Dolphins-Jets Week 4 Halftime Observations

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (83) reacts with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) after scoring a touchdown against the New York Jets during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

What stood out in the first half of the Miami Dolphins' Monday night game against the New York Jets:

We'll start with the list of inactives, where the biggest news involved cornerback Ethan Bonner being inactive because of a hamstring injury. His absence plus that of injured starter Storm Duck (also inactive) left the Dolphins with four cornerbacks on the game-day roster — Jack Jones, Rasul Douglas, Cornell Armstrong and JuJu Brents. The other inactives were WR Tahj Washington and DT Zeek Biggers, with Quinn Ewers serving as the emergency third quarterback.

THE FIRST QUARTER

Head coach Mike McDaniel took a different approach after the Dolphins won the coin toss, electing to take the ball first and bypassing the opportunity to do the end-of-half, start-of-half double play. Not sure we like that very much.

The move pays off a little bit, with the Dolphins getting a field goal and quick 3-0 lead off their first drive.

The Dolphins opened the game with a different look on the offensive line, with former New England Patriots first-round pick Cole Strange getting the start at right guard.

Darren Waller made his presence felt on the very first drive, coming up with a first-down catch on the first third down of the game.

The Dolphins had to settle for a field goal after a third-down incompletion where Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens easily could have been called for DPI.

Riley Patterson rewarded the Dolphins' faith in signing him to the 53-man roster by nailing a 47-yard field goal, making him 3-for-3 on the season. Can't ask for more than than from the Jason Sanders replacement.

The Dolphins' first defensive drive was brutal, with an alarming inability to stop the run.

Every player in the front seven got pushed back at one time or another, and that includes everybody from first-round pick Kenneth Grant to veteran Zach Sieler.

The Dolphins did salvage the drive when Jack Jones punched the ball out from running back Braelan Allen from the side to force a fumble that was recovered by Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Tua Tagovailoa established a connection quickly with Tyreek Hill on this night, and two completions got the Dolphins out of that hole (starting at their 4).

THE SECOND QUARTER

The Dolphins got a couple of long gains in the passing game, which had been missing, including a catch-and-run by Hill for 28 yards and a downfield throw from Tua to Waddle down the right sideline for 25.

This looked more like the offense of 2023 than what we saw the past year-plus.

McDaniel went for the gusto when he bypassed a field goal attempt on fourth-and-goal from the Jets 4-yard line and was rewarded by a beautiful touch pass over the middle by Tua and a great leaping catch by Waller in the back of the end zone, the kind of pass and catch we haven't seen for years. And that, right there, is what Waller can bring to the offense with his tremendous catch radius.

McDaniel has a bad record on challenges and lost one again on the ensuing kickoff, though this wasn't a bad move to try to get another fumble. And nice punching job by K.J. Britt on the hit on Allen on the kickoff return.

And, of course, the first play of the next Jets drive results in a 23-yard run by Breece Hall, as the run defense issue continue.

Not to try to make anybody feel old, but Mason Taylor (son of Dolphins Hall of Famer) got involved in the action on this drive with an 8-yard catch for a first down but followed by a false-start penalty. Taylor got open on what looked like a pick and stumbled in the open field after catching a pass from Justin Fields.

The Dolphins pass rush finally became a factor this season, with Jaelan Phillips again creating opportunities for his teammates.

Phillips then became the beneficiary of a big play by a teammate when Tyrel Dodson got to Fields and knocked the ball loose on a fourth-and-5 from the Miami 36 to end New York's second drive.

The Dolphins had a chance to maybe apply a knockout punch against a team that's not great at throwing the ball, but Larry Borom pretty much ruined the next drive when he pulled down Will McDonald IV to negated a 15-yard completion to Tyreek Hill that would have given Miami a first-and-10 at the Jets 27.

It was overall a solid first half for the offensive line.

This was a weird ending drive for the Jets, who just went short pass after short pass after a couple of runs and were very nonchalant about the clock. But the Jets did a get a 58-yard field goal by veteran Nick Folk on the last play of the field to make it a 10-3 Dolphins lead at halftime.

And with two takeaways against none and contributions from the passing game, it somehow felt like the Dolphins should have been up by more.