Winless Dolphins Visit Jets in Week 7 as Jeff Hafley Says Malik Willis 'Should Be Good'

The Miami Dolphins come out of their bye week still looking for their first win, and they will try to get it on the road. Miami (0-5) visits the New York Jets (2-4) on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. Eastern at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with the game airing on CBS. Coach Jeff Hafley said quarterback Malik Willis, who did not throw during a bye-week practice, "should be good" to play.

Sunday's game is the first of two meetings between the AFC East rivals this season. The rematch is set for Nov. 29 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, which explains why some listings show the series in South Florida. This week's game is in New Jersey.

Willis expected to play

Willis was not throwing at the Dolphins' bye-week practice, prompting questions about whether he was hurt. Asked Monday whether he was dealing with something that would affect him this week, Hafley answered, "No, he should be good."

Hafley acknowledged that Willis had been dealing with something after the Week 5 loss to Cincinnati, as were a number of players. "So just rested him on that, but I foresee him being good to go today and then back to normal," Hafley said, according to a transcript published by the team. The Dolphins have not disclosed the nature of the issue.

Willis has struggled in his first season as Miami's starter. He has completed 73 of 130 passes for 849 yards, with two touchdowns and four interceptions, according to ESPN. The Dolphins signed him in March to a reported three-year, $67.5 million contract after he spent last season as a backup in Green Bay, where Hafley was the defensive coordinator. Hafley has stuck with Willis as the starter despite the 0-5 start.

Injury report

The teams' first official practice reports of the week were scheduled for Wednesday. Ahead of those reports, ESPN's injury listing showed the following players as questionable or doubtful:

Hafley offered more detail on several Dolphins on Monday. He said Douglas, a rookie receiver, would be limited, but that "there's optimism there" about getting him back. He said Savaiinaea and cornerback JuJu Brents, who did not return from a stinger against Cincinnati, would also be limited in Monday's light practice, and that he hoped to have Brents back when regular practice resumed Wednesday.

Running back Jaylen Wright aggravated an earlier injury against the Bengals. "I think he had a setback a little bit before and just aggravated a little bit, but we'll see how he is," Hafley said. He also said Trey Moore "will not be here this week," that Darrell Baker is close to returning and that the team hopes to get Kyle Louis back on Wednesday. Hafley described recently added rookie running back Kaytron Allen, who starred at Penn State, as physical.

How the teams got here

Miami has been outscored 132-70 in five games. Its two closest losses came in the most recent two weeks: 15-10 at Minnesota and 31-24 at home against Cincinnati.

The Jets have beaten Tennessee, 23-10, and Cleveland, 17-12, and lost 26-19 at New England last Sunday. Their other losses came against Green Bay in overtime, at Detroit and at Chicago. New York has scored 112 points and allowed 122.

Players to watch

For Miami, running back Ollie Gordon II leads the team with 236 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 47 carries, and Malik Washington leads the receivers with 23 catches for 262 yards. Defensive lineman Zach Sieler has two sacks, and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez has a team-high 57 tackles.

The Jets are led by veteran quarterback Geno Smith, who has thrown for 1,336 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. Garrett Wilson has 35 catches for 418 yards and three touchdowns, Braelon Allen has 314 rushing yards, and David Bailey leads the defense with five sacks.

Hafley has history with several people on the other sideline. He said he coached defensive backs alongside Jets coach Aaron Glenn in Cleveland, coached Wilson during his freshman year at Ohio State and faced Smith while in Green Bay. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, his family, and he's done a really good job on defense this year," Hafley said of Glenn.

What Miami took from the bye

Hafley said the week off gave the staff time to self-scout, including pulling back defensive calls the team ran in training camp but had not carried into game plans. He said the changes would be minor tweaks rather than an overhaul, and he rejected the idea that his team had been playing tight. "I don't think we're coaching tight at all, and the film says we're not playing tight," he said.

He also addressed an 81-yard kickoff return the Dolphins allowed against Cincinnati, saying several kicks that were supposed to be touchbacks were not executed as planned. Despite the record, Hafley said he believes in the foundation being built. "I believe in this team before maybe most people can see it," he said.

The betting line

DraftKings, as listed by ESPN, has the Jets as 4.5-point favorites with an over/under of 38.5 points. The moneyline has Miami at +190 and New York at -230. ESPN's matchup predictor gives the Jets about a 66 percent chance to win.

What's next

The game starts a stretch in which Miami plays four AFC East opponents in six weeks. After New York, the Dolphins host New England on Nov. 1 and Detroit on Nov. 8 at Hard Rock Stadium. Hafley, who is returning close to home in New Jersey, said he expects more than 30 family members and friends at MetLife Stadium. "We got 12 straight now, so I'm looking forward to those," he said of the stretch without another bye.