The Seattle Seahawks may not be loved by the national media, but the schedule ancestors seem to be smiling down on them, at least at the outset of the 2024 NFL season. First they took down the Denver Broncos at home, then the New England Patriots on the road in overtime. Next they'll be facing a Miami Dolphins team playing without their franchise quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa is out because he suffered a concussion one week ago today in a game against the Buffalo Bills. It was at least his third over the last two seasons and rasied questions about retirement. Tua doesn't seem to be interested in going down that road, but the team has placed him on injured reserve. That knocks Tagovailoa out for the next four games, including Sunday's matchup at Lumen Field.
In Tua's place the Dolphins will hand the ball to Skylar Thompson, who will be making just his third start in the NFL since he was drafted in 2022.
Asked earlier today how Thompson has improved since that rookie year, Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith seemed to have a problem coming up with an answer. Here's how he reacted to the question and eventually recovered.
Dolphins OC Frank Smith on QB Skylar Thompson
How has Dolphins QB Skylar Thompson improved, OC Frank Smith? VIDEO pic.twitter.com/Q74CdoJNtX
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) September 19, 2024
Yikes. To be fair, that long pause may be more of a knock on Smith's media training than anything to do with Thompson's game. Maybe Smith just had a brain-fart. Just because he couldn't come up with an answer right away doesn't mean that Thompson hasn't improved. That said, the pause also doesn't inspire a ton of confidence in an inexperienced young quarterback going into a game against what's been an elite defensive unit so far.
To review: the Seahawks lead the NFL in total pressures, have allowed the third-fewest passing yards per game, they rank fifth in defensive DVOA, third in success rate and seventh in EPA/play. Remember, their scoring defense (20.0 points allowed per game) is out of whack because of multiple mistakes on offense and special teams in Week 1. Both the film and the advanced numbers suggest this will be a suffocating, potentially top-five defense in 2024, especially against the pass.
Good luck with that, Skylar.
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