Highlighting Five Key Plays in Dolphins' Week 7 Victory Vs Jets

The Miami Dolphins no longer have a zero in the win column. Even with a 0-5 record, head coach Jeff Hafley said it's fun to be around the team, given their connection and love for the game. After a dominant, ball-controlling first half, the Dolphins led by as much as 14 points but were tested late. Miami ended up persevering and picked up their first win over the season, 28-25 against the New York Jets.

Plays were made on both sides of the ball that helped lead the Dolphins to victory. Here are five of them that defined the game for the Dolphins.

FIVE PLAYS THAT DEFINED THE DOLPHINS VICTORY

Caleb Douglas Makes An Impact Right Away

Rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas has been out since Week 3 due to a right ankle sprain. Seeing how Miami has struggled in the red zone, recording only one touchdown pass in that area which came in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Having his size and speed back in the skill position room is much needed, seeing how the Dolphins have operated with a poor passing game.

Miami was in the red zone on their first drive and found themselves in a third-and-goal scenario. With good protection from the offensive line, Willis stood in the pocket and zipped a pass to Douglas in the end zone for an opening-drive touchdown.

On that play, Douglas was in single coverage against Azareye'h Thomas and lost him with a quick first step, cutting inside and finding himself wide open in the back of the end zone to go up 7-0.

When discussing Douglas on draft night, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said that Douglas needs to add strength to win more one-on-one situations. That is going to be the biggest challenge in the Dolphins' wide receiver room: who will blossom into someone who can win in those scenarios. This is a step in the right direction.

As the game progressed, it was clear the Dolphins needed as many drives to finish with touchdowns as possible, and that was a great start to the game.

Michael Taaffe Times it Right

After three straight touchdown possessions, it appeared this game was in line for a shootout. The Jets were approaching red zone territory as they were at the Miami 21.

Rolling out to his right on a play-action pass, Geno Smith was looking to hit tight end Mason Taylor, who scored New York's first touchdown of the game. Rookie safety Michael Taaffe, who already has an interception on the year coming in the season opener, picked off Geno Smith to bring in his second.

This was a phenomenal play from Taaffe, showing great anticipation and trust in his instincts. He had a good read on where Smith wanted to go with the ball and timed everything perfectly to force a crucial turnover and keep the lead in favor of the Dolphins.

Coming into the year, a large part of having steps to success is the draft class making plays and being key contributors. From where he was drafted as a day-three pick, Taaffe has exceeded expectations so far as a starter.

Chopping Down a Jets Drive

In the beginning stages of the fourth quarter, the New York Jets were right at the doorstep of punching in the game-tying touchdown as they had a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.

In three straight plays, Miami's defensive line stood tall. The first play coming from Zach Sieler, who beat Mason Taylor and stuffed Andrew Beck for a loss of one. The Jets then continued to lose yards, with Braelon Allen being tackled for a loss of a yard with Josh Uche meeting him in the backfield, and other Dolphins swarming after that.

With the Dolphins now forcing a third-and-goal, the biggest drive killer came from Chop Robinson, who sacked Geno Smith for a loss of 12, forcing them to kick a field goal and keep Miami's lead at 21.

This is another game where Robinson continued to get pressure on the quarterback, and it ended up paying off in the biggest way as he now has two sacks on the season. Ever since coming back from a concussion, Robinson has continued to get to the quarterback and at times force them to get the ball out quicker than usual.

As Hafley said after the Minnesota game, these games need to continue for Robinson. While all won't be as dominant as that Week 4 outing, continuing to have these outings can at least give the coaching staff and front office hope that they have an edge rusher they can keep for the future.

Douglas Does It Again

The exciting part about Douglas' game is the speed he has at the position and what he can do in the open field.

Although it was not a 60-yard pass launched by Willis, he delivered a strike to a wide-open Douglas in space with a free defender coming at him. This is a step in the right direction for Willis, who had plenty of throws get affected by pressure, as he would often roll out or the pass would be inaccurate and would kill the play.

Throughout the season, it felt like Willis was going for the gusto a majority of the time when open checkdowns and quick passes were there to be made. Giving players such as Douglas the opportunity to get the ball in the open field can be a positive for the offense.

On this specific play, Douglas dashed towards the sideline and used his quickness, making former Dolphin safety Mikah Fitzpatrick whiff on the tackle. With a key block from Malik Washington, there was no one to stop Douglas from the end zone on what was a 63-yard pass touchdown. This gave the Dolphins breathing room once again, pushing it to an 11-point game.

Hafley's Gutsy Decision To Ice the Game

Following a quick response from the Jets to cut the lead down to three, Hafley and the staff had a crucial decision to make. Facing a fourth-and-1, the Jets had no timeouts remaining, and 1 yard ends the game.

With that being said, the Dolphins were at New York's 49-yard line, and getting denied would have resulted in the Jets getting a short field to either tie or win the game.

Following a few hard counts from Willis in an attempt to draw the Jets offside, the Dolphins ended up getting 2 yards with the tush push and ended the game.

Forget the record outlook; this is a signature moment for this new regime. Countless of times in the Mike McDaniel era, the Dolphins would most of the time find a way to lose yards or gain no yards on every short-yardage situation.

Physicality was preached from top down, and this team wants to be known for being physical. That starts in the trenches, and to trust your personnel and take that risk to end the game speaks volumes.

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