Dolphins 28, Jets 25: Willis, Gordon, and Hafley's First Win

October 25, 2026 - East Rutherford - Jeff Hafley had a towel around his neck and water still in his hair. His players had just dumped him in a locker room that had not won a game all year. The Miami Dolphins beat the New York Jets 28-25 at MetLife Stadium, and the first win of the Hafley era came in New Jersey, where he is from.

Miami is 1-5. New York is 2-5. Malik Willis threw two touchdowns and ran for one. Ollie Gordon II ran 25 times for 103 and a score. De'Von Achane was not the lead back in this box. Tua Tagovailoa is in Atlanta this year. That is why Willis was under center.

Geno Smith went 23 of 30 for 287, three scores, and one pick. It was almost enough. It was not.

21-7 at the half, and a kick off the post

Miami scored on the first drive. Willis hit Malik Washington for 12. Gordon broke 25. Greg Dulcich took 32 to first-and-goal. Willis found Caleb Douglas from 7, Douglas's first NFL touchdown, the Dolphins wrote. Zane Gonzalez kicked. 7-0.

Smith answered in a hurry. Omar Cooper Jr. took 52. Mason Taylor scored from 13. 7-7.

Jaylen Wright returned the next kick 39 yards to the Miami 40, the club said. Willis converted fourth-and-1. Gordon finished from a yard. 14-7.

New York reached the 21. Michael Taaffe intercepted Smith. Miami punted the takeaway back. Then the Dolphins went 15 plays and 91 yards. Dulcich had 15- and 16-yard catches on the drive. Willis scrambled left on second-and-goal. 21-7 at the half.

The Dolphins said the Jets had one first-half drive longer than four plays, 28 rushing yards, and 86 passing. nflverse ends the afternoon with Braelon Allen as the lead back. Breece Hall was not the volume in this box. Allen ran 17 times for 104 and caught six for 30. Garrett Wilson had two for 26.

Malik Herring sacked Smith for six to open the third. Jason Sanders then missed from 40, off the right post, the Dolphins wrote. nflverse lists that miss at 40 and the later make at 33. 21-7 stayed 21-7.

Cooper Jr. took 60. He scored from short range after that. 21-14. New York reached first-and-goal again. Zach Sieler and Josh Uche stacked tackles for loss. Chop Robinson sacked Smith for 12. Sanders made 33. 21-17.

63 yards, then fourth-and-1

Willis needed one more shot. On the third play of a series with six minutes left, he hit Douglas down the sideline for 63. Gonzalez made it 28-17 with 4:55 left, the Dolphins wrote.

Smith found Isaiah Davis for 41 on fourth-and-4, the AP said. Three plays later Taylor scored from 12, his second. Smith threw the two-point conversion. nflverse credits Smith with the pass and Taylor with the catch. 28-25.

Miami still had to convert. Fourth-and-1. Willis pushed two yards up the middle, the AP wrote. The Dolphins ran the rest of the clock. Willis finished 14 of 21 for 208, a 130.7 rating, eight carries for 37, and that sneak. Gordon had the 103. Dulcich caught five for 86. Douglas had two catches, 70 yards, both scores.

Cooper Jr. caught five for 115 and a score. Taylor had five for 62 and two. Isaiah Davis caught three for 49, including the 41-yarder that set up the last score. Minkah Fitzpatrick and Dane Belton each had six solos. Nate Lynn had a sack. David Bailey and Kingsley Enagbare split another.

Jordyn Brooks led Miami with nine tackles, five solos, two for loss, the club said. nflverse has him at five solos and two TFL. The Dolphins listed 55 tackles and six quarterback hits as a defense. Zeek Biggers had a pass deflection. Jaylen Wright added six rushes for 8 after the kick return. Malik Washington caught three for 27.

NFL.com's Week 7 wrap credited Willis for moving chains and finding chemistry with Dulcich, Chris Bell, and Douglas. It also noted Ollie Gordon's work with Achane out, and the pass rush that hurried Smith. Chop Robinson's 12-yard sack was the play that turned a Jets goal-to-go into a field goal.

The AP called it Miami's first lead of the season, at any point, and the first win that avoided an 0-6 start since 2019. Hafley got doused. He wiped his face and took the questions anyway.

Miami hosts New England on Nov. 1. The Jets host Las Vegas that afternoon, the AP wrote.

AthX Engine on a first-win box

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 7 line in. Willis is 43.89, the top total in this game. Smith is 40.96. Taaffe is 40.50. Cooper Jr. is 37.25. Taylor is 37.00. Allen is 36.50. Miami's team line is 66.75. New York's is 18.50.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Dolphins quarterback who is not Tua, and for a Jets offense that threw for 287 in a loss. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Smith, Wilson, Brooks, Sieler, and both clubs on the marketplace. Miami hosts New England. The Jets host Las Vegas.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), Dolphins.com, NFL.com Week 7 wrap. ESPN, the Dolphins, AP, and nflverse agree on 28-25. AthX Engine Week 7 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*