Playing for the first time this season away from Hard Rock Stadium, the Dolphins offense struggled to find a rhythm under quarterback Skylar Thompson, who was making his first start in 21 months dating back to the 2022 Wildcard playoff game in Buffalo.
The results: not what you've come to expect from these Dolphins.
These are the three takeaways from the 24-3 loss in Seattle.
- Offense stuck in the mud
By any metric, yesterday's loss was the lowest offensive output by the Dolphins under Head Coach Mike McDaniel. Just 205 yards of total offense and three total points from what was the top scoring unit in the league last year.
"I think we have to handle the road better, and that starts with me," Head Coach Mike McDaniel said. "I think that the crowd was rocking, and we looked as though it was the first time in a hostile environment. And so that's a fast lesson that you have to learn from and get better or you are not going to expect any differing results moving forward."
"I see the quarterback is an extension of the offense, and the offense is an extension of me," he continued. "And three points, I've never won a game scoring three points. So I think collectively, starting with me, it just needs to be better, and we have to get it figured out fast."
- Undisciplined football
Playing on the road with a backup quarterback is difficult, and those scenarios are compounded when self-inflicted errors permeate. The Dolphins committed 11 penalties for 85 yards in the game, but even when the pre-snap operation was executed, things still looked disjointed. The offense was consistently up against the play clock, had a handful of snaps where players were coming off the ball at different times, and rarely did the drop of the quarterback sync up with the route concepts.
- Dominance from the defensive front
The play of the Dolphins defense, particularly up front, kept Miami in the game until the very end. Consistent thwarting of double teams in the run game and steady pressure on Seattle quarterback Geno Smith, defensive tackles Zach Sieler, Calais Campbell and Da'Shawn Hand put their best collective foot forward. All three players registered a sack in the game, but it was two splash plays that spawned from interior pressure that helped keep Miami in the game.
Sieler teamed up with outside linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah on a pressure off a stunt that forced an errant throw from Smith, which eventually landed in the hands of cornerback Kader Kohou. That play set the Miami offense up inside the Seattle 10-yard-line.
Later, Sieler intercepted the second pass of his career when Campbell crashed in for a pressure, deflecting the Smith pass in the process. This put the Dolphins offense at midfield, trailing by two touchdowns late in the third quarter.
In total, Miami compiled three sacks and two interceptions. At one point in the game, the Seahawks offense had a five-drive stretch that featured a turnover and four three-and-outs, including three drives with negative yardage.
For more analysis, takeaways and breakdowns, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
