Geno Smith to DK Metcalf sparks Seahawks’ fast start. Defense dominates Miami in win

The first words Mike Maconald put on the board this week in his first Seahawks team meeting of Miami game week were a simple demand.

Start fast.

“Oh, yeah, that was a big emphasis,” wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said over the booming bass inside the team’s locker room late Sunday afternoon.

“Starting fast. It’s key for us. And we knew playing Miami, with the percentages and stuff, if we’re up at half we have a great percentage of winning.

“We took that. And we ran with it.”

Geno Smith’s 71-yard touchdown pass to left-alone (again) DK Metcalf ended a 17-point first quarter against the weakened, still-speedy Miami Dolphins. It was their highest-scoring quarter since week eight of last season.

Macdonald’s defense then got six sacks, two by Derick Hall, and three turnovers on downs to offset more concerning play by the porous, penalized offensive line in the Seahawks’ sloppy, at-times ugly, 24-3 win Sunday at pleased Lumen Field.

The News Tribune asked the 37-year-old Macdonald following his third consecutive win to begin his head-coaching career how much closer the defensive performance against Miami was to what he wants Seattle’s defense to be.

“I thought we took a step forward today,” the NFL’s youngest head man said.

“I thought we tackled very, very well. Didn’t feel like the catch-and-run stuff (hurt us). I mean, it’s such a dangerous team. You know the usual suspects (supersonic receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle among them), when they get their hands on the ball you’ve got to take great angles. You need inside-out pursuit. You’ve got to set the edge.

“I thought our front played incredibly hard getting to the ball with a sense of urgency, which was really, really fun to watch and be a part of.”

Playing low-functioning offenses with rookie and fill-in quarterbacks to begin the season, the Seahawks are 3-0 for the eighth time in their 48-year history. It’s their first 3-0 start since 2020. They are in first place by two games in the NFC West entering their next game on a Monday night at Detroit.

Everyone else in Seattle’s division is 1-2.

Yet until they play Sept. 30 at the Lions, finalists in the NFC last season, the Seahawks won’t know how good they are.

“We don’t how much prepared we are until we got face them,” linebacker Tyrel Dodson said of the Lions.

Sunday, Seattle’s defense was way good enough to offset two interceptions by Smith (26 of 34 passing for 289 yards) and beat wounded, inert Miami.

“It showed we are capable of...everything, really,” Pro Bowl safety Julian Love said.

Zach Charbonnet started for injured Kenneth Walker for the second consecutive game and rushed for 91 yards on 18 carries. Forty-two of those yards came on Seattle’s 98-yard drive to Charbonnet’s 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

That march was finally a string of effectiveness from the Seahawks’ offensive line that again subverted much of what Smith and play caller Ryan Grubb were trying to do.

“It was very satisfying, just being able to finish the last drive with a touchdown,” left tackle Charles Cross said. “We knew it was going to be a grind, and we just had to keep grinding it out.”

“We can be so much better,” Cross said.

The Seahawks raced to 17-3 lead after one quarter. This was why the Seahawks hired Macdonald away from being a defensive guru for the Baltimore Ravens last winter. To put away games like this, on his home field, with the opponent starting a backup quarterback lawn-darting throws into the turf.

He — and they — did.

Miami had two turnovers on downs. It failed on 10 of 11 third downs. It had 64 total yards until some garbage gains in the final plays of the first half, when Macdonald had Seattle in deep prevent defense.

Seahawks linebackers Tyrel Dodson and Dre’Mont Jones knocked fill-in quarterback Skylar Thompson out of the game. Third-stringer Tim Boyle finished at QB for Miami. He missed on four of his first eight throws.

With Dolphins lead rusher Raheem Mostert out injured, Seattle held D’Von Achane to 30 yards in 11 carries.

Miami’s only remote chances of scoring came off two interceptions by Smith, caused by Seattle’s offensive line allowing Smith to get swarmed.

“That’s the expectation,” Macdonald said.

“That’s how we expect our defense to play.”

Exit Skylar Thompson

Dodson slammed into Thompson and sacked the fill-in quarterback on a third and 1 early in the third quarter. Thompson appeared to be hurting from that. He began Miami’s next offensive series. On the second play, as he threw incomplete, Seahawks outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones pushed him to the turf. Thompson stayed down, on his back, for multiple minutes. He was ruled out with a chest injury.

Practice-squad third-stringer Tim Boyle entered with 9 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The game should have been over.

Macdonald and Seattle’s defense made sure it was.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel went for the first down on a fourth and 3 with Boyle on his third play. Cornerback Riq Woolen batted away Boyle’s short pass to Braxton Barrios for a Seahawks turnover on downs.

After watching the Seahawks’ offense stall from the midpoint of the second quarter until late in the third, play caller Ryan Grubb had Smith run the unit in no-huddle mode. It sparked rhythm and production. Smith completed five consecutive passes to get Seattle into Miami’s end of the field. Then the line collapsed again, forcing Smith into a penalty for intentional grounding.

That was the 19th accepted penalty of a game that was not yet into the fourth quarter.

On third and 21, Smith tried to throw to Tyler Lockett to get back into range for a long field goal. Miami defensive lineman Calais Campbell batted the pass, and tackle Zach Sieler intercepted at midfield.

Love arrived early, hitting Miami fullback Alec Ingold early before a pass arrived. The interference penalty gave the Dolphins a first down at the Seahawks 38. They moved to a first and goal the Seattle 3.

Then Love stopped Achane on a run up the middle for a loss of a yard. Dodson and linebacker Drake Thomas, part of a duo with rookie Tyrice Knight replacing injured Jerome Brown at weakside linebacker, stopped an run by Achane to the 2.

Love said the defense’s mentality was “just energy. Run up there with a purpose.

“Just attack.”

On third and goal nose tackle Johnathan Hankins did, up the middle, and forced an errant throw by Boyle. On fourth down, Boyle threw way over the head of Achane as cornerback Devon Witherspoon jumped his route on the left side of the end zone.

Seattle stayed ahead 17-3, then responded with the 98-yard drive to Charbonnet’s cementing score.

“Our red-zone defense, I thought, was poised. We communicated well,” Macdonald said. “I mean, red-zone football, that’s what wins you games. Those critical situations, high-leverage downs, I thought our guys had a great mentality.”

DK Metcalf ignored. Again.

For the second consecutive Seahawks game, a defensive secondary let Seattle’s hulking Metcalf run free down the field while distracted by shorter pass routes.

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey stayed short on underneath routes as safety Jevon Holland had Metcalf sprint right past him down the right slot. Smith’s pass onto Metcalf’s hands sent the 6-foot-4 wide receiver off to a 71-yard touchdown on the final play of Seattle’s 17-point first quarter.

Game (essentially) over.

Mike Macdonald’s defense

The Seahawks held Miami to 64 yards on the first 24 plays. The Dolphins wouldn’t have had even their three points into the third quarter if not for left guard Laken Tomlinson getting beaten, and Geno Smith getting hit as he threw an interception tipped off the hand of running back Charbonnet to Miami’s Kader Kohou at Seattle’s 6-yard line.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Grubb was greedy with that play call. Up 10-0 with a third and 15 backed up to Seattle’s own 5, a run and Michael Dickson punt to near midfield instead of that pass attempt likely would have kept Miami scoreless and the Seahawks with at least a 17-point lead well into the third quarter.

Macdonald’s defense did its job, again, after Smith’s interception. Rookie linebacker Tyrice Knight, starting at weakside linebacker for former Dolphin Jerome Baker, made a sure tackle in the open field on fullback Alec Ingold in the left flat on a swing pass. That forced the Dolphins to settle for a short field goal that trimmed Seattle’s lead to 10-3.

Thompson made his fourth career start, for concussed Dolphins Pro Bowl quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — and struggled. Thompson completed seven of his first 13 passes for 56 yards.

Macdonald had noted during the week the Seahawks’ study of nine previous games Thompson played in the NFL entering Sunday he held the ball nearly a full second longer on average than Tagovailoa. Taglioviola was the quickest in the league throwing the ball last season, just over 2.3 seconds.

Thompson’s average of 3.04 seconds in nine career games would have been near the longest time holding the ball this season; Jalen Hurts of Philadelphia entered Sunday at 3.11 seconds to throw.

Thompson stayed in that form Sunday, and Macdonald’s Seahawks took advantage. Derick Hall had two sacks in the first half on longer pass plays. Dodson got Seattle’s third sack of Thompson on a third and 2 to end Miami’s first possession after halftime.

“Coach Mike, he’s shown that formation since I got here,” Dodson, who signed with Seattle from Buffalo in March, said. “He said, ‘Hey, you see this formation, go!’ I trusted him, and I made a big play for my team.”

Macdonald also gave new looks for the Lions next week, the 49ers in two weeks and Seattle’s future opponents to study. He had nickel defensive back Devon Witherspoon switching man coverage inside as a nickel back to outside, where outside cornerback Tre Brown had lined up. In prevent defense to end the first half, Macdonald dropped all 11 Seahawks in pass coverage.

Offensive line remains an issue

Right guard Anthony Bradford allowed a sack that ruined Seattle’s first drive, into Miami territory. It forced Jason Myers into a 56-yard field goal. He made it, on a line drive. Bradford ruined a second drive in the opening half with a holding penalty. That was his fifth penalty in two games plus 20 minutes.

Bradford’s sixth flag in three games came on a false start midway through the third quarter. That ruined a fourth consecutive drive that ended with a Michael Dickson punt, with only one Seattle first down in that span from midway through the second quarter until late in the third.

Unlike the previous week in New England, rookie Christian Haynes did not alternate in for any drives playing for Bradford. Macdonald had said last week Haynes “probably” earned more playing time.

Center Connor Williams, playing his third Seahawks game since a torn ACL with Miami in December, was penalized for holding in the second quarter. Tomlinson got beaten on the Smith interception.

Miami veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell beat the interior of Seattle’s line for a sack of Smith to end the Seahawks’ opening possession of the second half.

That was the third sack of Smith in 22 drop backs to pass.

Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy injured

The inside of Seattle’s defensive line lost two key players in the first half.

Leonard Williams left in the first quarter with a rib injury. He went into the locker room with a trainer. The $64 million defensive end re-signed this past offseason returned to the sidelines in the second quarter, standing with his helmet on behind defensive coaches.

“I don’t know the severity of it,” Macdonald said.

“I think we’ve got a picture of it. I don’t what the results of it are.”

While Williams was out, rookie first-round pick Byron Murphy left the game in the second quarter with an injured hamstring dealing with yet another double-team block. He also went into the locker room.

The team announced at halftime that Williams and Murphy would not return to the game.

Macdonald did not know how severely Murphy was injured, either.

That meant far more playing time for defensive lineman Mike Morris, plus some more three-safety defenses with K’Von Wallace and some Coby Bryant minus a defensive linemen, for most of Sunday.