The Dolphins finally got a win, and Malik Willis is making sure nobody in the locker room gets too comfortable with it.
Willis said the first victory of the season mattered, but not enough to change the bigger picture. “ We’re 1-5, so it’s not like we won the Super Bowl,” Willis said, via PFT.
“ We’ve got to continue to get better, continue to work. We want to stack more of those, and to do that we’ve got to continue to get better from what we put on tape this past week and the weeks before that.
That’s what’s important, keeping the focus on let’s try to go 1-0 this week. That’s what it’s about now.”
He said the approach has to stay the same whether the result is a win or a loss.
“ Just continue to focus, 24 hours after the game, you’ve got to focus on the next week, ” Willis added. “ We’ve got another game coming this week, and if we’re stuck worrying about that, we won’t get any better.
We lost five games in a row and we continued to get better, so after we win a game we have to try to get better. ”
The celebration was there, though. Willis said the team took a moment to enjoy the breakthrough together after the game.
“ We did a good job celebrating as a team in the locker room after the game, ” Willis said. “ That’s when you have the most excitement, the most joy from putting it out there, putting it on the line for 60 minutes.
All the guys celebrated and we had a good time. ”
In New York, the Jets are hearing plenty of interest around defensive end Will McDonald IV, but the message from the organization has not changed: he’s not going anywhere. SI.com’s Albert Breer reported that the Jets have gotten “significant interest” in McDonald, while staying firm that they are not moving him.
Breer also said any chatter about a Garrett Wilson trade is not coming from the team. The Jets, according to Breer, don’t view Wilson as available.
As for the coaching staff, Breer added that the Jets “seem determined” to give their staff the rest of the season.
In New England, A.J. Brown is still working his way back after the high-ankle sprain that sidelined him. Since returning from injured reserve, he has played in two games, and he acknowledged that the explosiveness is still coming back.
“Yeah, sometimes, you know, I see it, and sometimes, I’m pushing through,” Brown said, via Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal. “But none of that stuff even matters. I’m out here, so I’m going.”
Brown said his focus with the Patriots offense is less about feeling perfect and more about staying on the field and competing.
In Other News...
Dolphins O-Line Momentum Suddenly Hinges On A New Concern Up Front
Miamis offensive line has spent much of the season trying to find some stability, and the guard play has been a big reason the Dolphins have been able to lean on the run game. Kadyn Proctor and Jonah Savaiinaea have both logged heavy snap counts, and even with penalties and PFF grades that have dipped below league average at times, their presence has helped keep the interior moving in the right direction. Savaiinaeas return from an ankle injury has been especially important after the line had to absorb some early-season shuffling.
Now the momentum up front faces a fresh test with Proctor unavailable for Week 8 because of a concussion. For a unit that has already had to manage injuries while trying to build chemistry, losing one of its most-used guards adds another layer of uncertainty at exactly the wrong time. Miami has gotten enough from the pair to matter in the rushing attack, but the next stretch will show whether that progress can hold if the lineup has to change again. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Willis Forced A Tough Dolphins Sideline Conversation After Costly Mistake
A promising third-down sequence against New England took a sharp turn for Miami after Ollie Gordon II was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct following a short run, turning a manageable spot into a much tougher one for the offense. In the heat of the moment, Malik Willis made sure the message was heard on the sideline, confronting Gordon about the mistake and stressing the kind of accountability that can keep a drive from slipping away.
Willis did not leave it there, though. Even while calling out the error, he backed Gordon as a teammate and made clear the issue was about cleaning up the details, not creating a divide, which is the sort of exchange that can matter in a tight game and, just as importantly, in a locker room trying to stay connected as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Let Another Sloppy Patriots Loss Spiral In The Second Half
A wet, sloppy Week 8 loss in New England left the Dolphins staring at another game that got away in the second half, this one a 24-19 defeat that pushed the Patriots to their fifth win of the season. Miami had to navigate a Patriots offense missing A.J. Brown and TreVeyon Henderson, but the bigger issue was how quickly the game tilted once the conditions and the pressure started to pile up.
Drake Maye made the most of a clean, efficient day, going 16 of 20 for 207 yards and three touchdowns while the Patriots kept Miami under constant stress up front. The Patriots also lost tight end Hunter Henry to a foot injury and never got him back, but their defense still found enough disruption to keep the Dolphins from turning the game into a late comeback. [Read more 🡒]