Win #1 For Miami!

Hey, Detroit! You can have your monkey back. Now that the Miami Dolphins have secured win #1 for the 2026 season, the talk of going winless and 0-17 can end and the Detroit Lions can keep that mantle. The Dolphins could still lose 16 games but they have a win to break it all up.

Jeff Hafley’s first victory as Miami Dolphins coach was not clean, comfortable or complete. It was still the clearest evidence yet that his team can translate preparation into winning football. Miami beat the New York Jets 28-25 after building a 21-7 halftime lead, surviving a stagnant stretch and converting the fourth down that ended the game.

Breaking it Down

The strongest part of Hafley’s grade belongs to his offensive plan. Miami opened with a 76-yard touchdown drive, followed it with a 14-play scoring march and closed the half with a 87-yard drive. The Dolphins finished with 24 first downs, 156 rushing yards and more than 34 minutes of possession. Ollie Gordon II received 25 carries, Malik Willis was used as both passer and runner, and tight end Greg Dulcich became the early matchup answer. That was a coherent identity, not a collection of isolated plays.

Hafley also deserves credit for trusting his offense at the decisive moment. With Miami leading by three and facing fourth-and-1 near midfield at the two-minute warning, he declined the safe punt. Willis gained two yards, and the Dolphins kept the ball until the clock expired. After five losses, playing to finish the game rather than merely delay New York’s next possession was the right call.

Defensive Grade

The defensive grade is more complicated. Michael Taaffe’s red-zone interception changed the first half, while Chop Robinson and Malik Herring supplied Miami’s two sacks. Yet the defense allowed 377 total yards and three Geno Smith touchdown passes. The Jets scored 18 second-half points, converted 7 of 13 third downs and repeatedly created explosive gains through Omar Cooper Jr. and Isaiah Davis. Hafley’s defense protected the lead, but it did not control the finish.

Game management also earns a positive mark because Miami committed only five penalties, did not turn the ball over and converted all three fourth-down attempts. The second-half offensive lull and late coverage breakdowns prevent an elite grade.

The most encouraging development was that Miami did not depend on one kind of offense. Gordon punished the interior, Dulcich stretched the seams, Douglas supplied the explosive play and Willis created answers with his legs. That variety should make the plan harder to defend next week.

Hafley’s best decisions also came at both ends of the game: an aggressive opening approach and an aggressive closing choice. The Jets’ rally showed why Miami cannot relax after gaining control, but the coach responded to the final crisis by putting responsibility in the hands of the unit that had established the afternoon’s identity.

Grade: B-plus.

Hafley gave Miami a smart opening script, leaned on the correct offensive strengths and made the bold closing decision. The next step is sustaining that precision for four quarters. For one afternoon, however, the Dolphins looked prepared, connected and confident—and their coach trusted them when the game demanded it.