Things got a little hairy in the second half, but the Miami Dolphins finally earned their first victory of the season with a 28-25 win over the New York Jets. Head coach Jeff Hafley can officially call himself a winning coach in the NFL, at least for a week. While this was one of the games that many Dolphins fans likely circled on the calendar when searching for potential wins this season, it was far from a layup.
Not only was it a road game, but the Jets have been better this year than many were expecting. Their 2-4 record coming into this game wasn't anything special, but only one of those losses was by more than one score.
Regardless of how "good" this win is or isn't, it's got to feel great for the Dolphins to come out of their bye week by finally getting the job done. Here are the initial reactions to Miami's victory over the Jets.
Malik Willis, Caleb Douglas dominate in Miami Dolphins first win of 2026
Caleb Douglas wasted no time making his presence felt
If I had told you that Caleb Douglas only got three targets and two receptions in his first game back from his ankle injury, you would be forgiven for thinking he didn't make much of an impact. Instead, both of his catches went for touchdowns, including a 63-yard catch-and-run that put the Dolphins up for good.
He displayed the ability to win one-on-one that the rest of the receiving corps failed to do in his absence, and he should only get more involved as the season moves along.
Malik Willis finally looked the player the Dolphins were hoping to get
Malik Willis has struggled for the majority of his first season in Miami, understandably so given the state of the roster. Still, many of his errors have been self-inflicted, especially his issues when pressured. Against the Jets, he was much more decisive with the football.
Whether it was getting the ball out of his hands quickly or taking off once he felt pressure closing in, he made the offense flow much better than at any other point this season. It wasn't spectacular all day, and he had a few missed throws, but this version of Willis is what fans were hoping to see when he signed with Miami this offseason.
Dolphins' running game is legit
Even without star running back De'Von Achane, Miami has stayed committed to the run game this season. Before this game, Miami had the same number of pass attempts (130) as rush attempts, according to Pro Football Reference. They made it even clearer against the Jets that they want to be a physical, run-first offense, racking up 156 yards on a whopping 41 attempts.
Ollie Gordon II had his second 100-yard game of the year, and Malik Willis had a few timely scrambles to keep drives alive. Jaylen Wright struggled in his limited opportunities (just eight yards on six carries), but the run game did its job to help earn Miami their first win of the season.
Dolphins defense was inconsistent, but they made enough plays to win
There were some pretty low moments from the defense in this game, particularly in the second half. Outside of a big catch-and-run from rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr., Miami was able to keep the Jets' offense in check in the first half, allowing just seven points.
After halftime, the Jets started finding success by leaning on Cooper Jr. and tight end Mason Taylor, as well as getting a few nice runs from Braelon Allen. Luckily for Miami, a stellar goal-line stand and a few pressures from their defensive line were enough to allow the offense to ice the game late. The defense will need to play a lot better against most teams for the Dolphins to win, but we have already seen them play better than this in previous weeks. I think they will be just fine.
Dolphins finally played a (relatively) clean game
Penalties and turnovers are often part of the deal when your roster is as young as Miami's, but it was clearly something that they spent time working on during their bye week. The Dolphins had a season-low five penalties for just 25 yards, and they didn't turn the ball over for the first time since Week 2.
Willis was careful with the football as both a runner and passer, and the entire team was much more sound overall. Miami is already going to be at a talent disadvantage in every game they play, so avoiding unforced errors is going to be critical if they want to have any success this year. Even if it's just one week, it was good to see them do that in this game.
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