Seahawks earn 24-3 win over Dolphins as Miami deals with another QB injury
SEATTLE — Just three games into his tenure, Mike Macdonald has given the Seattle Seahawks a perfect start and already gives them a two-game lead in the division.
Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins are once again facing questions about who will be under center at quarterback going forward.
“All that matters is that we win, however we win,” Seattle QB Geno Smith said. “I’m not really particular about it, but 3-0 is a good start.”
Smith threw for 289 yards and a 71-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf, Zach Charbonnet ran for two TDs, and the Seahawks beat Miami 24-3 on Sunday as the focus turned to another injury to a Dolphins quarterback.
A week later Tua Tagovailoa loses third concussion Over the past two years, the Dolphins have seen Skylar Thompson suffer a chest injury in the second half, leaving Tim Boyle to try to lead the charge after a 17-3 deficit.
Boyle failed to lead a comeback and the Dolphins (1-2) were pinned back in a place of uncertainty about their QB situation.
Miami coach Mike McDaniel said Thompson is dealing with a painful rib injury.
“You have to look at everything and find a way to give your team the best chance to win,” McDaniel said. “I think in 2022, it’s something that happened to us as well and, at the end of the day, the rest of the league doesn’t care, and shouldn’t care. So we have to find a way to get better as a team.”
Thompson was injured in the third quarter, going down after being pushed by Dre’Mont Jones following a pass to De’Von Achane. But the injury was likely sustained on the previous drive when Thompson was tackled by Tyrel Dodson and bent over midfield as he left the field.
Thompson completed 13 of 19 passes for 107 yards before leaving the field. He also was sacked five times.
Seattle is the first team since the Steelers in 1979 to start the game 3-0 and hold each opponent to fewer than 150 yards passing. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for seven receptions for just 66 yards.
“They’re such a dangerous team. You know the usual suspects,” Macdonald said. “When they get their hands on the ball, you’ve got to take great angles, you’ve got to chase it inside and out, you’ve got to get it going. I thought our offense played incredibly hard.”
Tagovailoa made the trip to Seattle just over a week after suffering a concussion against Buffalo on Sept. 12. Dolphins express confidence that Thompson would be able to step in and keep their powerful attack moving.
But all Miami could do was score a 23-yard field goal by Jason Sanders in the first quarter. Miami only had 205 total yards.
“I’ve never won a game scoring three points, so I think collectively, starting with me, it has to be better. We have to find a solution quickly,” McDaniel said.
Miami had a chance to get back within one early in the fourth quarter after Smith’s second interception of the game, a pass deflected by Calais Campbell and recovered in mid-air by Zach Sieler. Miami reached Seattle’s three-point line but failed four times and turned the ball over on downs.
Seattle responded to that defense with a 98-yard drive, capped by Charbonnet’s 10-yard TD run with 4:55 left. Charbonnet finished with 91 yards rushing on 18 carries, while Smith completed 26 of 34 passes, including the long TD pass to Metcalf.
Seattle improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2020.
“We always talk about the need to close the game and for the offense, this was our opportunity to close the game … and be on the attack from the beginning. I think we did a great job,” Charbonnet said.
Seattle’s offense was very efficient early in the first quarter, with Smith throwing for 133 yards. The decisive blow came on the final play of the first quarter when Metcalf used a double move to get open and Smith found him for his seventh career touchdown of 50 yards or more.
But after that first quarter, it was a pretty miserable afternoon for the Seahawks on that side of the ball, with offenses often thwarted by penalties. The teams were each flagged for 11 penalties accepted and several others denied or offset.
“I think the only thing that stopped us today was the stupid penalties we had,” Metcalf said.
In addition to Thompson, the Dolphins lost starting left tackle Terron Armstead (eye) and cornerback Kendall Fuller (concussion) to injuries in the first half.
Seattle lost a good chunk of its defensive line, with first-round rookie Byron Murphy II (hamstring) and Leonard Williams (ribs) both injured in the first half. Both were sidelined at halftime.
Dolphins: Will host Tennessee next week on Monday Night Football.
Seahawks: in Detroit next week on “Monday Night Football.”
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