The Miami Dolphins entered Week 7 with a 0-5 record and looked like a team in a rebuild. Over the first five games, they showed flashes of success, but mistakes erased any gains. Facing the New York Jets after the bye week, Miami came out looking like a very different team.
Miami scored on the opening drive, taking a lead for the first time this season. After the Jets tied the game on their first possession, Miami answered with a second first-quarter touchdown. They added another score in the second quarter,
before battling through a lull in the third quarter only to open it back up in the fourth and put the game away.
The Dolphins are still a team that is looking to establish their foundation and build for 2027 and beyond, but on Sunday, they looked much more like a team that can put together a full-game performance this season and, for the first time this season, they put a mark in the win column.
Final Score
Dolphins 28 – 25 Jets
Immediate reactions
Snap Winners and Losers
Winners
Greg Dulcich, tight end – On National Tight Ends Day, Dulcich came to play. He caught five passes for 87 yards in the first half. The Jets shut him down in the second half, but Dulcich’s first-half performance was the spark that started a fire for Miami’s offense.
Malik Willis, quarterback – A lot has been said over the past couple of weeks about how Willis, in his first year as a starting quarterback, needs to play better. Just as much needs to be said this week about how well he played in this game. He was decisive. He was accurate. And he was not afraid to use his legs to make plays. He finished the game 14-for-21 for 208 yards, along with six runs for 39 yards. He had two passing touchdowns and a rushing score.
Ollie Gordon II, running back – The Dolphins running game was supposed to stall out with the injury to De’Von Achane. Gordon has not just stepped up, but has flourished. Against the Jets, he carried the ball 25 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. He has been outstanding in Achane’s absence and Miami will continue to feed him the ball throughout the season.
Losers
Note: “Losers” is not a judgment on the talent or character of any individual. It is simply a categorization of the play in one game – no disrespect is intended or should be inferred.
The Jets – They lost. That is pretty straightforward. I cannot wait to see the fall-off in the SB Nation Reacts fan confidence survey at Gang Green Nation this week. This was written off as an easy win for the Jets, only for everything to go Miami’s way.
Immediate thoughts
The bye week adjustments worked…
What a difference from the team that headed into the bye week. Miami’s offense came out executing everything they wanted to do this week. Head coach Jeff Hafley said they would do self-scouting over the bye and figure out what adjustments they needed. He was not lying. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik called a great game. Quarterback Malik Willis was decisive. The first-half offense looked much better this week than at any point through the team’s first five games. Miami led 21-7 at the break and had gained 231 yards.
…until the halftime break…
The second half was a completely different story for the Dolphins’ offense. The came out of the break with a five-yard three-and-out, then a nine-play, 28 yard drive that ended with a punt, followed by another three-and-out, this time picking up two yards. Miami’s first three drives of the half averaged 2.9 yards per play. That won’t cut it.
…only for Caleb Douglas to turn it around.
Miami’s fourth possession of the second half began with a five-yard run from Gordon and a five-yard holding penalty against the Jets. Then Gordon picked up three more yards on a run. Miami looked like the struggles were continuing when Willis dropped back and was immediately under pressure, but he dumped the ball short to rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas, and Douglas tip-toed his way down the sideline for the 63-yard score. Miami’s lead was extended to 28-17 and the early second-half struggles were forgotten.
It was not perfect, but it was enough
The Dolphins jumped out to a lead, held on through a second-half salvo from the Jets, and then did enough to win. It was not always pretty, but when it was, it was gorgeous. There were issues at nearly every position group, but there was also greatness at nearly every position group. This is what Miami needs to expect every week – learn from the mistakes, make corrections, and keep moving forward.
