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The Jets Gave Miami Its First Lead of the Year and their First Win

The Miami Dolphins (1-5) earned their first victory of the season with a 28-25 win over the New York Jets (2-5) at MetLife Stadium on October 25, 2026, as Malik Willis accounted for three touchdowns and rookie Caleb Douglas delivered the decisive 63-yard score to spoil New York’s late comeback.

Quarter-by-Quarter

Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIA 14 7 0 7 28
NYJ 7 0 7 11 25

Miami went five games without leading for a single second, but apparently all the Dolphins needed was a trip to MetLife Stadium. Malik Willis connected with rookie Caleb Douglas for a seven-yard touchdown on the opening drive, giving Miami its first lead of the season. Ollie Gordon II added a rushing score, and Willis capped a 91-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to build a 21-7 halftime advantage. New York fought back, cutting the deficit to four before Douglas delivered the knockout punch. Returning from a three-game absence, the rookie caught a short pass under pressure, escaped Minkah Fitzpatrick and raced 63 yards for his second touchdown. Willis finished with 208 passing yards and three total touchdowns, while Gordon rushed for 103 yards in De’Von Achane’s absence. Greg Dulcich added 86 receiving yards, and a late fourth-down conversion sealed Jeff Hafley’s first victory as Miami’s head coach.

New York’s offense had its moments, but the Jets somehow found another way to lose a game they had every opportunity to win. Geno Smith threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, with rookie Omar Cooper Jr. contributing 115 receiving yards and Mason Taylor catching two touchdowns. Braelon Allen rushed for 104 yards while Breece Hall remained sidelined. However, Smith’s costly red-zone interception to Michael Taaffe and a failed goal-line opportunity forced New York to settle for three points when it desperately needed seven. Garrett Wilson managed just two catches for 26 yards, while the defense surrendered 156 rushing yards and failed to force a turnover. Despite averaging 7.1 yards per play, the Jets dropped to 2-5, leaving Aaron Glenn winless in eight AFC East games as head coach. Losing at home to a team that hadn’t even held a lead all season is a particularly rough look.

Postgame Statistical Breakdown

Team Stats

Stat Miami Dolphins New York Jets
Final Score 28 25
Total Offensive Yards 360 377
Passing Yards 204 269
Rushing Yards 156 108
Total Plays 64 53
Yards Per Play 5.6 7.1
First Downs 24 19
Third Downs 5-12 7-13
Third-Down % 41.7% 53.8%
Fourth Downs 3-3 2-2
Passing TDs 2 3
Rushing TDs 2 0
Total Offensive TDs 4 3
Turnovers 0 1
Interceptions Thrown 0 1
Fumbles Lost 0 0
Sacks Allowed 2 2
Penalties 5 6
Penalty Yards 26 36
Time of Possession 34:36 25:24

Passing

Miami Dolphins

  1. Malik Willis — 14/21, 66.7%, 208 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT, 9.9 YPA, 2 SACK, 130.7 RTG

New York Jets

  1. Geno Smith — 23/30, 76.7%, 287 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT, 9.6 YPA, 2 SACK, 125.3 RTG

Rushing

Miami Dolphins

  1. Ollie Gordon II — 25 CAR, 103 YDS, 4.1 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 25
  2. Malik Willis — 8 CAR, 37 YDS, 4.6 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 12

New York Jets

  1. Braelon Allen — 17 CAR, 104 YDS, 6.1 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 27
  2. Isaiah Davis — 1 CAR, 5 YDS, 5.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 5

Receiving

Miami Dolphins

  1. Greg Dulcich — 5 REC, 5 TGT, 86 YDS, 17.2 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 32
  2. Caleb Douglas — 2 REC, 3 TGT, 70 YDS, 35.0 AVG, 2 TD, LONG 63
  3. Malik Washington — 3 REC, 3 TGT, 27 YDS, 9.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 12
  4. Chris Bell — 3 REC, 4 TGT, 25 YDS, 8.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 9
  5. Ollie Gordon II — 1 REC, 3 TGT, 0 YDS, 0.0 AVG, 0 TD

New York Jets

  1. Omar Cooper Jr. — 5 REC, 5 TGT, 115 YDS, 23.0 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 60
  2. Mason Taylor — 5 REC, 6 TGT, 62 YDS, 12.4 AVG, 2 TD, LONG 20
  3. Isaiah Davis — 3 REC, 3 TGT, 49 YDS, 16.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 41
  4. Braelon Allen — 6 REC, 7 TGT, 30 YDS, 5.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 7
  5. Garrett Wilson — 2 REC, 3 TGT, 26 YDS, 13.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 19

Scoring Plays

Qtr Clock Team Play Score
Q1 10:53 Miami Dolphins Caleb Douglas 7-yard pass from Malik Willis (Zane Gonzalez kick) MIA 7, NYJ 0
Q1 8:37 New York Jets Mason Taylor 13-yard pass from Geno Smith (Jason Sanders kick) MIA 7, NYJ 7
Q1 0:58 Miami Dolphins Ollie Gordon II 1-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick) MIA 14, NYJ 7
Q2 0:06 Miami Dolphins Malik Willis 2-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick) MIA 21, NYJ 7
Q3 5:50 New York Jets Omar Cooper Jr. 3-yard pass from Geno Smith (Jason Sanders kick) MIA 21, NYJ 14
Q4 8:57 New York Jets Jason Sanders 33-yard field goal MIA 21, NYJ 17
Q4 4:44 Miami Dolphins Caleb Douglas 63-yard pass from Malik Willis (Zane Gonzalez kick) MIA 28, NYJ 17
Q4 3:24 New York Jets Mason Taylor 12-yard pass from Geno Smith (Geno Smith pass to Mason Taylor for Two-Point Conversion) MIA 28, NYJ 25

Defense

Miami Dolphins

  1. Jordyn Brooks — 9 TOT, 5 SOLO, 2 TFL
  2. Chop Robinson — 2 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 2 QBH
  3. Michael Taaffe — 3 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 INT, 1 PD
  4. Malik Herring — 1 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 2 QBH
  5. Zach Sieler — 5 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 QBH
  6. Chris Johnson — 5 TOT, 4 SOLO, 1 QBH
  7. Dante Trader Jr. — 7 TOT, 4 SOLO
  8. Josh Uche — 5 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL
  9. Zayne Anderson — 4 TOT, 2 SOLO
  10. Jackson Woodard — 4 TOT, 1 SOLO

New York Jets

  1. Jamien Sherwood — 8 TOT, 4 SOLO, 2 TFL, 2 PD
  2. Nate Lynn — 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 1 QBH
  3. David Bailey — 4 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 TFL, 0.5 SACK, 1 QBH
  4. Minkah Fitzpatrick — 10 TOT, 6 SOLO
  5. Dane Belton — 9 TOT, 6 SOLO
  6. Kingsley Enagbare — 6 TOT, 0.5 SACK, 1 QBH
  7. Azareye’h Thomas — 7 TOT, 2 SOLO
  8. Brandon Stephens — 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 2 PD
  9. Demario Davis — 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 2 PD
  10. Harrison Phillips — 6 TOT, 2 SOLO

Kick Returns

Miami Dolphins

  1. Jaylen Wright — 5 KR, 131 YDS, 26.2 AVG, LONG 39, 0 TD

New York Jets

  1. Malik McClain — 1 KR, 28 YDS, 28.0 AVG, LONG 28, 0 TD

Punt Returns

Miami Dolphins

  1. Malik Washington — 1 PR, 13 YDS, 13.0 AVG, LONG 13, 0 TD

New York Jets

  1. Isaiah Williams — 1 PR, 7 YDS, 7.0 AVG, LONG 7, 0 TD
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