Skylar Thompson steps into the spotlight at QB as Dolphins make long trip to face Seahawks

Miami (1-1) at Seattle (2-0)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Seahawks by 4 1/2

Series Record: Dolphins lead 10-6

Against the spread: Dolphins 0-2, Seahawks 0-1-1.

Last Meeting: Seahawks beat Dolphins 31-23 on Oct. 4, 2020 in Miami.

Last Week: Dolphins lost to Bills 31-10; Seahawks beat Patriots 23-20 OT.

Dolphins offense: overall (8), rushing (20), passing (1)

Dolphins defense: overall (4), rushing (15), passing (5)

Seahawks offense: overall (13), rushing (23), passing (6)

Seahawks defense: overall (6), rushing (22), passing (T2)

Turnover differential: Dolphins minus-2, Seahawks plus-1

Dolphins player to watch

QB Skylar Thompson steps into the role of starter with Tua Tagovailoa out after he suffered the third confirmed concussion of his career on Sept. 12 against the Buffalo Bills. The 2022 seventh-round pick has three career starts, including Miami’s 34-31 loss to Buffalo in an AFC wild-card game in the 2022 season. Thompson has a 57.1 percent completion rate for his career, with one touchdown and three interceptions. He will be tested against a Seahawks defense that is one of the best in the league against the pass.

Seahawks player to watch

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a career-high 12 catches for 117 yards in Seattle’s 23-20 victory over the Patriots last Sunday. With Miami’s strong passing defense averaging just 139 yards allowed per game, this will be a chance for Smith-Njigba to prove that last week’s big performance was no fluke.

Key matchup

Dolphins pass defense against Seahawks passing offense. Seahawks QB Geno Smith had a big game against New England last week, throwing for 327 yards and completing 33 of 44 attempts. DK Metcalf had 10 catches for 129 yards. Seattle will be tested this week against the Dolphins pass defense, which is the fifth best in the league through two weeks.

Key injuries

Dolphins starting LT Terron Armstead did not practice Wednesday as he nurses a shoulder injury suffered in Week 2. … Coach Mike McDaniel said RB Raheem Mostert is “progressing” as he deals with a chest injury from Week 1. Mostert was limited in practice Wednesday. ... The Seahawks are beat up already and uncertain of the status of RB Kenneth Walker III (oblique) LBs Uchenna Nwosu (knee) and Boye Mafe (knee) and RT George Fant (knee).

Series notes

This will be the Seahawks and Dolphins first meeting since Oct. 4, 2020, a game Seattle won 31-23 on a 360-yard passing day from Russell Wilson. … The two teams have met three times in the AFC playoffs (1983, 1984, 1999 seasons). Seattle won in 1983, but Miami won the next two. … The Dolphins' most recent win over the Seahawks was a 24-21 victory on Nov. 25, 2012, in Miami.

Stats and stuff

Tagovailoa was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years after he collided head-first with Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin last Thursday. Tagovailoa was diagnosed with two concussions in 2022 and one while in college at Alabama. He has completed 64.5 percent of his passes in 2024 for 483 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. … Second-year running back De’Von Achane has 120 rushing yards and 145 yards receiving in the first two weeks of the season. He’s the first player with at least 120 rushing yards along with 145 receiving in the first two weeks of a season since Christian McCaffrey in 2021, and the fifth in the past 20 years. Achane has 13 touchdowns through the first 13 games of his NFL career. … Defensive lineman Calais Campbell needs 3 1/2 sacks to reach 110 in his career. Campbell, who signed with the Dolphins in March, has 11 1/2 career sacks against the Seahawks. … RB Jeff Wilson has 265 career rushing yards and 104 receiving yards in five career games against Seattle. … The Dolphins have six wins against NFC teams since McDaniel was hired in 2022. … Seattle’s defense ranks sixth overall in the NFL with 270.5 yards allowed per game, and is second with an average of four yards per play. … If Seattle wins, it would be the eighth 3-0 start in franchise history, and first since 2020. … Metcalf ranks first in Seahawks history for the most receptions in a player’s first six seasons, with 385. … Tyler Lockett needs one game with 100 yards receiving to tie Darrell Jackson for second most in franchise history with 19. Steve Largent is first with 40. … Seahawks DE Leonard Williams ranks second in the league with eight QB hits, behind only Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson. … Williams leads the league with six QB knockdowns. … Seattle is tied for the second-fewest net passing yards allowed in the NFL through two weeks with 257. … Through two games, LB Boye Mafe has nine tackles, three tackles for loss, four QB hits, and two sacks. … With last week’s win, head coach Mike Macdonald became the first coach in franchise history to start his tenure 2-0.

Fantasy tip

Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet finished with just 38 rushes yards on 14 carries last weekend against New England, which has the second-best run defense in the league heading into Week 3. But with Walker still nursing an oblique injury that kept him out last week, Charbonnet could still see significant snaps against Miami.

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