What stood out in the first half of the Miami Dolphins' Week 7 matchup against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium.

We'll start with the list of inactives, which was highlighted by veterans Jalen Tolbert and Wille Gay Jr., the latter being kept out after missing practice time this week because of illness.

This was the Dolphins' best first half of the season by far, complete with a game-opening touchdown drive that gave them their first lead of the season. And while the defense was leaky in allowing the Jets to tie the score in only 2:16, it clamped down after that.

The best news, though, was the performance of quarterback Malik Willis, who looked every bit as good as he did during his appearances with the Green Bay Packers and looked like a QB who very much could take the Dolphins places once they fill out the roster around him.

WHAT STOOD OUT

-- Willis came out firing with every one of his early throws showing a lot of zip, and it also helped that he looked so much more decisive than he did in…