The Miami Dolphins must quickly fill the void after losing Tyreek Hill to a serious knee injury.

Pressure Point: Dolphins must adjust quickly to reality without Tyreek Hill

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Granted, any win in the NFL is a hard day’s work.

The Miami Dolphins can feel accomplished that they are finally proud owners of one in 2025. It came with a steep price, though, losing their most impactful player in a 27-21 conquest of the winless New York Jets on Monday night.

The term for that is pyrrhic victory.

This one will be remembered only for the loss of five-time All Pro receiver Tyreek Hill to a devastating knee injury, certainly for the season, quite possibly forever.

Harsh reality sets in rapidly in a league whose initials could stand for Not For Long.

The 1-3 Dolphins can point to improvement over the past six quarters of play, including the second half at Buffalo. Whether that is a genuine turn for the better is inconclusive at best.

As for Monday, the difference was a recovered fumble at the goal line against a team whose performance was so inept its coach could be heard afterward by media members bellowing behind closed doors.

Rarely does an NFL team play as stupidly for 60 minutes as the Jets did Monday. They had 13 assessed penalties, three turnovers and committed a slew of mental errors.

Jets’ epic ineptitude aided Dolphins

Jets fans were calling for the head of Isaiah Williams, who fumbled away the second-half kickoff and called for a fair catch at his own 2 yard line in the final minute.

Jets running back Breece Hall summed up the evening well with “Teams shoot themselves in the foot, then we come back and shoot ourselves in the head.”

Quite frankly, the Dolphins also were beneficiaries of several questionable rulings by the officials.

What, then, was revealed about the Dolphins in holding off one of the league’s most dysfunctional teams?

Again, inconclusive.

One thing to say with conviction, I actually liked the Dolphins’ “Dark Water” rivalry uniforms. They looked badass, a quality this team has lacked.

The defense did answer coordinator Anthony Weaver’s demand for a more “violent” approach. They created turnovers for the first time this season. Cornerback Jack Jones punched the ball free just before Braelon Allen crossed the goal line on the Jets’ opening drive and Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered.

But prior to the fumble, Fitzpatrick accurately noted, “They were running the ball with ease.” The safety acknowledged, “When a team is running the ball like that, especially on the first drive of the game, it can be super deflating.”

Dolphins defense still getting run over

Although they got better after that, Miami’s defense still allowed 404 yards total offense, including 197 on the ground (7.1 yards per attempt).

There was a lot of violent head turning as Jets backs ran past.

The pass rush had trouble reaching and containing Justin Fields, who scampered away for a 43-yard touchdown.

The Miami defense needs more examples like linebacker Jordyn Brooks (18 tackles). Cornerback, a position of concern, has actually been passable with Jones and Rasul Douglas.

But whether the Dolphins can beat anyone better than the Jets with this defense is: inconclusive.

That their grip on this one remained uncomfortable until the end is concerning. But there are positives to cite.

In the immediate aftermath of Hill’s departure on a cart, joking and waving, the Dolphins responded with back to back touchdown drives. They uncovered an intriguing new offensive force in the Dolphins debut of massive tight end Darren Waller, a target so expansive that Tua Tagovailoa will be hard pressed to overthrow him.

“I mean I can’t remember the last time I’ve thrown the ball to dang near the goal post and somebody catches it like that,” Tua said of Waller’s jaw-dropping grab at the back of the end zone for the first of two touchdown catches. “So, that’s the kind of guy that we have in Darren Waller.”

Tight end Waller has immediate impact for Dolphins

So, Waller becomes exhibit No. 1 of how the Dolphins will cope with the loss of Hill, who has missed only one game in his four seasons with Miami. He is their leading receiver this season and even claimed that distinction for this game (six catches for 67 yards) despite his early departure.

Througouth his tenure, the Dolphins have gone best when Hill is going well.

Even with the void Hill’s injury leaves, there is reason to be encouraged by the potential of McDaniel’s offense. It looked more like the 2023 version than we’ve seen since then with the combination of pre-snap motion, deception and speed bringing positive results. It was evident they had 11 days to prepare.

For the first time this season Tagovailoa didn’t have a turnover or a sack. I liked getting him out of the pocket, where he’s been vulnerable if his first read isn’t open, and having him throw on the run.

Best of all was the balance with 31 rushes (123 yards) and 25 passes. The makeshift offensive line did a good job of opening lanes for De’von Achane, including Cole Strange getting his first start at right guard.


But is that a reflection of general improvement or status quo by facing the Jets, who have lost 10 in a row at Hard Rock Stadium? Again, inconclusive.

Jaylen Waddle must lead Dolphins receivers

What matters now is how they go forward without Hill. Is Jaylen Waddle ready to step into the featured receiver role? He has moments of brilliance, but now he must emerge as the go-to guy.
Malik Washington will have the chance to play a bigger part and there should be opportunity to finally  take the wraps off talented Tahj Washington.

There is speculation about using running backs Achane and Ollie Gordon II together, with Achane lining up as a receiver. But Achane is too valuable as the featured runner for that to me more than a variation.

How will this Dolphins team respond to the post-Tyreek reality? The weeks ahead will reveal a lot more than Monday’s win over the self-destructible Jets.

A good starting point would be to throw to Darren Waller as often as possible.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.

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