Rost: What we learned as Seahawks beat Dolphins to stay undefeated

The Seattle Seahawks put their 24-3 win in Week 3 over the Dolphins away with an 11-play, 98-yard touchdown drive capped by a Zach Charbonnet score to improve to 3-0 on the season.

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Charbonnet’s two-touchdown performance was one of the highs on a day with a few offensive lulls. A win’s a win though, so here’s what we learned in this one.

The Seattle Seahawks’ defensive improvements are real

Are the Seahawks a top-five team against the pass? That’s probably a byproduct of the quarterbacks they’ve faced (Denver’s Bo Nix, New England’s Jacoby Brissett, and Miami’s combination of Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle) moreso than a shutdown unit. But wins aren’t easy in the NFL, and there’s only so much you can write off about Seattle’s opponents before you need to give a tip of the cap to some impressive performances.

The Seahawks held Miami to 1 of 12 on third down and got to the quarterback six times. But here’s where it really stands out: Seattle’s offense turned the ball over twice, and both times Miami’s offense got to or inside the 4-yard line. On both trips, the Dolphins were kept out of the end zone. I know it’s an offense headed up by Thompson and Boyle, but it’s also one with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane, and the speediest skill position players in the league with one of the brighter offensive minds in Mike McDaniel couldn’t get home.

Unbeaten Seahawks already up two games in NFC West

I don’t care who you’ve got under center. Stopping an NFL offense inside the 5-yard line not once but twice in a game is stellar play.

The offensive line still needs push

Zach Charbonnet saw a significantly more productive day (two rushing touchdowns, a career high 91 yards), which does speak to some solid drives up front, but there was also too much pressure allowed in key moments, and, critically, penalties in key moments.

Zipped his way to the endzone. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9l5cDuAIlW

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 22, 2024

Quarterback Geno Smith was hit seven times and sacked three times. A few of these stalled drives (Smith’s pass attempt to Pharoah Brown on third-and-16 in the first half was a lost cause with a collapsing pocket). Concerning are mounting penalties for right guard Anthony Bradford. I’ll give him this — Sunday’s crew was pass happy with those flags. Both teams were penalized 11 times. But Bradford has now racked up six penalties through three games, the most on the team by far.

Those moments lead to those third-and-long nightmare situations for any offense, and Seattle simply couldn’t convert those. These were a few:

• Third-and-15: Four-yard pass
• Third-and-15: Interception
• Third-and-17: Nine-yard pass
• Third-and-16: Incompletion
• Third-and-22: Three-yard run

3-0 feels pretty good

As a reminder and a positive note to end a post-win wrap, the Seahawks are 3-0. Teams to reach that record have made the playoffs 74% of the time, per DraftKings, and 42 teams to start the season 3-0 have reached the Super Bowl.

Next week’s matchup, though, will be the Seahawks’ toughest thus far: a Monday night game against the Detroit Lions, who led the league last year in pressures and were a top-five offense.

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