New York Jets Fall 28-25 to Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium
The New York Jets lost 28-25 to the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 25, 2026, dropping to 2-5 while Miami earned its first victory of the season and moved to 1-5. The Jets mounted a second-half rally but never took the lead as the Dolphins closed the game on the ground in the final minutes. New York produced several notable individual performances but could not overcome an early deficit.
Rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. recorded his second straight 100-yard, one-touchdown game with five catches for 115 yards and a score, and tight end Mason Taylor had the first two-touchdown game of his career while also converting a two-point conversion. Quarterback Geno Smith completed 23 of 30 passes for 287 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Running back Braelon Allen carried 17 times for 104 yards (6.1 yards per carry) as the Jets leaned on the ground game during their comeback bid.
The Dolphins scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions and took a 21-7 lead into intermission after piling up 231 yards in the opening 30 minutes. Miami opened the scoring on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Malik Willis to Caleb Douglas and added a 1-yard run by Ollie Gordon before Willis pushed the lead with a short perimeter run just before halftime. New York answered early when Cooper turned a first-play 52-yard reception into a drive capped by Taylor’s 13-yard touchdown catch, but a red-zone interception by safety Michael Taaffe stalled another opportunity.
The Jets scored 18 points in the second half and cut the margin to 28-25 when Taylor hauled in his second touchdown and Smith completed the two-point conversion after Isaiah Davis’s 41-yard catch-and-run set up the red-zone chance. New York had a first-and-goal at the one-yard line in the fourth quarter following a series of explosive plays, but a sequence of short gains and a sack on third down prevented a potential tying score. Instead, Miami’s Jason Sanders converted a 33-yard field goal, and the Dolphins ultimately ran out the clock after Willis converted a fourth-and-1 rush with under two minutes remaining.
Defensively, safety Dane Belton paced the Jets with nine tackles and emphasized Willis’s athletic ability as a factor late in the game, saying the team must be better prepared next time. Head Coach Aaron Glenn said he was highly disappointed with the team’s first-half performance and credited the players for the second-half response while noting the need for improvement. Smith praised the contributions of Taylor and Cooper and said the offense fought to the end, but the late rally came up short against a Miami team that converted key third-and-long situations early.
NFL Sports Blog Take
The Jets showed resilience in the second half but their early defensive lapses created a hole they could not climb out of. Geno Smith was efficient and playmakers such as Cooper, Taylor and Allen provided offensive fuel, yet red-zone execution and a failed goal-line stand in the fourth quarter were decisive. Miami’s ability to move the ball in the first half and convert drives into touchdowns forced New York to play catch-up, and the late clock-management sequence capped the comeback.