Malik Willis threw two touchdown passes to rookie Caleb Douglas and ran for another to help the Miami Dolphins pick up their first win, beating the New York Jets 28-25 on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.
Willis completed 14 of 21 passes for 208 yards, did not throw an interception and ran for 37 yards on eight attempts.
Willis’ final run — not counting two kneel-downs that followed — was a 2-yard quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 from the Jets’ 49, which sealed the outcome as Miami converted with less than two minutes left and New York was out of timeouts.
Ollie Gordon II ran for 103 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries as Miami (1-5) rushed for 156 yards overall. The ground game helped seal the result on its final drive of the fourth quarter.
The Jets (2-5) lost for the fifth time in six games and lost their eighth consecutive game against an AFC East opponent.
Geno Smith completed 23 of 30 passes for 287 yards, three touchdowns and one interception to lead the Jets. Smith’s third touchdown pass was a 12-yarder to Mason Taylor, who caught five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith connected with Taylor on a two-point conversion to cut the Dolphins’ lead to three with 3:24 left. But the Dolphins ran out the clock by converting a pair of first downs, beginning with a 14-yard run by Gordon.
Braelon Allen started again for injured running back Breece Hall and ran for 104 yards on 17 carries, also catching six passes for 30 yards. Omar Cooper Jr. caught five passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.
The Dolphins scored touchdowns on their first two drives for the first time this season, and led a game for the first time all year following Willis’ 7-yard touchdown pass to Douglas, who returned to action Sunday after missing Miami’s prior three games with an ankle injury.
The lead lasted 2:16 until the Jets answered with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Taylor. But the Dolphins responded with a 14-play, 60-yard drive capped by a 1-yard dive up the middle by Gordon to take a 14-7 lead.
The Dolphins took a 28-17 edge with 4:55 left in the fourth when Willis found Douglas down the sideline for a 63-yard score, giving Miami its highest scoring output of the season.