SoFla Guide Editors
Exhale, Miami. The Dolphins are finally on the board, beating the New York Jets 28-25 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, October 25, according to ESPN. Malik Willis was sharp and efficient under center, and the offensive line did its job when it mattered most.
It was not always pretty, and it got a little too close for comfort late. But a win is a win, and this one ended the drought.
How the Dolphins finally broke through
Miami came into Week 7 at 0-5, NFL.com reported, so this one had been a long time coming. The game aired on CBS, which means a lot of South Florida living rooms got to watch the streak die in real time.
The star was Willis. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Yahoo Sports), he finished 14-of-21 for 208 yards with two touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown and no interceptions, good for a 130.7 passer rating. That is a clean stat line, the kind that makes your uncle at the cafecito window nod approvingly.
Both of Willis’s touchdown throws went to rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas, ESPN reported. The first was a 7-yard score in the first quarter. The second was a 63-yard strike in the fourth quarter, the kind of play that gets replayed all week on local TV.
The ground game did plenty of heavy lifting too, helping the Dolphins control the clock by holding the ball for 34:36 compared to the Jets’ 25:24.
The second-half sweat
For a while it looked like a cruise. Miami led 21-7 at halftime, according to ESPN.
Then came the nervous part. The Jets outscored the Dolphins 18-7 after the break, ESPN reported, and cut the deficit to three on a Geno Smith touchdown pass to Mason Taylor, followed by a successful two-point conversion. That made it 28-25, and every Dolphins fan in the 305 and 954 started pacing.
Miami held on. After the start this team has had, nobody is complaining about style points.
Austin Jackson’s big day
One of the quieter wins on Sunday came at right tackle. Austin Jackson, whom the Miami Dolphins official site lists as a 2020 first-round pick (18th overall) out of USC who has been with the team since 2020, drew a tough assignment against Jets rookie edge rusher David Bailey.
Bailey came into the game with 5.0 sacks, according to the Sun Sentinel. He left it with 0.5 sacks and four tackles. For a lineman, keeping a hot pass rusher mostly quiet is about as good as it gets, and it clearly helped give Willis time to work.
The Willis and Hafley connection
Willis landed in Miami as an unrestricted free agent on March 12, 2026, according to the Dolphins’ official site, after stints with the Tennessee Titans (2022-23) and Green Bay Packers (2024-25).
Head coach Jeff Hafley spoke about knowing Willis well. “Malik was our scout team quarterback for most of the year so I got a chance to work really closely with him,” Hafley said, via the Palm Beach Post (via Yahoo Sports).
It was a meaningful day for Hafley personally, too. The Sun Sentinel’s David Furones summed it up in a headline: “Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley earns first NFL win back home in New Jersey.”
The offense runs through coordinator Bobby Slowik, who the Dolphins’ official site says was promoted to the job from senior passing game coordinator, a role he held in 2025, under Hafley.
What it means for the rest of the season
Let’s keep it real. One win does not erase a winless start. But Sunday showed a recipe that worked: a balanced attack, a quarterback who protected the football, a rookie receiver making big plays and a line that held up against a dangerous rusher.
If Miami can lean on the run like this, grinding out yards and winning the time-of-possession battle, it keeps opposing offenses on the sideline. That is a formula worth repeating.
The bigger question is whether the second-half fade was a blip or a warning sign. Letting a comfortable halftime lead shrink to three points is the kind of thing coaches will be grinding on in the film room this week.
For now, though, South Florida gets to enjoy it. The goose egg is gone, Willis had his best moment yet in aqua and orange, and Hafley has his first NFL win. After the way this season started, that feels like a pretty good Sunday.
