With another injured quarterback, the Dolphins' early season woes continue to pile up

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins' thoughts after a second straight blowout loss were a mix of accountability for their struggles and optimism that they can fix them as the season goes on.

The Seattle Seahawks clobbered Miami's offensive line and sacked Skylar Thompson five times in Sunday's 24-3 loss. They shut down the Dolphins' playmakers. And they burned Miami's defense for a 71-yard touchdown.

“Consistency has to be found from the nucleus in the group,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “The guys that truly know the offense have to really be on it. And we have to just keep chopping wood and get better fast.”

And now the Dolphins could be turning to their third quarterback in four weeks.

Tua Tagovailoa, on injured reserve with a concussion, watched from the sideline on Sunday as Thompson went down in the third quarter.

Thompson was slow to get up after Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson hit him for a sack, and he was slightly hunched over at the midsection as he ran off the field.

He returned for the next series but stayed down after completing a pass to running back De'Von Achane. Thompson remained on his back for a few minutes before sitting up and walking directly to the locker room.

McDaniel later said Thompson suffered a “painful” rib injury and that the quarterback would be further evaluated Monday. McDaniel didn't say what the next steps would be for the Dolphins.

“I think you have to look at everything, and you have to find a way to give your team a best chance to win,” he said. “In 2022, this was something that happened to us as well. And ultimately the rest of the league does not care, nor should they. We have to find a way to get better collectively. And it’s going to take a better effort by everyone, including myself, or starting with myself.”

The injury to Thompson came a little over a week after Tagovailoa suffered his third diagnosed concussion in two years during a loss to Buffalo. Tagovailoa will miss at least three more games as he works through the NFL's concussion protocol.

If Thompson misses time, Tim Boyle and Tyler Huntley are the other quarterbacks on Miami's roster. The Dolphins signed Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad last week, and he served as the third quarterback Sunday.

Boyle replaced Thompson and finished with 79 yards passing.

“Business as usual. Nothing’s going to change,” Boyle said. “I have a pretty good routine, Year 7 at this point. (I will) watch my film, look at my corrections and move on to the next team after the 24-hour rule.”

Even before his injury, Thompson struggled in his first start since 2022. He completed 13 of 19 passes for 107 yards and looked uncomfortable under center as the Dolphins struggled to move the ball.

McDaniel took part of the blame for Miami's offensive ineptitude, which included just 205 total yards and 3.7 yards per play.

“I don’t think it was as much of the quarterback as it can easily be made out to be," he said. "I think it was the overall orchestration and execution of plays down in and down out. And I have to look at that hard in terms of myself to what we’re doing, what we’re good at and how to play clean football.”

What's working

Ball security and takeaways. The Dolphins did not turn the ball over on Sunday after three turnovers against Buffalo. Miami also intercepted Geno Smith twice.

What needs help

Discipline. Eleven penalties were accepted against Miami for 85 yards, including pre-snap penalties on offense and issues on special teams. McDaniel said some of Miami's self-inflicted wounds were a result of not handling the road environment well enough. Seattle's Lumen Field is known as one of the loudest stadiums in football, but Sunday was certainly not Miami's first time playing in a raucous road environment.

Stock up

DT Zach Sieler had three tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Sieler also came up with an interception on a deflection by Calais Campbell in the third quarter.

Stock down

The entire offense. The Dolphins recorded just 13 first downs, were 1 for 12 on third down and 0 for 2 in the red zone. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the NFL's leading receiving duo from 2023, combined for just seven catches for 66 yards. The pair had seven catches for 65 yards against Buffalo in Week 2.

Injuries

LT Terron Armstead already was playing through a shoulder injury and got poked in the eye in the second quarter. Armstead and CB Kendall Fuller also are in the concussion protocol after being evaluated during the game.

Key number

112 — The number of rushing yards the Dolphins are allowing per game. Miami has allowed five rushing touchdowns this season.

Next steps

The Dolphins will look to regroup against the winless Titans, who also have had issues on offense. Miami hosts Tennessee on Monday night.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Alanis Thames, The Associated Press