Wow. That was ugly. The Miami Dolphins didn’t show anything in Sunday’s 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The loss dropped Miami to 1-2 on the season, the first time in Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel’s career that he was below .500. Miami’s Week 3 game is one that fans need to forget — but the team needs to move on from watching because it wasn’t good enough.
Miami struggled across the board during the game, especially on offense. The defense made enough plays to keep the team within striking distance of the Seahawks and prevented Seattle from scoring in the second and third quarters, forcing turnovers and getting stops. The offense failed to capitalize on any of the advantages the defense gave them, and Miami deserved the loss.
Whose stock price rose during the game? Who had problems that hurt their stock price? We react to performances throughout the competition.
Increase
Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell, Defensive Tackle – I’m going to group these two together because the pair have been dominant together in the middle of the Miami defense. Sieler recorded three tackles, a sack and an interception on Sunday, while Campbell had three tackles, a sack, two quarterback hits and a pass defended (he deflected the ball that Sieler intercepted). After the game, I saw a meme on X suggesting that the Dolphins defense is missing Christian Wilkins, the defensive tackle who signed as a free agent with the Las Vegas Raiders this year. That seems to be incorrect. There are a lot of problems with Miami right now, but Sieler and Campbell are not part of that list.
Share price falls
Skylar Thompson, quarterback – I don’t want to judge Thompson when he’s down, as the quarterback suffered a rib/chest injury during the game and had to leave, but he just wasn’t playing well before the injury. He took too long to make a decision and the game still seemed too fast for him. He finished the game 13 of 19 passing for 107 yards. A 5.6 yards per attempt average only adds to the frustration that the Dolphins offense isn’t trying to use its speed to open up the top of the defense. Thompson is in his third season and has been a developmental project since being selected in the seventh round in 2022, but he played like a developmental project on Sunday.
Tyreek Hill, wide receiver – Do you remember Hill doing anything on Sunday? I think the most memorable moment was when he let a bubble screen pass bounce off his hands. The All-Pro wide receiver had no impact on that game. He finished the game with 40 receiving yards, his team’s best, but I honestly can’t think of a single pass he caught. With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa injured, Miami needs its best players to step in — but that’s not what Hill did this week.
Durham Smythe, Tight End – Smythe just seems to be slipping this year. He was targeted twice and completed one pass for three yards. His second target was in the back of the end zone, with the tight end getting his hands on the ball as he pounced but unable to hold onto it as it hit the ground. This isn’t a rating based on this one play, but it feels like Smythe is a forgotten part of the offense right now.
Julian Hill, Tight End – While Smythe is gone, Hill is getting noticed for all the wrong reasons. He continues to draw criticism, both on offense and on special teams. Hill needs to get less playing time, possibly more playing time for Smythe, to get him back on the other side of that rating.
Robert Jones, security guard – That may not be fair, as many players on the offensive line struggled during the game, especially with penalties, but Jones stood out as someone who struggled more than the rest of the group.
Mike McDaniel, Head Coach – In 2023, the Dolphins averaged 401 yards per game on offense and 29.2 points per game. In 2024, they average 318.7 yards per game and 11 points. The last two weeks have been abysmal considering Miami managed 400 yards on offense in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars while scoring 20 points. McDaniel’s high-octane offense isn’t playing like a high-octane offense. It feels like he’s trying to show his creativity by changing what worked for Miami last year, but it’s not working this year. The game plans, in-game decisions, time management, undisciplined mistakes and plays have not been up to par for the first three weeks of 2024. Even factoring in Tagovailoa’s injury, the Dolphins had 10 days to prepare for the game against the Seahawks and it looked like they were going through a walkthrough for most of Sunday. Unacceptable.
