Geno Smith connected on two massive throws to Omar Cooper Jr. for 52 and 60 yards, and later hit Isaiah Davis for 41 yards on a play that set up a Jets touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Miami also continued to struggle against tight ends, with Mason Taylor - the son of Dolphins legend Jason Taylor - posting five catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
He also hauled in the two-point conversion that trimmed the margin to three late.
Jaylen Wright didn’t help the backfield case. While Gordon was busy producing, Wright was held to just eight yards on six carries. He still offers something in the return game when he secures the ball cleanly, but as a runner this season, he’s been a net negative.
In Other News...
Dolphins Need More From A Few Struggling Starters Against The Jets
The Dolphins are heading into their first divisional test of the 2026 season with a familiar kind of urgency, the kind that tends to surface when a handful of starters need cleaner work before the margin gets any thinner. Against the Jets, Miami will be watching the trenches closely, with Austin Jackson carrying a heavy load on the right side and Chris Johnson and Chop Robinson also under the microscope as the Dolphins look to limit the kind of errors that can quickly tilt a division game.
Malik Willis adds another layer to that equation, because Miami needs steadier play from the quarterback spot to keep the offense on schedule against a defense that can make life difficult. The Jets arrive with one of the leagues best pass defenses, so the Dolphins do not have much room for the sloppy stretches that have shown up before. For Miami, the challenge is simple enough to say and hard enough to solve: get more from the players who have been up and down, and do it quickly enough to avoid letting an early divisional game get away. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Face One Trade Deadline Test They May Not Budge On
With the trade deadline approaching, the Dolphins are shaping up as sellers, but one name appears to be off the table for now. ESPN reporters Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport said Miami is expected to listen on some pieces, yet the team views its young edge rush group as part of the future, not a short-term source of help for someone else.
Chop Robinson is the clearest example of that stance. A 2024 first-round pick with multiple years of contract control remaining, he should draw interest from teams looking for pass-rush help, but Miami does not currently plan to move him this season. For a club weighing its deadline options, that kind of line in the sand says plenty about which players it believes still fit into the long view. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Face A Jets Backfield Twist Right Before Kickoff
The Jets are still waiting on Breece Hall, who has not played since Week 3 because of a quadriceps injury and is now unlikely to suit up against the Dolphins in Week 7. There is still a chance he tests the leg in a pregame workout, but for Miami, the more immediate concern is the shape of New Yorks backfield if Hall is unavailable.
Braelon Allen has handled the lead role in Halls absence and is expected to get the start against a Dolphins defense that has shown vulnerability against running backs. If Hall cannot go, Allen would be the one carrying the load again, giving New York a familiar setup right before kickoff and leaving Miami to prepare for a backfield built around a runner who has already taken on a heavier workload. [Read more 🡒]