The Seattle Seahawks defense put forth another downright dominant performance in Sunday’s 24-3 blowout Week 3 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Mike Macdonald’s unit took full advantage of an opportunity to play against backup quarterbacks Tim Boyle and Skylar Thompson. The Seahawks held the Dolphins to a combined 1-of-15 on third and fourth down, 65 net rushing yards, and 205 total yards.
Seattle forced the Dolphins to punt six times (in addition to three failed fourth-down attempts). They also accumulated six sacks and forced three fumbles (the Dolphins luckily recovered them all). The Dolphins offense was outmatched in every phase.
Two contests occurred on Monday Night Football. Week 3 concluded with the Washington Commanders upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Buffalo Bills swept aside the Jacksonville Jaguars. League-wide statistics have been updated as a result.
The Seahawks defense currently ranks first in passing yards allowed (132.3) per game, second in total yards allowed (248.7), and fourth in points allowed per contest (14.3).
The Seahawks defense ranks:
2nd in the NFL in yards per game (248.7)
2nd in passing yards per game (132.3)
4th in points allowed per game (14.3)— Brian Nemhauser (@hawkblogger) September 23, 2024
Only four NFL defenses have accumulated more sacks than Seattle’s 11 QB takedowns. If there’s an area for improvement, it’s in the turnover department. Macdonald’s defense hasn’t been opportunistic enough. They’re -1 having forced three turnovers versus four giveaways.
Macdonald oversaw a Baltimore Ravens defense last season that led the NFL in points allowed per contest (16.5), sacks (60) and takeaways (31) as John Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator. Perhaps Seattle’s early-season defensive dominance should come as no surprise. They’ve taken on the identity of their first-year head coach.
