Dolphins Secure First Win of the Season With 28-25 Victory Over Jets

The Miami Dolphins earned their first victory of the 2026 NFL season on Sunday afternoon, defeating the New York Jets 28-25 in an entertaining divisional matchup at a raucous MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Coming off their bye week, the Dolphins avoided a 0-6 start and secured the first win for head coach Jeff Hafley.

Miami set the tone early in the contest. Malik Willis marched the Dolphins down the field on a seven-play, 76-yard opening drive, capping the possession with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Douglas. The score marked the first time Miami had held a lead during any game all season. The Jets answered swiftly when Geno Smith connected with Mason Taylor for a touchdown, knotting the score at 7-7 in the first quarter.

The Dolphins continued to control the tempo through the first half. A long, methodical 14-play drive resulted in a one-yard rushing touchdown by Ollie Gordon II. Following a red-zone interception thrown by Smith, Miami capitalized again right before halftime when Willis scrambled for a two-yard score with just six seconds remaining, sending the visitors into the locker room with a commanding 21-7 advantage while the Jets walked off to boos from the home crowd.

New York showed resilience in the second half. Omar Cooper sparked the offense with a breakout performance, hauling in a touchdown catch later in the third quarter to narrow the deficit to 21-14. After a missed field goal by Jason Sanders and a goal-line stand that forced the Jets to settle for a short field goal, Miami struck back when Willis delivered a backbreaking 63-yard touchdown pass to Douglas, pushing the lead to 28-17 with 4:44 remaining.

The Jets mounted a desperate late rally. Smith found Taylor for their second scoring connection of the day, followed immediately by a successful two-point conversion pass between the pair to cut the margin to 28-25 with 3:24 left on the clock. However, New York never got the ball back. Facing a crucial fourth-and-one at the Jets 48-yard line with two minutes remaining and no timeouts, Willis pushed forward for the necessary yardage to ice the game and seal the win.

For the Dolphins, Willis finished 14 of 21 for 208 yards and two touchdowns through the air while adding 37 yards and a score on eight rushing attempts. Gordon contributed 103 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Despite the loss, Smith had a strong statistical outing for New York, completing 23 of 30 passes for 287 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, while Braelon Allen rushed for 104 yards.

The outcome drops the Jets to a disappointing 2-5 record on the campaign, severely denting their realistic playoff aspirations. Meanwhile, the victory leaves the Los Angeles Chargers as the sole remaining winless team in the NFL. Next week, the Dolphins will return home to host the New England Patriots, while the Jets remain at MetLife Stadium to face the Las Vegas Raiders.