Dolphins have been competitive despite 0-5 start but aim for better execution after bye

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Malik Willis didn't hide his disappointment after last week's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Dolphins quarterback and Miami's offense struggled for most of the game, but they managed to give themselves a late chance by cutting an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to seven. They could not complete a comeback, which has been the story of their 0-5 start to the season.

Outside of losses at Las Vegas and San Francisco in Weeks 1 and 2, the Dolphins have trailed by seven points or fewer in the fourth quarter of each of the last three games.

“We've got to figure out a way to get guys on the same page,” Willis said Sunday, “because there’s just a lot left out on the field that could be better than what it is. We try to find a way at the end, but that’s just too hard to continue to try to fight back at the end.”

The Dolphins trailed Kansas City by seven early in the fourth quarter in Week 3, but with chances to cut the deficit, Miami was stopped on fourth down on one drive, and Willis threw an interception on another.

Miami's defense did not give up a touchdown against Kyler Murray and the Vikings' offense the next week, but a series of mishaps on offense — receiver Chris Bell stepped out of bounds on a potential touchdown, Willis lost a fumble on a sack — stalled momentum.

Against the Bengals, Willis began the game with just five first-half completions before eventually finishing with 137 yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing score. He also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. And after scoring with 48 seconds left to pull within seven, the Dolphins missed the extra-point attempt and failed to recover the ensuing onside kick.

Willis and coach Jeff Hafley have said they've been impressed with the team's competitiveness despite the roster being made up of mostly inexperienced players — 14 rookies have played in at least one of the first five games, combining for a league-leading 2,192 snaps — but Willis said the team's youth can no longer excuse a lack of execution.

“It is too much and too hard to keep saying, we’re just young or we’re trying to build this and build that,” Willis said. “At the same time, we got to hold each other accountable because we can’t keep doing this to ourselves. If we’re going to be in games versus good teams, we got to be able to take advantage of it and go and win those games because there’s no point to be in the game if you can’t go and win it.”

General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has been clear throughout the start of the organization’s rebuild that the Dolphins will prioritize youth and developing the players they draft. So far, his first draft as GM has shown that Miami may have already found some core pieces to build around.

Rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, drafted in the second round, has an NFL-leading 57 tackles through the first five games and has been praised by Hafley for his communication as the defense's green dot player.

“I think the game’s slowing down for him,” Hafley said last week, “because now he understands his role on defense, he can spend more time studying what the offense is doing, so he can kind of put himself in good position to make plays.”

Cornerback Chris Johnson, a first-round pick, and safety Michael Taaffe rank among the NFL's top 10 rookie defenders in tackles, and both had forced fumbles against Cincinnati.

The Dolphins' first selection, No. 12 pick Kadyn Proctor, has been one of the team's best offensive linemen, using his 6-foot-7, 360-pound frame to create running lanes for a rushing attack that ranks third with 5.5 yards per carry since Week 3.

Miami has also gotten major contributions from rookie receivers Caleb Douglas (113 yards receiving) and Chris Bell (92 yards), who rank 11th and 14th, respectively, among rookies in receiving yards, despite Douglas missing the past three games with an ankle injury.

The Dolphins' first five opponents have gone a combined 20-4 entering Week 6, while San Francisco, Kansas City and Minnesota remain the league's only unbeaten teams.

Miami will face AFC East opponents in four of its next six games, beginning with a trip to face the Jets in Week 7, followed by a home matchup against New England in Week 8, at Buffalo in Week 11 and against the Jets again at home in Week 12.

Hafley said the team will use its bye to get healthy and find ways to improve execution.

“We’re going to roll up our sleeves and this group’s going to work,” Hafley said. “And I know that they’re going to. This is not going to be a group that starts going backward and pointing fingers. It’s not who they are.”

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Miami Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II (0) gestures during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) runs with the ball as Miami Dolphins linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, right, tries to tackle him during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley listens to a question during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis (2) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

WASHINGTON (AP) — New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia on Thursday defended her legal background and justified her truncated inaugural briefing as she navigates a rocky first week as the president’s chief spokeswoman.

Zacharia sat down for an interviews with conservative media. She told the conservative Human Events outlet that she did not have time to get fully prepared ahead of her first briefing on Tuesday and that it was always the plan to keep it short because President Donald Trump would field questions from journalists later that morning.

“It was absolutely my goal to keep it short, considering he is his own best spokesperson, and he would love -- and does love -- gaggling with the media as he goes to Marine One,” Zacharia said. “So I wanted to give ample deference and not barge into his time.”

The initial briefing materials were given to Zacharia on Monday evening, then completed Tuesday at 8 a.m., less than two hours before she would appear before the White House press corps. She had been up since 3 a.m. preparing, Zacharia said.

“I never had a full briefing beforehand, and I went out and I effectuated the briefing,” she said.

Later, speaking to Fox News commentator Sean Hannity, she said she “probably should have stepped aside” instead of taking questions from the press corps without having time to prepare.

“I could have just given a brief intro and said, ‘I’m only here to introduce myself, and I want to engage with the press corps,’” she said.

As for her legal background, Zacharia said she was preparing to take the bar exam in California at a time that she had just gotten married and was readying a move to China to join her new husband, who had been working in private equity in Beijing.

“I was obviously incredibly distracted and overwhelmed and excited for finally being married to someone who I’d been long distance from for at least a year,” Zacharia said.

She said the results of the bar exam, which she did not pass, were “somewhat inconsequential” because she would not need to be a barred attorney while living in China.

Zacharia, who has been under scrutiny for calling herself a “lawyer,” said she consulted several legal experts to ensure that title was accurate when offering legal analysis.

“It’s unfortunate that people dub this as some kind of conspiracy or want to put me in a camp. The truth is, I was very careful how I executed this, and I never came across as someone who was an attorney-at-law.”

She will not weigh in on legal matters in her White House capacity, Zacharia said.

She also divulged details of how she went about securing the White House press secretary job. Zacharia stressed that she did not want to be seen as lobbying for the position, left vacant when Karoline Leavitt announced she would depart the administration to spend more time with her family.

Zacharia, who was a communications adviser for the company that runs Truth Social, said she closely monitored the president’s social media posts to determine what was top of mind for him, then would go on air to talk about those topics.

“My philosophy is, I’m on TV enough where if he sees me and he likes me, then I will be recruited for the job. I do not believe that lobbying for that job would have been successful, and I wanted to work for it. I wanted to audition for it."

Then on Oct. 7, as Zacharia was preparing to take one of her children to a pumpkin patch, she received a phone call from Trump about the press secretary position.

She promptly flew out the next day from her home in California to Washington, met with the president about the job on Friday and formally accepted the position later that day.

Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed.

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia arrives with President Donald Trump at Glacier Park International Airport, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Kalispell, Mont. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)