Every Dolphins vs. Seahawks Prediction You’ll Ever Need
Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
After a devastating Thursday Night Football loss to the hated Buffalo Bills and Tua Tagovailoa’s potential career-ending injury, it’s a relief to simply play football again. The Miami Dolphins are going across the country to play the Seattle Seahawks, where, for the first time in 10 days, they’ll be able to focus on the game in front of them, for better or worse.
Miami, however, is hoping for “better.” The assignment hasn’t changed: To prove to the NFL that they’re tough enough to contend deep into the playoffs. A tough win on the road, with all that’s happened, will go a long way to doing that. De’Von Achane, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and more are still in place, even if the arms getting the ball to them are far less exciting than Tua’s. Mike McDaniel is going to have to find a way to get the ball in their hands. Can he? We’ll look and see what the football world is saying about the Dolphins going into Week 3.
ESPN.com, NFL Nation: Seahawks Win
Zero love for the Phins here, as ESPN’s panel points out that in the Tua Era, the Dolphins are 33-20 with him at the helm, and 7-9 with anyone else. Skylar Thompson gets no love here, with Seth Walder predicting Seattle to score a defensive touchdown. Averaging out the panel’s three predictions has Seattle winning 25-15, with Eric Moody being the only one to predict a one-score game (24-21 SEA).
Bleacher Report: Seahawks 26, Dolphins 14
Almost no faith in Miami here, either, with Brad Gagnon being the only panelist of the eight to have the Dolphins coming out on top. What do they think gives Seattle the edge here?
It’s Thompson starting on the other side. “I can not Costanza myself into [picking the Dolphins with] Thompson under center.”
Oh, no, is this going to be a theme?
NFL.com: Seahawks Win
You bet your ass, it’s a theme. All five NFL.com panelists picked Seattle, and you’ll never guess why. “Miami has gone 1-4 while averaging 19.2 points per game with a 5:7 TD-to-INT ratio in the five contests Tua Tagovailoa has missed since 2022 (including the playoffs). Three of those games were Thompson starts,” writes Dan Parr.
Though this is the first national outlet we’ve seen to give Miami some real hope. “Seattle did have trouble against the run in Week 2, allowing Antonio Gibson to break off a 45-yarder,” concedes Parr. That might be better news if Miami were to get Raheem Mostert back, but that seems unlikely. De’Von Achane has gone off in his first two games, both as a runner and receiver, but can he carry the workload again by himself? Or will Jaylen Wright have to step up and make plays, as well?
Clutch Points, Dominik Zwartko: Seahawks Win
Please, just say anything other than “Hawks win because Thompson.”
“We like the Seahawks’ ability to move the ball down the field and if we see Zach Charbonnet get the start, he should be more than capable of a big day on the ground as we’ve seen him do it in the past.”
Oh, cool and rad! Thank you! Let’s just move to the next —
“As for the Miami Dolphins, we’re not confident enough to back them… until we can see Thompson effectively run this offense.”
Aw, well, fair enough, I guess.
USA Today: Seahawks Win (Via Split Decision)
Look, we could focus on Lorenzo Reyes (picking Seahawks to win 19-7) or Tyler Dragon/Jordan Mendoza (24-16) jumping on Seattle, but at this point, I really, really wanna hear somebody in the national media say something good for the Dolphins. So here’s Richard Morin on why he picked Miami to win a squeaker by a score of 20-18:
“Seattle showed something in an overtime win at New England, but Miami has a different breed of playmakers.”
The 33rd Team, Marcus Mosher: Seahawks 26, Dolphins 20
Mosher is at least looking for a competitive game, with McDaniel being the X-Factor for Miami more so than any player on the field. Ultimately, however, Seattle gets the edge once again. “Surely, Mike McDaniel will do everything in his power to get the offense moving, and he’ll be creative in the plays that he calls. However, it’s hard to see the Dolphins generating enough offense to keep up with Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks.”
Palm Beach Post: Seahawks Win (Via Split Decision)
It’s time for the beat writers to weigh in, and here’s how they break down:
Joe Schad: Seahawks 24, Dolphins 20
Hal Habib: Seahawks 27, Dolphins 20
Tom D’Angelo: Seahawks 31, Dolphins 13
Nick Pugliese: Dolphins 17, Seahawks 16
Habib cites the “12th man” as a factor for the Seahawks. “Seattle is… one of the last stadiums where you’d want to go with a backup quarterback making his first start. Fans will try to get Thompson off his game by drowning him out, leading to false starts.” He and Schad both predict close games, but both seem confident that Seattle will come out on top. “An upset here would require a few forced turnovers and/or plays on special teams,” Schad predicts.
So why does Pugliese think Miami can take this one? “This is the proverbial trap game for Seattle, overlooking Miami while looking ahead to a big Monday Night Football game with the Lions.”
Good point for any Seahawks players reading this to consider: Why worry about Miami next week? Take it easy out there on Sunday, you don’t want to get hurt in a cakewalk.
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