Enemy Confidential: Seahawks Can’t Sleep on Brian Flores, Upstart Dolphins

From a standings perspective, the undefeated Seahawks should be the heavy favorites when they embark on the NFL’s longest road trip to travel to south Florida to face the 1-2 Dolphins.

But despite having a losing record at the moment, Miami looks to be on the upswing under the direction of second-year coach Brian Flores. Building off a strong finish to the 2019 season with five wins in the team’s final seven games, they were expected to take a step forward this season and while the win-loss column may not reflect it yet, they’ve been very competitive through three games.

Led by Ryan Fitzpatrick, the 38-year old journeyman quarterback who has galvanized one of the league’s youngest teams, the Dolphins bounced back from a disappointing opener to nearly upset a talented Bills squad in Week 2. Then last Thursday, they dominated the Jaguars in prime time, routing their state rival 31-13 for a convincing first victory of the season.

After selecting three players in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft and signing several quality veterans in free agency, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has been very impressed with the foundation Flores is quickly building in Miami and expects a challenging road game awaits his team.

“It’s a really nice job that Brian’s doing with these guys and turn this thing this fast,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “You can see them playing sharp and playing fast and they’re smart and it’s a good club, so it’s a good challenge for us.”

Here’s a closer look at the Seahawks upcoming Week 4 opponent, including series history, additions/departures, key numbers, and coach Pete Carroll’s evaluation of the Dolphins.

SERIES HISTORY

–14th regular season meeting. The Dolphins lead the all-time series 10-5 and the two teams have split two prior playoff matchups.

This will be the Seahawks first trip to Miami since 2012, when the Dolphins edged them 24-21 during Russell Wilson’s rookie season. Seattle won the most recent matchup at CenturyLink Field by a 12-10 score in 2016.

WHAT’S NEW?

Departures: For the most part, the Dolphins had few meaningful offseason losses. The organization released former Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones, who played in just four games in 2019 due to injury, while cornerback Aqib Talib never played a snap for the team after being acquired from the Rams last year and announced his retirement. On the coaching staff, seasoned offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was brought in to replace Chad O’Shea, reuniting with Fitzpatrick after the two previously worked together with the Bills and Jets.

Additions: Aggressively spending their abundance of cap space, primarily on defense, the Dolphins handed cornerback Byron Jones a five-year, $82.5 million deal to bolster their secondary. They also spent a combined $96 million on long-term deals for linebacker Kyle Van Noy and defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah. Capping off their spending frenzy, former first-round guard Ereck Flowers and center Ted Karras were signed to add experience to the interior offensive line and running back Jordan Howard was given a two-year contract. In April’s draft, Miami added another ball carrier to the mix by trading a fifth-round pick to San Francisco for Matt Breida.

Capitalizing on three first-round selections in the draft, the Dolphins snagged their franchise quarterback of the future in Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall selection, picked an instant starter at left tackle in Austin Jackson at pick No. 18, and further solidified the secondary by selecting cornerback Noah Igbinoghene at No. 30 overall. They also found a day one starter in the fourth round by selecting guard Solomon Kindley.

BY THE NUMBERS

71.1: Completion rate for Ryan Fitzpatrick, sixth-highest among qualified passers.

0: Pass plays of 40-plus yards, tied with seven other teams for last in the league.

9.8: Yards gained per pass completion, fourth-lowest behind Jets, Eagles, and Bengals.

3.8: Yards per carry by Miami running backs, tied for fourth-lowest in the NFL.

44: Pass Block Win Rate per ESPN Analytics, tied for second-worst among 32 teams.

6.5: Yards given up per play defensively, second behind only the Seahawks and Packers.

37: First downs surrendered defensively via the pass, sixth-lowest in the NFL.

25: Pressure percentage per drop back, ranking 11th among 32 NFL teams.

8.8: Yards given up per pass attempt, the highest mark in the league.

36.6: Percent of opposing rushing attempts converted into first downs, second-highest in the NFL.

CARROLL’S THOUGHTS

–Having coached against Fitzpatrick multiple times since becoming Seattle’s coach in 2010, Carroll holds the utmost respect for the 38-year old signal caller, telling reporters he believes the fiery veteran is playing the best football of his career in Miami.

“It’s really something to watch him play right now. He’s on it, this is as good as he’s ever looked to me and it looks like he’s playing on house money. He’s just going for it on all phases, all aspects of his play. He’s running well, he’s challenging at the line of scrimmage trying to make first downs – his helmet got knocked off a bit ago – and he got up laughing and smiling and all fired up. Making great throws, his receivers are doing a fantastic job. Very gutsy, just true veteran savvy working for him.”

After throwing three picks in the opener, Fitzpatrick has thrown four touchdowns and zero interceptions over the last two weeks. He completed 90 percent of his throws in last week’s win at Jacksonville and has total command of Miami’s offense.

–Formerly a star at the University of Washington, Carroll was well aware of running back Myles Gaskin before he was selected by Miami in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Now the Dolphins lead back, he isn’t surprised he’s risen to the top of the depth chart given his versatility and work ethic.

“Miles is playing really good,” Carroll stated. “He’s pushed himself right to the front, he’s the lead ball carrier, he’s got twice as many carries as the next guy because of the way he plays. He’s their leading receiver at about 15, 16 catches, something like that… He’s tough, creative with the ball in his hands, and you can see why they’ve done a great job to just let the best guy out there go and that fits their offense and their style.”

After rushing for just 133 yards in seven games as a rookie last season, Gaskin quickly supplanted Howard and Breida as Miami’s lead back during the early stage of this season. He’s already produced 152 rushing yards and his ability to create as a receiver out of the backfield will make him a player Seattle must keep a close eye on Sunday.