After arguably their worst loss of the season, the Miami Dolphins responded with their first win, snatching a road victory against the Jets. Sweeping the Jets? You know that’s always a win, even if the rest of the season isn’t perfect. But this win felt different, especially how they closed it out.
The Ultimate Flex: Running Out the Clock
If you want to talk about true grit in professional football, it’s running the ball to drain the clock when everyone in the stadium knows what’s coming. The defense knows, the crowd knows, even the broadcast team knows. And on Sunday, the Dolphins actually did it. Late in the fourth, after the Jets pulled within three points, the Dolphins got the ball back. The old squad might have played it safe, given the Jets another chance. But not this new crew.
With 3:17 left, Ollie Gordon ripped off a 14-yard run on first down, forcing a Jets timeout. He followed that up with a 7-yard gain, another timeout. Then a 1-yard run. By the time the two-minute warning hit, it was 4th down. And what did Malik Willis do? He secured a crucial 2-yard pickup for a first down. Victory formation. That’s Exhibit A with a gold star for a young team’s growth, even if it took a fourth down conversion to lock it in.
Willis Just Lit Up the Stat Sheet, Seriously
Man, what a difference a bye week makes, right? Malik Willis wasn’t just managing the game, he was *playing*. Check out this stat line from Sunday: 14-of-21 passing, a massive 228 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, ZERO interceptions, ZERO fumbles, AND he tacked on 37 rushing yards with 1 rushing touchdown. That’s a 130.7 QB rating, folks!
What clicked? Maybe better decision-making and smarter resource utilization. Instead of constantly going for the deep ball, Willis threw more short passes, completing a season-high 67% and keeping that offense moving. He started leaning on his tight ends, with Greg Dulcich leading the team with a season-high 86 yards. And yeah, it clearly helped having Caleb Douglas, their No. 1 receiver, back in the lineup, as he continues to change the offense. Willis still has questions to answer, for sure, especially after opening the season with just two touchdown passes against seven turnovers. But Sunday? That felt like the first game that gave us a genuine reason for optimism.
So, can Willis keep this momentum going? All eyes will be on him for the next game against the Patriots. This performance against the Jets gave Dolphins fans a real glimpse of what this young team can be. Let’s see if they can build on this.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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