Eight months after he was hired to be the head coach by the Miami Dolphins last January, Adam Gase will finally coach in his first regular season game on Sunday when his team faces the Seattle Seahawks. If the Dolphins are to come away with a victory on Sunday, they will have to do it without a couple of key players.
Miami center Mike Pouncey will not play against the Seahawks as he is still dealing with a hip injury. Running back Jay Ajayi also will not play as he didn’t travel to Seattle, a decision made by Gase before the team’s flight on Thursday. DeVante Parker is also not expected to play because of a hamstring injury.
Defensive end Terrance Fede (knee), linebacker Jelani Jenkins (knee), defensive tackle Earl Mitchell (calf), running back Isaiah Pead (hamstring) and guard Laremy Tunsil (knee) are all questionable for Sunday’s game against Seattle. With that many injuries, the margin for error is slim for the Dolphins.
Miami Dolphins at Seattle Seahawks
Time: 4:05 p.m. EST
TV: CBS
Spread: Seattle -10
Three Things to Watch
- Dolphins Defense
If the Dolphins are going to upset the Seahawks, their defensive line will have to set the tone for the rest of the team. Miami’s defensive line is considered one of their strengths on the team and the team will hope Mario Williams, Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake can put pressure on Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
Unlike in previous years, Wake will be used primarily in the passing situation instead of being an every down defensive end. Miami defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said they would use Wake with the hopes to get the very best out of him during each play.
“Just keeping him healthy and allowing him to be a dominant pass rusher – taking some downs off of him – makes us better and allows him to be fresher for 16 weeks,” Joseph said.
Williams and Suh and defensive end Jason Jones will not only have to make their presence known in the passing game but they will also need to stop the run. Seattle likes to run the football and the Dolphins were 28th in the league stopping the run in 2015.
With a duel-threat weapon like Wilson and running backs like Christine Michele and Thomas Rawls, they must contain the run to prevent long drives which can wear down the defense.
- Ryan Tannehill
In road games since entering the NFL in 2012, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has a 13-19 record. If he is going to take his game to the next level, he needs to play well in games against teams like the Seahawks.
Gase is giving Tannehill more responsibility unlike his previous coach Joe Philbin, and former offensive coordinators Mike Sherman and Bill Lazar. Now Tannehill will be able to audible in and out of plays and that is key against a great defense like the Seahawks.
Tannehill will need to get the ball out quickly so that the attacking Seahawks defense won’t get pressure on him. During the preseason, Tannehill looked great running Gase’s no-huddle offense. That could be the way in order to keep the Seahawks defense on its heels throughout the game.
- Arian Foster
As mentioned earlier, Ajayi will not play against the Seahawks as he did not travel with the team. So the load of the Dolphins running game will fall on the hands of veteran Arian Foster.
After the Dolphins first two preseason games, there was no clear-cut starter at running back. Then in limited duty against the Falcons in Week 3 of the preseason, Foster showed his versatility as he caught two passes and scored a rushing touchdown.
Seattle led the NFL in rushing defense a season ago, so Miami hopes their passing game can get the rushing attack going. Foster could also be used a lot in the passing game especially since DeVante Parker will not play in Week 1
Twitter @antwanstaley
