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Across the nation the temperatures are beginning to drop, and the leaves are starting to turn as the Seattle Seahawks host the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 while looking to remain undefeated under new head coach Mike Macdonald.
With Miami coming to Lumen Field to visit means it’s time for a preview of the game with The Phinsider, the SBNation site for the Dolphins, and joining Field Gulls this week to preview the game is Phinsider Managing Editor Kevin Nogle.
There is no point in wasting any time, so without wasting any further time, we’ll get right to the questions posed of Kevin and the answers he provided.
The biggest news for the matchup is obviously that Tua Tagovailoa is out since he’s on injured reserve, so what should Seahawks fans know about Skylar Thompson and how the Dolphins defense will look different with Thompson under center.
The coaching staff seems confident that Thompson, entering his third season after being a 2022 seventh-round pick, is ready to run the full offense. We will see if that is a true sentiment or just posturing by the coaching staff. Miami’s offense is built on quick passing and anticipation. The play calling can allow for the quick passing, but can Thompson have anywhere near the anticipation of Tagovailoa? Thompson did not instill a lot of confidence in the fan base during the preseason, but the Dolphins also gave him very few reps during training camp. The focus this summer was very much on the first-team offense, not on giving Thompson time to develop his timing with the top of the depth chart. Now, he is going to have to find that timing very quickly. At least Miami had a full ten days since playing on Thursday night to figure out what they will do without Tagovailoa for at least the next four games.
Miami’s offense has so much star power that someone – or multiple players – needs to step up and take the pressure off of Thompson. Wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle need to make plays. Running back De’Von Achane needs to have a big game. The Dolphins have to keep this game off the shoulder of Thompson, and they can do that by having their stars play like stars.
Random fact. Thompson and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy were the last two quarterbacks selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, going 247th and 262nd. They are also the only quarterbacks drafted that year to still be with the team that selected them.
Through the first two games of the season the Dolphins offense has failed to live up to its reputation as a high octane, high scoring machine. Has the league figured Mike McDaniel out or is it something else that has Miami as one of the lowest scoring teams in the league so far?
After Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, it felt like Miami was doing just enough to come back to win that game without showing anything new that the Buffalo Bills could use four days later in Week 2. Then the Bills came out and smacked the Dolphins in the mouth and the team struggled to do anything. I feel like McDaniel was being too reliant on the passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, trying to make sure everyone saw those plays so he can open the deep pass later – but it feels more like a limitation to the offense right now rather than a wrinkle.
That said, now that Tagovailoa is out and Thompson is in, it might actually prove to have been a good addition as the team tries to get the ball out of Thompson’s hand and over to Hill, Waddle, Achane, and tight end Jonnu Smith. There is no doubt Miami’s offense needs to get back to using the explosiveness, however.
Seahawks fans are familiar with the big names on the roster like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane, but who is someone Seattle fans may not be familiar with who could have an impact on the outcome of the game?
You probably know Jonnu Smith, or at least remember when he was a good piece of the Tennessee Titans’ offense in 2017 – 2019. He disappeared in two seasons with the New England Patriots before having career highs in receptions and yards last year with the Atlanta Falcons. Head coach Mike McDaniel has said he thinks the next evolution of his offense will be the addition of a receiving tight end to continue to create mismatches and confusion for the defense. We have seen a little of that early this year, but Smith only has seven catches for 60 yards so far – not exactly the dominating underneath option Miami needs if they are going to send Hill and Waddle deep. At some point he will break out and become a big piece of the offense, but for now, it seems more of a potential option for the Dolphins.
After that, Miami’s offense is a giant question mark. Running back Raheem Mostert is doubtful with a chest injury, rookie wide receiver Malike Washington is doubtful with a quadriceps issue, and wide receiver Grant DuBose is out with a shoulder problem. Wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., is on the physically unable to perform list. Wide receivers River Cracraft, Anthony Schwartz, and rookie Tahj Washington are on injured reserve.
Tight ends Durham Smythe and Julian Hill could factor into the game, but we are back to the same discussion of Smith’s impact on the offense. Until the tight end becomes a critical piece of the system, it is all potential.
Seattle and Miami effectively traded linebackers in free agency, with Jordyn Brooks and Jerome Baker swapping teams. How has Brooks performed so far, and what should Seahawks fans know about Baker?
Brooks has been a really good addition to Miami’s roster, recording 10 tackles and a pass defensed in the first two games. He has brought energy to the defense and he has quickly become a leader on that side of the ball. He has perfectly slotted in as the team’s starting inside linebacker, complementing David Long, Jr. Brooks provides physicality and run stuffing that is not Baker’s forte.
Baker makes his impact as a pass-rushing inside linebacker. When he can blitz, he is going to find success. He can get washed out in run defense, which I think is a big part of why Miami chose to move on this offseason. Baker is a good solid linebacker who can make some great plays – he just was not the right fit for what Miami needed this year.
Brooks spoke about the emotions of returning to Seattle this week, explaining, “Yeah, I spent my first four years there. It was a good thing for me, but it’ll be good to go back and get to play against those guys. I think it will be a great opportunity for me.”
He continued, speaking about being close to guys on the Seahawks and looking forward to seeing them, saying, “A lot of the guys on defense that I played with, a lot of the younger guys. It will be good to see them and then compete against them.”
Jalen Ramsey and DK Metcalf have history going back to Ramsey’s time in Los Angeles. Should Seattle fans expect Ramsey to shadow Metcalf all game? Or will the two only occasionally match up against one another?
One of the Dolphins’ biggest frustrations last year in Vic Fangio’s defensive system was the use of cornerbacks. Fangio wants his corners assigned to sides of the field, no matter who lines up on that side. This allowed offenses to create the matchup they wanted, forcing a player like Ramsey to cover players further down the depth chart rather than shadowing a top receiving option. With new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver this year, we have already seen Ramsey lining up all over the field, and I would expect that to happen again.
Weaver was asked about the possibility of a Metcalf-Ramsey pairing this week. Predictably, he did not want to provide an answer but did say, “Yeah, possibly. I’m not going to sit up here and try to give these guys any advantages, but they obviously have very good receivers, right? (DK) Metcalf looks like he can come out and play outside backer for them, too, if he wants to. He’s that big and that fast and that powerful. Then you talk about the (Jaxon) Smith-Njigba kid, No. 11, and obviously he loves (Tyler) Lockett. So to me, they’re very good complementary pieces to one another and you can tell that Geno (Smith) feels comfortable throwing the ball to all of them.”
Ahead of training camp, Ramsey did indicate the defensive system is designed to allow him to shadow receivers, and that it fits his style. “Those are things that I’ve done throughout my whole career besides last year. Last year was the only time I didn’t follow and only stayed on one side of the field,” he stated. “So last year was kind of a different year for me rather than this being different. This is like back to what I do, back to where I thrive and made impact and have a lot of fun playing the game.”
What’s your prediction for the game?
I do not know if I have one for this week, simply because I need to see if Thompson has control of the offense. This team is designed to win shootouts, but it could get ugly if the offense stumbles under Thompson. I have to believe the coaching staff stuck with Thompson as the second-string quarterback because they know he can win them games.
If the running game gets established early and Hill and Waddle are making plays, even if it is off of bubble screens and slants, then the Dolphins can win. If they are out of rhythm and no one is stepping up to take the pressure off of Thompson, this could be a long game, followed by a long flight home for the team.
I will say it is a close game with Miami pulling out the win late. But that is completely a homer pick (along with years of seeing quarterback Geno Smith with the New York Jets and not comprehending how Seattle’s Smith is the same player).
And now it’s on to the game Sunday afternoon.