Subscribe
Follow Us
After narrowly surviving a Week 2 throwdown with the New England Patriots that saw the game drag out into overtime, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves facing off against another AFC East team, the Miami Dolphins.
Now, normally, this would be a pretty tough ask, as the Dolphins have the best passing offense in the NFL and an average defense to keep them out of constant shootouts, but crucially, they will be without Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a concussion in Week 2 that could call his career into question.
While this is clearly bad news for the Dolphins, as their new backup quarterback, former Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley, just arrived in South Beach this week, the Seahawks find themselves with a golden opportunity to secure a win against one of the better teams in the NFL while they are down their most important player. Fortunately, if they come up with the correct game plan, the pieces are in place for Seattle to do just that and keep their undefeated streak alive for the third week in a row.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
1. Skylar Thompson gets dominated by Mike Macdonald's defense
In Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season, Skylar Thompson finds himself in a pretty rough situation.
One week removed from replacing Tagovailoa after the franchise signal caller suffered a brutal concussion that landed him on IR, the former seventh-round pick out of Kansas State, who admittedly threw for 80 yards on 8-14 passing in Week 2, has to earn his first start of the season against one of the most impressive defenses fans have seen in some time.
No pressure, right?
Through the first two weeks of the season, the Seahawks have allowed just 257 passing yards combined, which is good for the second-fewest yards of any defense in the NFL. Granted, those wins came against the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, who may both end up with top-5 picks when everything is said and done, but when you consider neither Jacoby Brissett nor Bo Nix was able to throw for more than 132 yards and even strong efforts on the ground couldn't compensate for that fact, the Seahawks truly look like the proud owners of one of the best defenses in the NFL today.
Unfortunately, even with Thompson under center, the Dolphins still employ Mike McDaniel as their head coach and offensive guru, and he has Miami with the best passing offense in the NFL, and it's safe to assume he will have plenty of trickery lined up to give Macdonald's defense fits, but considering the talent Seattle currently employs in their secondary and up front alike, it's safe to assume they will be prepared for whatever comes their way.
With that being said, will Thompson be prepared for a pass rush that could come from anywhere and will almost certainly feature plenty of misdirection, stunts, and general trickery? If he isn't, or his confidence wavers as the game goes on, it's going to be a long afternoon for the Kansas State product in Emerald City.
2. Geno Smith throws for under 250 yards
In Week 2 against the New England Patriots, Geno Smith had his first truly great game of the 2024 NFL season, throwing for 312 yards through the air while accounting for all but 38 of the team's overall offensive production as a passer and a runner.
Could that trend continue in Week 3? Potentially so, as Smith has momentum at his back and a strong collection of offensive players around him, but for that to happen, he will need to elevate his game from Week 1 and even Week 2, as the Dolphins have the best passing defense of any team he's seen all week, and that could cause some problems.
Through the first two weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the Dolphins have allowed exactly 139 passing yards to both of their opponents, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who they defeated in Week 1, and the Buffalo Bills, who took them down in Week 2. The Dolphins still have an impressive secondary led by Jalen Ramsey, and with Vic Fangio gone, they have taken a step forward with Anthony Weaver running the show as their new defensive coordinator.
Fortunately, Miami has been much less effective at stopping the run, as they have allowed at least 100 yards to both the Jaguars and the Bills and might again find themselves huffing and puffing from a concerted rushing attack, as even with Kenneth Walker III doubtful to go in Week 3, UCLA product Zach Carbonnet should be able to put in enough work on the ground to give offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb a balanced offensive attack.
Can the Seahawks put up triple-digit rushing yards without Walker III? Only time will tell, but even if the Seahawks take a minor step back from a passing perspective, with Smith throwing for less than 250 yards, the potential is still there for a big game overall, even if it takes all hands on deck to make that happen.
3. The Seahawks remain undefeated with a third-straight victory
So, if Thompson struggles mightily against the Seahawks' pass rush, Geno Smith is able to play efficiently, and the Seahawks find a way to put up triple-digit rushing yards even down their top running back, Seattle should be pretty well set up for victory in Week 3, right?
Yes, while the Dolphins could still be a force down Tagovailoa, as they have three very winnable games between Week 4-7 before he's eligible to return from IR, Week 4 looks like an incredibly tough task for a seventh-round backup taking over for a quarterback who potentially suffered a career-threatening injury. If Macdonald delivers the goods defensively, and the Seahawks do just enough on offense to control the time of possession while putting consistent points on the board, the undefeated streak should live on for at least another week.
