SoFla Guide Editors
Jeff Hafley isn’t flinching on Malik Willis. The Dolphins head coach says his quarterback should be ready for Sunday’s divisional trip to face the New York Jets, where a winless Miami team will try, once again, to get that first number into the left side of the standings. The catch? The pass rush that was supposed to carry this team has barely laid a finger on anybody.
The quarterback question
Hafley said on October 19 that Willis was dealing with a minor injury during the bye week and did not throw at practice, according to Yahoo Sports. The coach did not sound worried about it.
“I foresee him being good to go,” Hafley said, per Yahoo Sports.
That’s become a familiar tone from the head man. ESPN reported that Hafley said Willis has his “total confidence and faith” after Willis’s Dolphins debut, a game in which the quarterback was sacked five times. Not exactly a gentle welcome to South Florida.
Willis arrived this offseason after two seasons as a backup with the Green Bay Packers. He’s the face of a full reset in Miami Gardens: the Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa before the season, and Hafley was hired to replace Mike McDaniel.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik also went to bat for his quarterback. Speaking on October 22, Slowik discussed Willis and the passing offense, the Dolphins’ official site reported. Slowik added that over the last two weeks, Willis has been performing his role “at a much more consistent level,” according to the team site.
Consistency is nice. Protection would be nicer. Opponents recorded 14 sacks against Miami’s offense through five games, per NFL.com team stats. Whoever is under center on Sunday will want a little more time back there.
So, about that pass rush
Here’s where things get uncomfortable. Entering the season, the pass rush was projected as a team strength, Sports Illustrated’s All Dolphins reported. Six weeks in, it looks more like a missing persons case.
It took a while to get on the board at all. SI.com’s All Dolphins reported that Miami did not record its first sack until the opening snap of its fourth game of the season. The outlet also reported that the Dolphins have the NFL’s second-worst sack rate through Week 6.
Chop Robinson, the 2024 first-round pick who was supposed to be part of the solution, has hit a dry spell. According to All Dolphins, Robinson had not recorded a sack since Week 2 against the New England Patriots and was averaging just one quarterback pressure per game through the bye, per Pro Football Focus.
For a defense that needs to make an opposing quarterback uncomfortable, that’s a lot of quiet afternoons.
What it means for South Florida
Nobody in Dolphins Nation needs reminding of the record, but here it is anyway: Miami entered Week 7 at 0-5, according to All Dolphins. The national pundits have noticed. The outlet reported that Miami ranked 31st overall in national power rankings, with an average ranking of 31.2 across 10 major outlets.
That’s a long way from the preseason optimism, and it puts real weight on Sunday. A win over a division rival wouldn’t fix everything, but it would give the coaching staff something tangible to point to after weeks of backing their quarterback with words. It would also give fans a reason to stop doom-scrolling the standings on Monday morning.
The bye week, which came in Week 6 right before the Jets matchup according to Yahoo Sports, was the chance to regroup. Now we find out what Miami did with it.
What’s next
The Dolphins head north to face the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It’s a divisional game, which means the result carries a little extra sting either way.
The storylines to watch are pretty clear. Can Willis, fresh off a minor injury that kept him from throwing during the bye, back up his coaches’ faith with a steadier performance? Can the offensive line give him enough time to do it? And can a pass rush that was supposed to be this team’s calling card finally show up and make some noise?
Hafley and Slowik have made their position clear. They believe in their guy. On Sunday, Miami gets another shot to turn that belief into win No. 1.
