5 Turning Points in Seattle Seahawks' Emphatic Win Over Dolphins

What were the five key moments that led to the Seattle Seahawks blowing out the Miami Dolphins?

Sep 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins (2) celebrates with safety Julian Love (20) an incomplete pass to Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe (81) during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks played dominant defense and swarmed the Dolphins for a comfortable 24-3 win. How did the Seahawks get there? Here are five moments that tipped the game heavily in Seattle's favor.

0:23 1st Quarter: Seahawks hold Dolphins to field goal after interception

Whenever your team turns the ball over inside their own 10-yard line, a touchdown for the opponent almost feels inevitable. With the score 10-0 and the Seahawks with the ball, fans felt like the team could make this a laugher early with a long touchdown drive. However, an ill-advised throw out of pressure in the endzone by Geno Smith led to the Dolphins intercepting the pass inside the Seattle 10-yard line. Credit is due to Zach Charbonnet for tackling Kader Kohou at the 6-yard line, avoiding a disastrous pick-six.

The defense came on the field with just six yards to work with. They forced the Dolphins to kick a field goal after Miami got the best field position you could ever dream up in the NFL. That was a statement by the Seahawks defense that nothing was going to come easy for the Dolphins.

0:00 1st Quarter: Geno Smith completes pass to DK Metcalf for 71-yard touchdown

After something of a momentum shift with the defensive stand following the interception, Seattle's offense responded. Geno Smith connected with DK Metcalf for a monster 71-yard touchdown. That put the Seahawks up 17-3 and made yet another statement about which team was in charge on Sunday in Seattle.

The 71-yard score was Metcalf's third-longest touchdown score of his NFL career. That put Miami's defense on their heels and the momentum was squarely on the home sideline.

9:43 3rd Quarter: Dolphins QB Skylar Thompson gets hurt, leaves the game

Do not misinterpret as this being a celebration of Skylar Thompson's injury. This is simply pointing out that it was an inflection point in how this game felt. In the middle two quarters of this game, it was an absolute slog for both teams filled with flags and mistakes. Once Thompson got hurt and left the game, leaving the Dolphins with nowhere to turn but to Tim Boyle at quarterback, the game felt essentially over. Miami's offense went into a shell and did next to nothing after Boyle entered the game. It's hard to say the outcome would've been any different with Thompson in the game, but when they replaced Thompson, any remaining air in Miami's sails disappeared.

Sep 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tim Boyle looks to pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

10:26 4th Quarter: Tim Boyle throws incomplete pass on 4th and Goal from the 2

Even with the injury to Thompson, the Dolphins didn't quit, even though they were massively out-gunned. Due to another interception from Geno Smith, the Dolphins had yet another short field. Third-stringer Tim Boyle got the Dolphins all the way to the 2-yard line with a chance to cut the game to one score. On 4th and Goal from the 2, Boyle sailed an incomplete pass, ending their drive and essentially ending any chance at a comeback.

4:55 4th Quarter: Zach Charbonnet runs for 10-yard touchdown

This was one of those games where a 17-3 lead felt much larger. However, there was still a little angst about Miami being one big play away from only being down one score. That was until the Seattle offense awoke from their two-quarter slumber. Starting from their own 2 thanks to that turnover on downs, Smith orchestrated an 11-play, 98-yard drive that drained 5:27 off the clock to put the game away. It was punctuated by Charbonnet's second rushing touchdown of the game, making the score 24-3 and sealing the victory for the home team.