It became an easy 43-yard field goal attempt for Dan Carpenter and Miami sucked the life out of the Seahawks’ faithful.
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Opening day in the NFL saw Kansas City cornerback Marcus Peters raise a black-gloved fist during the national anthem, a protest amplified later Sunday when four Miami Dolphins kneeled on the sideline with hands on their hearts as “The Star Spangled Banner” played in Seattle.
Wilson attempted 26 first-half passes, the most attempts of any half in his career.
Even on a bum wheel, Russell Wilson got the stagnant Seahawks rolling for some fourth-quarter magic. Another Seahawks rookie, RB C.J. Prosise, suffered a wrist injury in the second quarter and did not play after halftime. After that loss in Miami, you could easily make the argument that Seattle was the best team in the NFL.
The Dolphins offense managed a modest 222 total yards but did not commit any turnovers. He took Miami 86 yards, 82 of which came via the pass, in just over three minutes to take a 10-6 lead with 4:08 left. On their next series, Kenny Stills got free behind Seattle’s secondary only to drop what would have been a sure touchdown.
Marsh, a third-year player who saw limited action with the defense last year, made two big hits while covering punts, and then he blocked a fourth-quarter field goal that kept the Seahawks ahead 6-3 with 10:41 remaining.
Seattle running backs averaged 24 carries per game last season. Williams was out of the game going through concussion protocol. They have replaced their General Manager twice in the past three seasons, and their head coach and offensive coordinators approximately a million times since they drafted Tannehill. Give him credit, Wilson always delivers.
The Dolphins could be frisky if their defensive line pressures Wilson, and they have different personnel from past year, but this is a group that finished 29th against the pass in 2015.
Seattle’s locker room was engaged in a lengthy discussion over the past few weeks about what type of message to send. Carroll said Prosise has a sprained wrist and the cast was protective. In an ugly, defensive struggle, Baldwin managed to haul in a game-high 9 receptions for 92 yards.
Baldwin and Co. have chose to take a vastly different approach than that of fellow National Football League players Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid, and, more recently, Brandon Marshall. Wilson turned his right ankle while trying to avoid Suh and limped through two plays before seeking assistance from team trainers when the Dolphins took possession of the ball.
The bottom line: it may feel like the “same ol’ Dolphins” at times, but I think Gase will have them going in the right direction over time.
“We didn’t get as much space as we thought we would”, Carroll said.
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“It doesn’t matter how you start, but how you finish”.
