Dolphins vs. Jets: Malik Willis and a Fourth-and-1 Push Hand Jeff Hafley His First Win in Week 7

Jeff Hafley showed up to his postgame press conference with a towel around his neck and the soggy evidence of a locker room celebration still on his feet. "My socks are wet," the Dolphins coach said, and honestly, after an 0-5 start, he earned the right to squish around a little.

Malik Willis was the engine of a 28-25 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday: two touchdown throws to rookie Caleb Douglas, a rushing score of his own and the 2-yard push on fourth-and-1 at the two-minute warning that iced it. It was Hafley's first win as Miami's head coach, it lifted the Dolphins to 1-5 and, per the AP, it spared them their first 0-6 start since 2019.

Fast Breaks, Then a Late Jets Haymaker

Fresh off a bye, Miami looked like a team that had spent the week drinking espresso. The Dolphins went 76 yards in seven plays on the opening drive, with Willis hitting Douglas for a 7-yard touchdown. According to the AP, it was Miami's first lead in any game this season, and it snapped a run of five straight games in which the Jets hadn't allowed points on an opponent's first possession.

New York hit right back. Geno Smith found Omar Cooper Jr. for 52 yards on the first snap of the Jets' opening drive, then flipped a 13-yard touchdown to tight end Mason Taylor, son of Dolphins legend and Hall of Famer Jason Taylor. Somewhere, Dolphins fans with long memories felt deeply conflicted.

From there the Dolphins took the air out of the ball. A 14-play march ended with Ollie Gordon II plunging in from a yard out after Miami converted a fourth-and-1 at the 2. Michael Taaffe then picked off Smith at the Miami 15, and after a punt exchange the Dolphins ground out a 15-play, 91-yard drive that ended with Willis scrambling in from 2 yards with 6 seconds left in the half. Miami led 21-7.

The Jets spent the second half clawing. Jason Sanders, a longtime Dolphins kicker now wearing green, clanked a 40-yarder off the right upright. Cooper then ripped off a 60-yard catch and finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown to make it 21-14. Early in the fourth, New York had first-and-goal at the 1 and came away with only a 33-yard field goal after Zach Sieler and Josh Uche stuffed consecutive runs and Chop Robinson dropped Smith for a 12-yard sack.

Then came the dagger: a quick little throw to Douglas on second-and-7, and 63 yards later the rookie was in the end zone and Miami led 28-17 with 4:44 to go. The Jets still had one more punch: Smith converted a fourth-and-4 to Isaiah Davis, who turned a short pass into a 41-yard gain, and Taylor caught his second touchdown, a 12-yarder. After some penalty chaos on the conversion, Smith hit Taylor for 2 and it was 28-25 with 3:24 left.

Willis Plays Point Guard

Willis was surgical, going 14 of 21 for 208 yards and a 130.7 passer rating while adding 37 rushing yards on eight carries. The Dolphins' site noted he became the 14th player in franchise history to throw for two scores and run for another in the same game. He also converted a pair of fourth downs with his legs, including the one that sealed it.

"It was awesome," Willis said.

Douglas, playing with the poise of a guy who has done this for years, turned two catches into 70 yards and two touchdowns, becoming just the seventh rookie in Dolphins history to catch a pair of scores in a game, per the team. Gordon carried 25 times for 103 yards and has now scored a rushing touchdown in four consecutive games. Greg Dulcich quietly led Miami with five catches for 86 yards.

The Jets lost, but their skill guys did not go quietly. Smith finished 23 of 30 for 287 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Cooper went for 115 yards on five catches, Taylor scored twice and Braelon Allen rumbled for 104 yards on 17 carries.

Fourth-and-1, Vibes Check

Nursing a three-point lead, Miami handed Gordon the ball on four straight snaps. He piled up 23 yards and the Dolphins still came up a yard short: fourth-and-1 at the Jets 49, right at the two-minute warning. Punt, and Smith gets the ball back with a hot hand. Go for it, and a stuff hands the Jets short field position and momentum.

Hafley's first move was not to the analytics binder. He went straight to his offensive linemen.

"I asked them what they thought," Hafley said. "When I saw the look in their eyes, I was very confident that we'd get it. As soon as I saw that, there was no doubt in my mind that we'd go for it."

Willis got 2 yards up the middle, the Jets never touched the ball again, and the quarterback summed up the whole exchange in seven words. "He trusted us," Willis said, "and we trusted him."

That is a coach buying himself a locker room in real time.

Stats That Matter

• 3 for 3: Miami on fourth down.
• 156: Dolphins rushing yards on 41 carries, which helped them own the ball for 34:36.
• 0 vs. 1: The turnover battle, with Taaffe's pick of Smith the only giveaway of the day.
• 0-8: The Jets' record against AFC East opponents under Aaron Glenn, per the AP.

What It Means in the AFC East

For Miami, the standings still look rough at 1-5, but this was a real step. The youngest team in the league, as the Dolphins' site calls it, finally converted competitive football into a win, and Hafley, who grew up in Montvale, about 20 minutes north of the stadium, got to do it in front of roughly 30 friends and family members, per the AP. The Dolphins host New England next Sunday.

For the Jets, it is another division loss and a growing problem. They are 2-5, they have now dropped consecutive games to New England and Miami, and Glenn did not dodge it.

"When it comes to this game, highly disappointed," Glenn said. "Disappointed in myself, first and foremost."

New York hosts Las Vegas next Sunday, and there is not a lot of runway left before the season starts feeling like a rerun.

Wet Socks, Full Hearts

Some coaches get the Gatorade bath after a title. Hafley got a locker room soaking after win number one, and it clearly meant just as much.

"It was a really, really special moment, one that I'm appreciative of and one that I won't forget. It was fun," Hafley said.

Keep the socks, Coach. Frame them.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press.