Behind a breakout debut performance, the Miami Dolphins earned their first win of the season on Monday night over the New York Jets. Unfortunately, it did come at the cost of losing their star player. Here's a look at the winners and losers for Miami from Monday night.
Dolphins winners in first win of 2025 season
Darren Waller
Welcome to Miami, Darren Waller. After not appearing in the Dolphins' first three regular-season games, Waller was giving fans strong Odell Beckham Jr. vibes, and rightfully so.
But in his best "not so fast, my friend" fashion, Waller broke out in his Dolphins debut. After not playing in a game since January 2024, Waller opened the game with a key first-down catch on third down on the opening series. Then, he followed it up by scoring on his next two receptions.
Time will tell if Waller can maintain a viable role in the passing offense, but with Tyreek Hill expected to miss considerable time, it's a good bet that he will.
De'Von Achane
Admittedly, I've omitted De'Von Achane from these winners series because it feels like an expectation. Kind of like refraining from giving Bill Belichick Coach of the Year and Tom Brady MVP honors during those two decades of the Patriots dynasty.
But Achane has been Miami's best player in 2025, and he showed it again on prime time. He came up just one yard short of having a 100-yard rushing game (maybe if the Dolphins hadn't yet again gotten away from a running game that was working) and scored the team's third touchdown.
Achane was not as active in the receiving game as we're used to seeing, but like with Waller, with Hill seemingly out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, his number will continue to be called at a high volume.
Miami's defense
Yes, the Jets still rushed for nearly 200 yards at seven yards per clip and totaled over 400 on the night. And yes, the Jets did the Dolphins several favors by racking up over 100 yards in penalties. But the Dolphins' defense finally did something they hadn't in the three games prior.
Create turnovers.
Three of them, as a matter of fact. Turnovers became the difference in the game. Arguably, the most crucial was the first one that came on New York's opening drive, as cornerback Jack Jones punched it out from Jets running back Braelon Allen as he neared the goal line.
The Jets coughed it up on their next drive as well and then again on the opening kickoff of the second half, really giving the Dolphins momentum in each instance.
Dolphins losers in Week 4 win vs. Jets
Tyreek Hill
It was a gruesome injury for Hill, and early reports indicate that it is as bad as it looked. Hill has reportedly suffered a dislocated knee with multiple ligament tears, including his ACL.
Hill had been playing extremely well up to the injury, having recorded six receptions on as many targets. He looked to be well on his way to a big night. But it was not meant to be.
Hill was quickly taken to a local hospital with a knee injury. He faces a long road to recovery for the 2026 season, and you have to wonder if he played his last snap for the Dolphins.
Mike McDaniel
No.
I realize Mike McDaniel getting his first win of the season could put him in the winners category. At the very least, it could leave him off of the losers section for at least a week.
But no.
The truth is, I had McDaniel penciled in on the negative side of this article as soon as that challenge flag came out of his pocket early in the second quarter. And a six-point victory at home against a 0-4 opponent wasn't enough to swing it.
McDaniel threw the challenge flag for the first time this season following a Jets kick return after Miami had just gone up 10-0. He believed that Allen had potentially lost the ball before going down. The refs, however, ruled the play stand as called. On replay, though, it was pretty clear that Allen was down before the ball was loose. There wasn't anything to warrant throwing the challenge flag, knowing that it wasn't ruled a fumble on the field.
For his career, McDaniel is now 4 of 20 on challenges. You can make the case that it's the one thing he has in common with former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, as Miami has been one of the worst teams in the NFL in successful challenges since the Flores era.
Miami's draft odds and rebuild
In perspective, the odds of the Dolphins ever finishing the season dead last and receiving the No. 1 pick in 2026 are unlikely. Miami still has a lot of talent on this football team and some winnable games upcoming on the schedule. However, a loss to the Jets at Hard Rock Stadium could've led to the ball beginning to roll and the wheels being set in motion on a Dolphins rebuild that is inevitable.
The win on Monday night is a short-term feel-good moment (and it always feels good to beat the Jets). Yet, Miami isn't a playoff team in 2025 -- with or without Hill. And now, they're division counterparts are on track to pick the player of their choosing come next April.
Moreover, Hill's injury essentially hurts the Dolphins' rebuild plans in the early going. The front office has maintained that they hadn't been looking to move Hill in a trade, but assuming Miami stayed well below .500 up to the trade deadline and he continued to play as well as he'd been, No. 10 would've been on the market for contending teams.
Kudos to Hill for seemingly being in good spirits as he was leaving the field. It was a gruesome injury that we never want to see and remains a scary situation. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.