Miami’s Darren Waller had a pair of touchdown catches in his first NFL game in nearly two years, but the Dolphins’ first win of the season, a 27-21 victory over the New York Jets, was marred by a dislocated knee for their star receiver, Tyreek Hill.
The Dolphins lost Hill in the third quarter. The five-time All-pro made a catch and landed awkwardly on his left leg after being tackled near the New York Jets’ sideline. Players from both teams looked on anxiously while Hill was tended to, and he was then carted off the field. The Dolphins said in a statement he was “being taken to a local hospital for imaging, evaluation and observation.” The team’s head coach, Mike McDaniel, later confirmed Hill dislocated his left knee, an injury which will almost certainly end his season.
The 31-year-old put on a brave face as he was taken off the field, smiling and waving to the home crowd.
“He was probably in the best spirits of any player that I’ve ever seen [have] such a terrible experience,” McDaniel said. “He immediately had wide eyes and was talking, ‘I’m good, just make sure the guys get this win.’ He was focused on the team.”
Hill has 11,363 receiving yards since entering the NFL in 2017, the most in the league over that span. He also has 819 catches, fourth most in the league since 2017 behind only Davante Adams (886), Travis Kelce (880) and Stefon Diggs (824).
His former Kansas City Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes reacted to the news on social media. “Prayers up man…..” the quarterback, who won Super Bowl LIV alongside Hill, posted shortly after the injury.
On the field, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Dolphins to victory. The quarterback completed 17 of 25 passes and didn’t have a turnover for the first time this season as he moved to 7-0 against the Jets as Miami’s starter. The Dolphins (1-3) won their 10th straight at home against the Jets (0-4), who are still searching for their first win under coach Aaron Glenn.
The Jets pulled within six with 1:49 left when Garrett Wilson hauled in a 23-yard jump ball from Justin Fields, who ran it in for a two-point conversion. After recovering the onside kick, the Dolphins went three-and-out while working the clock to 13 seconds. Miami then pinned the Jets on their own one-yard line, and the game ended on a play where New York tried a series of laterals, one of which was flagged as an illegal forward pass.
“I’m not losing hope in our guys at all,” said Glenn after the game. “We’ve just got to go back and work; that’s all we can do.”
Waller had not played in more than a year after retiring in June 2024 as a member of the New York Giants. The 33-year-old came out of retirement in July to play for Miami but initially wasn’t practicing much with the Dolphins with hopes of working his way back into football shape. He caught a four-yard pass in the back of the end zone from Tagovailoa on fourth-and-goal in the second quarter of his Dolphins debut. The 33-year-old scored again on a nine-yard catch in the third that put Miami ahead 17-3. He finished with three receptions for 27 yards.
“It’s a lot to process, a lot emotionally, to be honest,” Waller said. “Very exciting. Just to be out there the whole day, yeah. A little bit of fear, a little bit of everything ... Just trying to get back out there, get into a rhythm and be someone this team can rely on.”
The Dolphins amassed 123 yards rushing behind De’von Achane’s 20 carries for 99 yards. Achane had a nine-yard scoring run.
Fields completed 20 of 27 passes for 226 yards in his return from a concussion that sidelined him in Week 3. He added 81 yards rushing, including a 43-yard scramble for a score on fourth-and-one that pulled the Jets within a touchdown midway through the third.
QB1 doing QB1 things
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 30, 2025
📺: #NYJvsMIA on ESPN pic.twitter.com/KfgBBK8KlU
The Jets gained 197 of their 404 yards with a highly effective ground game – they averaged seven yards a carry – but turned the ball over three times and were penalized 13 times for a total of 101 yards, including an offensive pass interference against Wilson that wiped out a touchdown in the third.
In Monday’s later game, the Denver Broncos moved to 2-2 for the season after beating the Cincinnati Bengals 28-3.
The Bengals opened the scoring with a field goal but that was as good as it got for Cincinnati as the Broncos took over. Bo Nix completed 29 of 42 passes for 326 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Broncos also put up 186 rushing yards against the Bengals’ shaky defense. Cincinnati started the season 2-0 but are struggling badly since losing star quarterback Joe Burrow for at least three months with a toe injury.
