Miami Dolphins vs. Seattle Seahawks Preview, Week 1 Picks

It’s been another eventful offseason for the Miami Dolphins. The team hired former Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase as the head coach barely a week into the new year.

About seven months after that, the Dolphins finished the necessary renovations to their stadium—a nearly $500 million ordeal.

Add in the usual offseason activities of re-signing free agents and adding players through the draft and free agency, and you’ve got one busy front office.

Sunday marks the first regular season game for the Dolphins under Gase, and it happens to be against one of the most brutal defensive teams in the NFL—the Seattle Seahawks. That’d be like a first-time base jumper leaping into Mount St. Helens.

Let’s take a look at some key matchups for this contest.

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson vs. Dolphins defense

Photo by Ron Elkman, USA Today Network

Russell Wilson is like Houdini but in the form of a scrappy, undersized quarterback. He’s dealt with a below-average offensive line for his entire career and has still made it work. It seems like every time pass protection breaks down, Wilson miraculously escapes and turns a negative play into a positive one.

Something the Dolphins defense has struggled with for years is pursuit. Finding and tackling in the open field hasn’t been a strong point, and with Wilson’s ability to extend plays, Seattle will likely have backs and receivers running in space.

Under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, the former Cincinnati Bengals defensive backs coach, Miami is running a wide-9 formation. That formation, in theory, is supposed to give the defense a better chance at containing plays and getting to the quarterback.

That theory will certainly be tested against Wilson and the Seahawks’ offense.

Not only did Wilson pass for more than 4,000 yards and 34 touchdowns last season, he gained 553 yards on the ground, as well—the second most on the team.

Miami’s offensive line vs. Seattle’s defensive line

Photo by Ron Elkman, USA Today Network

Miami’s offensive line will feature three new starters, two of those being permanent. Laremy Tunsil and Jermon Bushrod will start at guard, and newcomer Anthony Steen will start at center for Mike Pouncey, who is week-to-week with a hip injury.

Miami had arguably the worst interior offensive line play in the NFL last season, so the new faces are a welcomed addition. It’s also worth noting: Four of the five players starting on the offensive line are offensive tackles. Tunsil played left tackle in college and Bushrod has been an offensive tackle most of his career.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been sacked 184 times in four years, losing a cumulative 1,390 yards. That’s a lot of drives killed because of one negative play.

Miami also had the longest yards-to-go on third downs in the entire NFL in 2015.

It’s crucial for Miami to minimize negative plays, especially when going against a strong defensive front like Seattle. Second-and-nine is a much better scenario than second-and-17.

Miami had a bad habit of committing drive-killing penalties or giving up drive-killing sacks on many drives last season. Having to continuously attempt converting long third downs is not conducive to success in the NFL.

Seattle has a pair of talented defensive ends in Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, both of whom enjoy feasting on quarterbacks. Pair that with a group of athletic, hard-hitting linebackers, and that’s going to cause trouble for a still-gelling offensive line for Miami.

Miami’s secondary vs. Seattle’s passing offense

The secondary might be Miami’s weakest unit as a team. Byron Maxwell, Miami’s undisputed No. 1 cornerback, struggled with the Philadelphia Eagles last season. No. 2 cornerback Xavien Howard is a rookie with a similar body and playing style to Maxwell, but without the NFL experience. In the slot will likely be second-year corner Brice McCain, who is the smallest of the three but still isn’t afraid to be physical.

The prototypical cornerback in Miami’s defense is tall, long and strong. Maxwell is 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds. Howard is an even six feet tall, weighing 202 pounds. Unlike last year’s defense, the corners will be playing close to the line of scrimmage to try to jam receivers off their release. Last year, Miami would sometimes give 10-15 yard cushions to receivers, which rarely disrupted the opposing team’s timing.

The strongest part of Seattle’s offense is Wilson’s ability to extend plays with his legs and deliver accurate passes to receivers downfield, sometimes five or more seconds after the snap. Seattle’s receivers do a great job of continuing their routes and improvising in unison with Wilson.

Miami does have safety Reshad Jones, an often-overlooked player around the league, but a bona fide playmaker nonetheless. Jones had an incredible 135 tackles, two sacks, five interceptions, 10 pass deflections and two interceptions returned for touchdown. Jones has the rare gift of being in the right place at the right time, often coming out of nowhere to make an impact play.

In the past, Jones would be a defensive freelancer, free to roam the field and wreak havoc. It’s unclear how Jones will be used in the new defensive scheme.

Other notes

After a season-ending Achilles injury last season, defensive end Cameron Wake looks healthy and ready to go. Miami is still remaining cautious with Wake, relegating him to situational duties and starting Jason Jones.

Miami’s first-round pick from 2015, DeVante Parker, has had difficulty staying healthy in his young NFL career. It’s unclear whether the second-year receiver will play in Seattle. In Parker’s final six games, he caught 22 passes for 445 yards and three touchdowns. He was expected to make a profound impact this season.

Second-year running back Jay Ajayi was expected to replace Lamar Miller. As insurance, Miami signed Foster, who has had a rough go with injuries in his NFL career. Foster spent another offseason rehabbing from an injury and is healthy, at the moment. It’s looking like Foster will start after Ajayi’s struggles during the preseason.

Photo by Ron Elkman, USA Today Network

Prediction

It’s hard to see Miami taking on a juggernaut like Seattle in its first game under a new head coach. Seattle is a perennial contender in the NFC while Miami hasn’t sniffed the playoffs since 2008.

It’s the NFL, and anything can happen, but don’t expect Miami to put up much of a fight against Seattle.

Seattle 31, Miami 10

NFL Picks