Pressure Point: Malik Willis makes significant strides in Dolphins’ first win

There is much to like about the Miami Dolphins’ first win of the Jeff Hafley era.

What stood out Sunday at the end was they didn’t back into it. They left nothing to chance.

Clinging to a three-point lead with two minutes remaining and facing fourth-and-1 near midfield, Hafley left the decision to go for the first down up to the offense. The players seized the moment.

Quarterback Malik Willis bulled his way to the game-clinching first down with the whole offense providing push to the tush.

“He asked if we wanted to go for it. We said ‘yes,’ and he trusted us. We trusted him giving us the opportunity. It was a great job by the O-line going out and executing.”

Just like that, the spell was broken. Dolphins 28, Jets 25.

At 1-5, the prospect of a winless season vanished. If the chance at the first overall draft pick went with it, so be it.

Hafley’s first win as Dolphins coach comes hear hometown

Tanking for draft position was never part of Hafley’s plan. Certainly not Sunday at MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands, about a 30-minute drive from where he grew up in Montvale, N.J.

Sunday, on familiar turf, Hafley’s vision of what this young Dolphins team could become began to gain focus in his first victory as an NFL coach.

Jeff Hafley dedicated his first win as an NFL Head Coach to his players:

"I wanted them to feel this. All the hard work, all the things we've been asking them to do since OTAs. That's one we'll all remember as we build this thing. I wanted it so badly for them, they deserve it.… pic.twitter.com/TnPscrYI0u

— The List – Dolphins Podcast 🐬 (@TheListFinsPod) October 25, 2026

Granted, it came against the Jets, who are now 0-8 against AFC East opponents under Aaron Glenn. It certainly comes with no apology from the Dolphins, whose first five opponents came into Sunday a combined 22-5, including three unbeaten teams.

Young players who Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan brought in had their fingerprints all over this win.

Rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas returned from missing three games with an ankle injury to catch his first two touchdown passes as a pro, including the decisive 63-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter.

Chris Bell, another receiver drafted in the third round along with Douglas, had three catches for 25 yards including a third-down conversion. Safety Michael Taaffe, a Sullivan pick in the fifth round, had his second interception.

Willis answers with best all-around performance

Most notable was the performance of Willis, who finally showed what Sullivan and Hafley saw in him in Green Bay to warrant a three-year, $67.5 million investment.

Willis threw the two touchdown passes to Douglas and ran for another. He looked like a completely different quarterback after the break for the bye week than in is first five games for Miami.

He was more poised in the pocket, delivered passes on time and on target. Checked down or threw the ball away when prudent. And when he saw an opening to run, he made effective use of his mobility.
“He was decisive, and I thought he competed today at a really, really high level,” Hafley said in his postgame media session. “I thought he got rid of the ball quick. I thought he made good decisions; he took care of the football.”

Malik Willis lowers his shoulder for the touchdown

MIAvsNYJ on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/TVRwL1sULm

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026

Dolphins offense starts fast, finishes strong

Willis’s day wasn’t defined as much by stats as by making plays. He led long touchdown drives on three of four possessions in the first half, spanning 76, 60 and 91 yards.

On the first touchdown, Douglas did a good job separating from the defender in the back of the end zone, and Willis threw a strike.

That touchdown marked the first time the Dolphins held a lead in any game this season.

Willis was not only the biggest factor in the breakthrough win, it was important in the bigger picture.

He came into Sunday’s game ranked last among qualifying passers in completion percentage (56.2) and quarterback rating (68.4). He had four interceptions and three fumbles lost while accounting for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing).

Willis was so unimpressive in the first five games that there was some talk during the bye week about whether he would remain the starter.

That likely never entered Hafley’s thinking. But showing the kind of leader and quarterback he can become is important for the team and keeps the critics at bay at least until next Sunday when the Dolphins play host to the Patriots.

“I’m just proud of him and how he’s responded,” Hafley said. “The bigger thing for Malik is just the confidence, the belief that I have in him. I just always need him to have that within himself.”

Caleb Douglas with a 63-yard score as Malik Willis gets the ball out quick on play action while facing a rush and Miami goes up by two possessions!

Caleb’s second TD of the game and now leads Miami in reception touchdowns this season. pic.twitter.com/30aq23mwtL

— Jason Sarney – Dolphins Wire (@Jason_Sarney) October 25, 2026

Rookie Caleb Douglas’ second touchdown a difference-maker

Ultimately, Willis and the Dolphins offense were most impressive in dealing with adversity in the second half and finding a way to close out the win.

After punting on their first three possessions of the second half, the Dolphins saw their 14-point halftime lead reduced to 21-17. After gaining possession with less than 5 minutes remaining, Willis rolled left on a bootleg, directly into the teeth of a Jets blitz. He slung his most important pass of the day sidearm to Douglas, who avoided a defender and tiptoed along the sideline to his second touchdown.

The Jet he left on the ground was a remnant of the Dolphins’ past: safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

In addition, the final margin of victory was the measure of former Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders missing a 40-yard field goal attempt.

Then came the win-sealing fourth-and-1 conversion, a simple test of strength and determination that has often vexed the Dolphins in recent years.

So, Sunday brought some encouraging signs along with an elusive first win to the new regime. Don’t expect the floodgates of success to suddenly open. This remains a very young team without quality depth and miles to go to being competitive with top teams.

Pass defense, in particular, continues to be a problem area. But Chop Robinson had a timely sack that forced the Jets to settle for a short field goal after they had a first-and-goal at the Miami 1.
It is worth noting that a year ago the Dolphins were also 1-5 with the only win coming against the Jets.

All things considered, this team would seem to be headed in a better direction than that one.

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.