The Miami Dolphins beat the New York Jets 28-25 on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, with Malik Willis accounting for three touchdowns and Caleb Douglas hauling in a 63-yard score in the fourth quarter to seal it. The win moved Miami to 1-5 on the season, while New York fell to 2-5.
Willis finished 14 of 21 for 208 yards and two passing touchdowns, adding a rushing score of his own, while Ollie Gordon II ran for 103 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. New York’s Geno Smith threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted once by Michael Taaffe, a turnover that proved costly as the Jets tried to rally from a 21-7 halftime deficit.
Key Moments: How Miami Built Its Lead
Miami jumped ahead early when Willis found Douglas for a 7-yard touchdown with 10:53 left in the first quarter. The Jets answered on their next possession as Smith connected with Mason Taylor from 13 yards out to tie it at 7-7. Gordon’s 1-yard touchdown run with 1:02 left in the opening quarter put the Dolphins back in front, and Willis capped the first-half scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run with six seconds remaining, making it 21-7 at the break.
New York cut into the lead in the third quarter when Smith hit Omar Cooper Jr. for a 3-yard score, trimming the margin to 21-14. The Jets pulled within four points early in the fourth on a 33-yard field goal from Jason Sanders. Miami answered with the decisive blow when Willis hit Douglas deep for a 63-yard touchdown with 4:44 to play, pushing the lead back to 28-17.
Smith and Taylor connected again on a 12-yard touchdown with 3:24 remaining, and Smith added a two-point conversion pass to Taylor to make it 28-25. The Jets did not get the ball back in time to complete the comeback.
Top Performers From Both Sidelines
Willis led Miami’s offense with 208 passing yards and two touchdown throws, completing 14 of 21 attempts without an interception. Gordon added 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, and Douglas turned just two catches into 70 yards and two scores, including the 63-yard dagger. Greg Dulcich led Miami in receptions with five catches for 86 yards.
For the Jets, Smith completed 23 of 30 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, though his lone interception came at a critical juncture. Braelon Allen ran for 104 yards on 17 carries, and Cooper finished with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. Mason Taylor caught two of Smith’s three touchdown passes. Minkah Fitzpatrick paced the Jets defense with 10 tackles, while Jordyn Brooks led Miami with nine tackles.
What The Numbers Show
New York out-gained Miami 377 total yards to 360 and held a significant edge in yards per play, 7.1 to 5.6. The Jets also converted 7 of 13 third downs compared to Miami’s 5 of 12. But Miami controlled the clock with 41 rushing attempts to New York’s 21, and the Dolphins went a perfect 3 for 3 in the red zone and 3 for 3 on fourth down, winning the possession battle in the game’s most important moments. Miami’s lone turnover-free afternoon offset New York’s one giveaway, the interception that halted a Jets drive.
What It Means
The result keeps Miami in last place in the AFC East at 1-5, still well behind the division-leading Buffalo Bills at 5-1. New York dropped to 2-5 and third in the division, trailing New England at 4-2. Both teams remain outside playoff position through seven weeks, but the win snapped a stretch of close losses for the Dolphins and gave Willis his best statistical outing of the season as Miami’s starting quarterback.
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