MVP candidate Russell Wilson’s on deck for Dolphins — but there’s reason for optimism
One of the unfortunate quirks of the NFL schedule is how seldom Dolphins fans get to see NFC teams in person.
But in the case of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson — who will make just his second trip to Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday — perhaps it’s a good thing.
Wilson is playing a different game than anyone else right now, and will arrive in South Florida as the NFL’s best player and hottest quarterback.
“This is a spectacular player,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said Monday, the team’s first full day back to work after Thursday’s victory over the Jaguars.
“This guy is tough to defend. He makes really good decisions. He can extend plays. He’s accurate with the football. He pretty much knows what you’re in from a coverage standpoint because he’s seen a lot of exotic defenses. He’s one of the best players in the league, if not the best, so this will be an extremely challenging game for us.”
Especially since Wilson already has a blueprint for beating the Dolphins. He, like Josh Allen and Cam Newton, is a dual threat. But unlike Allen and Newton, he’s also one of the most accurate passers in football.
Wilson has been otherworldly to start his ninth NFL season, ranking first in touchdowns (14) and fourth in yards (925) through Sunday’s games. He has thrown just one interception in 103 attempts and has completed a staggering 76.7 percent of his attempts.
Back to the touchdowns: The 14 he has thrown are the most through three games in NFL history. What’s more, he has had five touchdowns passes in back-to-back games, the first player to do it since Ben Roethlisberger in 2014, according to ESPN Stats.
The Dolphins and Ryan Fitzpatrick will probably have a better chance trying to keep up with the Seahawks than slow them down, especially since Seattle has the league’s worst pass defense (allowing 430.7 yards per game).
And in a fun (albeit under-the-radar) twist, Sunday’s game is a matchup of two of the top six-rated quarterbacks, per ESPN’s QBR metric. Wilson (86.1 out of 100) is second. Fitzpatrick (80.9) is sixth.
Even after a bounce-back game in Week 3, there are still real concerns about Miami’s defense. The Dolphins rank last in red-zone defense (opponents have scored touchdowns on 87.5 percent of their trips), 31st in yards per pass allowed (8.3), 26th in opponents’ passing rating (108.2), 25th in passing defense (265.7) and 25th in interception percentage (1.0 percent).
There are some reasons for optimism, however.
The Dolphins are 10th in scoring defense (21.7 per game), tied for 11th in sacks (seven), 11th in passing touchdowns allowed (1.3 per game), 12th in sack percentage (6.8 percent) and 16th in third-down defense (43.3 percent).
Plus, there’s a chance that cornerback Byron Jones — the team’s highest-paid player — plays after missing Thursday’s game with a groin injury. Flores said Monday that Jones is “making a lot of improvement” but wouldn’t commit to him being available against Seattle.
Then there’s the travel aspect. The 2,724-mile flight from Seattle to Miami is the longest in the NFL this season. And the Dolphins are particularly good at home against West Coast teams, going 8-2 in the last 10 years against clubs traveling from the Pacific time zone. Compare that to an ugly 62-88 in all other games — home, away or neutral.
Wilson has faced the Dolphins twice since entering the league in 2012. The Seahawks have won one (in Miami) and lost one (at home). In those games, he has completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 482 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for a passer rating of 96.2.
That probably doesn’t mean much, however. Just four players remain from the Dolphins roster who last faced the Seahawks in 2016: Xavien Howard, Jakeem Grant, Bobby McCain and DeVante Parker.
“He’s a great quarterback — a lot of movement with the ball,” Howard said. “Guys have to just stay in coverage playing against Russell Wilson, because he makes some perfect passes.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2020 at 1:37 PM.
