The Dolphins pushed the New England Patriots to the brink but ultimately fell to the reigning AFC champions, 24-19, Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. Several rookies played key roles in the game, while multiple veterans continued to deliver quality performances.
Peanut punchin'
Inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez led college football with seven forced fumbles in 2025 en route to a Heisman finalist season. On Sunday, he recorded his first forced fumble as a pro, jarring the ball from Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism before cornerback Juju Brent secured the recovery.
With safety Michael Taaffe and cornerback Chris Johnson also recording forced fumbles this season, the Dolphins have three rookies with a forced fumble in the same season for the first time since 1998.
Rodriguez finished with eight tackles, bringing his season total to 69, the sixth most in the NFL.
Another Brooks milestone
Rodriguez's position mate, veteran inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks, continues to check off milestones in his impressive career. With 11 tackles, Brooks surpassed 900 for his career, becoming the eighth-fastest player in NFL history to reach the mark. Brooks reached 900 career tackles in 104 games, trailing only Ray Lewis, Luke Kuechly, Zach Thomas, Roquan Smith, Chris Spielman, Paul Posluszny and Bobby Wagner.
The performance marked Brooks' 41st career game with double-digit tackles, the fifth most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2020.
Willis moves the sticks
The Dolphins converted 7-of-14 third-down opportunities in Sunday's loss and are converting 42.7 percent this season, the ninth-best mark in the NFL.
Quarterback Malik Willis accounted for six of those seven conversions, completing 7-of-10 passes on third down for 54 yards and a touchdown while adding a two-yard run on third-and-1.
The touchdown went to wide receiver Malik Washington, who finished with five receptions for 40 yards. The five catches pushed Washington past 100 for his career, giving him 103.
Willis also connected with rookie wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. for a touchdown Sunday. Coleman led the team with 46 receiving yards.
Douglas paces all Dolphins rookie pass catchers
Another rookie wide receiver, Caleb Douglas, chipped in with four receptions for 43 yards. Douglas now has 226 receiving yards through his first four career games, the most by a Dolphins player over that span. He surpassed tight end Randy McMichael, who had 204 receiving yards through his first four games in 2002.
Fellow rookie wide receiver Chris Bell also caught four passes for 31 yards, while tight end Greg Dulcich added four receptions for 43 yards. It marked the first time since 2023 at Buffalo that Miami had five players record at least 30 receiving yards in a game.
