Willis Runs It In, Miami Escapes New York With 28-25 Win
Malik Willis did enough with his arm and his legs to keep Miami ahead of a Jets offense that wouldn't quit. Geno Smith threw for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns and still came up three points short.
Miami got the job done the hard way. Willis finished 14-of-21 for 208 yards and 2 passing touchdowns, and added 37 yards and a rushing score on 8 carries — that ground presence looks like it was the difference-maker when the Jets kept clawing back. Ollie Gordon II did the heavy lifting on the ground, grinding out 103 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown, giving Miami a physical dimension that appears to have worn the Jets down in the moments that mattered most. The Dolphins' passing game was efficient rather than explosive, but Caleb Douglas made it count: 2 catches, 70 yards, 2 touchdowns. When you're converting at that rate, you don't need volume.
New York's offense, on paper, had every reason to win this game. Smith was sharp — 23-of-30, 287 yards, 3 touchdowns — and the Jets moved the ball with real purpose. Omar Cooper Jr. was the standout, hauling in 5 catches for 115 yards and a score. Mason Taylor added 5 receptions for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns of his own. That's a tight end putting up a two-score game, a quarterback completing 77 percent of his passes, and a receiver cracking 100 yards. The story of the afternoon, though, is that none of it was enough. Three touchdowns from your quarterback and you still lose by three — that points to a Jets defense that couldn't get a stop when Miami needed to move the chains.
This one looks like a tale of two offenses operating at a high level, with Miami's ability to control the clock through Gordon's 25-carry workload ultimately tipping the scales. The Jets had the yardage advantage and the touchdown efficiency from Smith, but Miami's ground game ate clock and kept New York's offense on the sideline. Willis wasn't asked to be spectacular — he was asked to be decisive — and he was. Two touchdowns through the air, one on the ground, and a completion rate north of 66 percent is a winning formula when your running back is churning out 100-yard games. Miami leaves New York at 28-25, and it wasn't pretty, but it counts the same.