3 reasons the Seahawks beat the Dolphins

The game was ugly in many ways.

For the Seattle Seahawks, however, a three-touchdown victory and a 3-0 record are beautiful things.

The Seahawks scored 17 first-quarter points and then added a suffocating, 11-play, 98-yard drive that ate nearly 5 minutes of fourth-quarter clock. The rest of the game was a struggle for both offenses.

The teams committed 11 penalties apiece. The Seahawks finished 3-of-11 on third downs, while the Dolphins failed on 11 of 12 such opportunities. Here are the three reasons the Seahawks won today.

Pass rush

Seattle started the game without linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, and defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy both departed with injuries.

No matter.

Linebacker Derick Hall — who went sackless last season — recorded two sacks on Sunday. Tyrel Dodson, Jarran Reed, Boye Mafe, and Dre’Mont Jones each added one. The Seahawks knocked Miami quarterback Skylar Thompson out of the game in the third quarter, and the Dolphins managed just 205 total yards. That was partially offset by 85 penalty yards.

“The scheme the coach Mike (Macdonad) has put in place for us on the defensive side of the ball has allowed the entire defense but specifically the outside (line)backers to be effective game in and game out,” said Hall, who finished with five tackles and four quarterback hits.

Hill, Waddle limited

It’s perhaps a bit much to say that the Seahawks handcuffed Tyreek Hill, but they did limit Hill (three catches 40 yards) and fellow speedy receiver Jaylen Waddle (4 catches, 26 yards).

“We want to be the best in the nation — hard-nosed football,” Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown said.

Sticking with the run

Seahawks starter Zach Charbonnet wasn’t exactly electric in the first half, tallying 35 rushing yards on 10 carries. Seattle offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb kept pounding, though, and it paid off during the Seahawks’ final scoring drive. Charbonnet capped the 11-play drive with runs of 13, 11, 3 yards before his fourth-straight run was a 10-yard touchdown, his second rushing TD of the game. With Kenneth Walker III still out due to injury, Charbonnet finished with 18 carries for 91 yards and Kenny McIntosh contributed 11 yards on three rushes.

“There were some things that weren’t going our way offensively,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “The drive at the end kind of speaks to our mentality.”