Rejoice if you'd like, as the Miami Dolphins are no longer winless, taking down the New York Jets in a 28-25 thriller. If you're on the side of the room that thinks going winless would be better for "draft capital," please chill out.
No team deserves to go an entire season without winning a game. The way things are shaping up, the Dolphins are still in contention for a top pick regardless, with the only winless team remaining being the Los Angeles Chargers.
So how did Miami pull it off? The best performance of the season by their offense from the jump, alongside doing just enough on the defense to slow the Jets down. It wasn't easy, but the idea of Jeff Hafley not getting drenched in Gatorade this season has been officially put to rest.
WINNING AND LOSING DOLPHINS PERFORMANCES IN WEEK 7
Winner - QB Malik Willis
This has to feel great for Willis, coming off a shoddy performance against Cincinnati. Instead, he shushed a lot of the doubters with a strong performance - 208 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and 37 yards and a score on the ground. Make fun of the Jets all you want, but their secondary was generally considered a tough unit.
Nothing Willis did physically stands out from what we know about his skill set. Instead, the bigger difference is what he did mentally - he was much smarter with his decision-making in this game. Whether he had to pin the ball in the right spot or escape the pocket, he made the right call more often than not.
It's a very positive sign for the Dolphins. Their quarterback looks like he has confidence again, and the big question is whether he can keep it up against tougher competition, with New England and Detroit coming to town. If he can, the idea of Miami going for a quarterback in the 2027 draft gets a bit muddled.
Loser - RT Austin Jackson
The offensive line played fine, but not thanks to Jackson. One mistake stands out - a missed block on third down at midfield, which led to defensive end Nate Lynn's first career sack with less than a minute to go in the third quarter. Miami looked poised to get to field goal range, but instead were forced to punt. The Jets responded with a lengthy drive, going all the way to the 1-yard line.
That was the only major negative play Jackson caused, but every play matters more when the game comes down to the wire. It's no secret that he's been a liability more often than not for the Dolphins - Pro Football Focus certainly thinks so, as he's earned a 43.7 grade. Out of all 71 eligible tackles, that's the lowest of the group.
It really seems like the future of the offensive line is bright with the consistent performances that Aaron Brewer, Jonah Savaiinaea, Patrick Paul and Kadyn Proctor have orchestrated this season. But Jackson hasn't proven himself worthy of being mentioned in that group, and that missed block might be bulletin-board material for the Dolphins to consider going somewhere else at right tackle.
Winner - WR Caleb Douglas
Douglas walked into the land of questionable turf and proved he was the most explosive player on the field. He wasn't targeted much - only three times - but made the most of his opportunities with two touchdowns on two receptions.
The first score was great, creating separation from Azareye'h Thomas in the back of the end zone to give the Dolphins their first lead of the season. However, his second touchdown was stellar - a 63-yard sprint down the left side of the field, narrowly getting by Nahshon Wright while staying in bounds for the score, giving Miami the 11-point cushion they needed in the end.
Believing that the outlook of this game changed the moment it was announced that Douglas would play was justified. He's a natural difference-maker even as a rookie, and a red zone weapon that Willis and the Dolphins could rely on for years to come.
Loser - RB Jaylen Wright
Unfortunately, it's almost obligatory at this point to include Wright in these lists, as he's just not reliable for the Dolphins. Once again, he failed to get past New York's defensive line, settling for 8 yards on six carries. Wide receiver Malik Washington somehow managed the same amount of yards in just TWO carries.
At this point, what's the excuse for not giving another running back on the roster a shot to back up Ollie Gordon II? Whether it's Kaytron Allen, who the Dolphins claimed off waivers back on October 9, or Carlos Washington Jr., currently on their practice squad, how can it be any worse?
It feels bad to hammer Wright this much, especially because there was a small chance he wasn't able to play in this game due to a nagging foot injury. But the production at running back falls off so much when he's on the field that it's almost become a guarantee. Having two reliable running backs instead of one would do wonders for this offense.
Winner - S Michael Taaffe
It might not look like Taaffe had a major game just by the box score - three tackles and a pass deflection is just OK. But the major highlight on defense for Miami came at the hands of Taaffe - a clutch interception, considering the Jets were knocking on Miami's red zone in the second quarter.
Despite the achievement, it was a pretty standard play. Geno Smith targeted Mason Taylor right off the play action, never looking away, even when shuffling to the right before throwing the ball. Taaffe read it the whole way, jumping the route and denying the Jets another score for the rest of the half.
Taffee is in elite company, being one of three rookies with multiple picks this season (Hezekiah Masses and Genesis Smith). He's the first member of the Dolphins to do so in the first six games of his career, since Patrick Surtain in 1998. You can't ask for much more from the 158th overall pick.
Loser - DT Jordan Phillips
Overall, this was a successful day for the Dolphins in terms of getting to the quarterback, especially when compared to their earlier struggles to do so this season. Geno Smith took a beating, with two sacks and six confirmed QB hits. However, these came at the hands of guys like Chop Robinson, Malik Herring, Chris Johnson, and Zach Sieler.
Phillips, in comparison, had a very quiet performance - just one solo tackle, stopping Omar Cooper Jr. in his tracks after a 3-yard gain in the fourth quarter. Of all the playmakers in the trenches, he was the most pedestrian. He didn't hurt the Dolphins in the long run, partially because of Sieler's contributions, but it was disappointing to see nonetheless.
Winner - HC Jeff Hafley
We debuted the first coach on one of these lists in Week 5, with STC Chris Tabor being named a loser. It's only fair to flip the script this week, and Hafley gets the honor for having his team ready to play from the start all the way to the finish.
It was a near-complete game on offense, defense, and special teams. Even with a 0-5 record, Hafley made sure his team gave everything they had against a division rival, and they did just enough to get the job done. It wasn't always perfect - the Dolphins committed five penalties but had no turnovers at the same time.
His signature moment was the decision to go for it on fourth down on the Dolphins' final drive to ice the game as opposed to punting the ball, which would have been the safer choice. Hafley noted postgame that he asked the offensive line if they wanted to do it, and trusted them when they said yes. It turned out to be the right decision as it was the prior two times they went for it on fourth down in this game.
Loser - CB Jason Marshall Jr.
This was overall a mediocre performance by Marshall. He was the victim of a ridiculous snag by Mason Taylor (son of Dolphins legend Jason Taylor) in the end zone for New York's sole touchdown in the first half.
The coverage on the play by Marshall wasn't bad, though he made the mistake of never looking back for the ball. Taylor simply went up and made a remarkable catch on National Tight Ends Day, no less. It was a quiet performance by Marshall all around, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but he'll definitely want to have that one play back.
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