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Jeff Hafley’s Miami Dolphins showed more offensive life Sunday than they had all season, but the head coach’s final grade must reflect the mistakes that placed his team in an 18-point hole before a late rally.
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Grade: C-minus.
Hafley deserves credit for committing to a running game that produced 217 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry. Ollie Gordon II received 18 attempts and finished with 88 yards and a touchdown. Malik Willis added 74 rushing yards, while Chris Bell and Malik Washington produced explosive gains on designed or opportunistic runs. Miami posted 331 total yards, 23 first downs and a season-high 24 points.
The coach also kept his team competing after Cincinnati stretched its lead to 28-10. Miami answered with a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, converted a two-point attempt and scored again with 45 seconds remaining. That response suggests Hafley still has the attention of a young, winless roster.
But the game was lost through details that fall under coaching. Miami surrendered an 81-yard return on the opening kickoff, allowing Cincinnati to begin at the Dolphins’ 10 and score three plays later. The Dolphins committed three turnovers, all by Willis, and failed to create a sack against Joe Burrow. Cincinnati converted nine of 13 third downs and scored touchdowns on three of five red-zone trips.
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The most frustrating sequence came after Miami reached the Cincinnati 1 late in the third quarter. Willis took an eight-yard sack, then threw incomplete, forcing the Dolphins to settle for a field goal while trailing by two touchdowns. The play sequence did not protect an inconsistent quarterback or maximize a rushing attack that had been Miami’s greatest advantage.
Hafley also must answer for a passing game that remained slow and uncertain. Willis completed 15 of 27 throws for 137 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble. The late touchdowns made the final score respectable, but Cincinnati controlled the game after taking a 21-7 halftime lead.
A higher grade would reward effort more than execution. Hafley found a productive offensive identity and coaxed a fourth-quarter response, but special-teams failure, turnovers, red-zone management and defensive third-down problems were too damaging. At 0-5, progress must soon become victories.
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This story was originally published October 11, 2026 at 2:57 PM.