Sitting at 3-0 and atop the NFC West, the Seahawks know the tests are about to get tougher

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — DK Metcalf usually doesn’t hold back when it comes to giving critiques.

Catching a long touchdown on Sunday was nice. Posting another 100-yard game was nice. Helping the Seattle Seahawks improve to 3-0 was certainly enjoyable.

But to the Seahawks wide receiver, now in his sixth season in the league, there were too many glaring mistakes that even a dominant win shouldn’t overshadow.

“Winning takes care of a lot of mistakes, but you can’t overlook them or sweep them under the rug,” Metcalf said. “You’ve got to be professionals and be the type of team that fixes those mistakes and moves on and improves throughout the season.”

Seattle’s 24-3 thumping of Miami was a dominant effort that kept rookie coach Mike Macdonald perfect in the beginning of his tenure. He’s the fifth coach under the age of 40 in the past quarter-century to start his career 3-0.

The win also was expected. No matter the changes during the offseason and implementing new systems, with the talent on hand the Seahawks should be 3-0.

They beat a rookie QB making his first start in the opener, received an extraordinary performance from Geno Smith to win in New England in Week 2 and on Sunday overwhelmed a Miami team that was down to its No. 3 quarterback by the final whistle.

Now the tests begin for this team to find out if the fast start and a two-game lead in the division is real or a mirage, beginning next Monday night in Detroit to start a span of three games in 11 days. After playing the Lions, the Seahawks return home to face the Giants on Oct. 6 and the 49ers on Oct. 10.

“We've done enough to win each game that we played," Macdonald said. “There's a lot of great stuff on tape, but we're also at the beginning stages of this team and who we're going to become. The guys know that.”

What’s working

Seattle is the first team since the 1979 Steelers to begin a season 3-0 and hold all three opponents under 150 net yards passing. The Seahawks haven’t exactly faced elite quarterbacks yet, with rookie Bo Nix, journeyman Jacoby Brissett and backup Skylar Thompson their three primary opponents thus far.

But it’s still an excellent start for a group that was viewed as having a lot of potential because of the talent in the secondary. Thompson and backup Tim Boyle combined to throw for 186 yards, but it was the six sacks for 46 yards from Seattle’s defensive front that pushed the number under the 150 mark.

What needs help

It will be a broken record until the performance improves, but the interior of Seattle’s offensive line remains a concern. Guards Laken Tomlinson and Anthony Bradford were responsible for a significant number of the pressures Smith faced from the Dolphins. And there are no obvious answers for the Seahawks to find a fix.

Stock up

One of the players who is quickly emerging as a breakout playing in Macdonald’s system is second-year outside linebacker Derick Hall. The former second-round draft pick out of Auburn had five tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in the Week 3 victory. Hall already has three sacks in three games after going without one last season, and he has topped his total number of QB hits from all of last year when he appeared in 17 games.

“I think the big part of it is just knowing what I had to attack going into the offseason. Really honing in on that, being able to develop my pass rush and take it to the next level,” Hall said.

Stock down

Bradford has been penalized six times through the first three games and at various times has been badly beaten by defenders blowing up run plays or exposing Smith to hits in the pass game. That Seattle hasn’t gone to rookie Christian Haynes seems to be a sign of his struggles in making the adjustment to the pro game. Haynes rotated with Bradford in Week 2, but it was Bradford getting all the snaps against Miami.

Injuries

Seattle is fortunate to have depth on the defensive line but won’t want to be without Leonard Williams (ribs) or Byron Murphy II (hamstring) for long. Both were injured in the first half against Miami, and Macdonald didn't have updates on Monday. Macdonald said OLB Uchenna Nwosu (knee) should get some reps in practice this week but he was unsure if he'd play. He did not have an update on Kenneth Walker III (oblique), who has missed the last two games.

Key numbers

1 of 15 — Seattle’s defense held Miami to 1 of 15 on third and fourth downs combined. Seattle is allowing just 26% of conversions on third and fourth downs through three games.

Next steps

They don’t get much bigger than a prime-time matchup next week in Detroit on Monday. The Seahawks and Lions played a wild 37-31 overtime game last season in Week 2 won by Seattle, and with how the season has started for both teams, this one could end up having ramifications come January.

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Tim Booth, The Associated Press