The first time Miami's offense took the field on Sunday, Skylar Thompson hit De'Von Achane with a short pass, and the speedy running back took it for a 22-yard gain.

Was it a sign that a Dolphins offense full of explosive playmakers was going to be headache for Seattle's defense for the next three hours? Were the Seahawks in for their toughest test of the season in the form of Mike McDaniel's dynamic offense?

Well, as it turns out, that Achane catch ended up being the Dolphins' longest play from scrimmage, and only gain of 20 or more yards, until former Seahawk Dee Eskridge added a 30-yard catch in the game's final minutes after the Seahawks had built a three-touchdown lead and pulled several of their defensive starters.

The Seahawks improved to 3-0 on Sunday with a 24-3 win over the Dolphins, and while there were plenty of things to clean up in that performance for Seattle, the play of the defense was about as good as can be expected in an NFL game.

Yes, the Dolphins were starting their backup quarterback, and they lost Thompson to an injury in the third quarter, but the Dolphins still have a ton of weapons, led by All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill, they have dynamic offensive scheme, and the Seahawks were far from being at full strength on defense, particularly after Leonard Williams and Bryon Murphy II both exited with second-quarter injuries. It's not a given in the NFL that a defense will dominate against a backup quarterback, but Seattle was able to do just that, limiting Miami to 205 yards, 13 first downs, a 1 for 12 conversion rate on third down, and an 0 for 3 rate on fourth down. In fact, the Seahawks defense may well have pitched a shutout had Miami not started a drive on Seattle's 6-yard line following an interception to set up its only score of the game.

"I thought we took a step forward today," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of his defense. "The run game, I think they popped a couple runs, but overall, I thought we tackled very, very well. It's such a dangerous team. You know, the usual suspects. When they get their hands on the ball you've got to take great angles. You need inside-out pursuit, set the edge. I thought our front played incredibly hard getting to the ball with a sense of urgency, which was really fun to watch and be part of."

That stop in the red zone after an interception marked the third time this season an opponent has taken over deep in Seahawks territory, with Denver having done so twice in Week 1, once on an interception and once on a muffed punt. In all three of those scenarios, the opposing offense didn't get a first down and had to settle for a field goal.

"Big time," Macdonald said. "That's big time. I mean, our red-zone defense I thought was poised. We communicated well. Red zone, that's what wins you games, is those critical situations, high leverage downs. Our guys have a great mentality. When they get it the red zone, the reason is not good, so you have to have the mentality of, we're defending a blade of grass."

In addition to standing up in the red zone after a turnover, the Seahawks also came up with a red zone stop late in the game to keep Miami, down 17-3 at the time, from making it a one-score game. That drive ended at the 2-yard line on a fourth-down incomplete pass that was well covered by Devon Witherspoon, just part of another strong day for Seattle's passing defense, which allowed only 140 yard while recording six sacks and 12 quarterback hits.

"It felt real good," middle linebacker Tyrel Dodson said of that fourth-down stop. "It's good when a team is knocking at your door for four downs and you don't let them in. I'm just so proud of my defense. These guys are just so resilient, man. That's the word that stands out to me today, just resilient. I feel good; there's still stuff we need to keep getting better at, run-game wise, but three points on the board, I'll take that any day. Well, it should be a donut, but I'll let it slide.

"I want a donut up there, a zero, but three points in the NFL, if you hold each offense to three points each game, you're the best defense ever in this whole entire world. So I'm just so proud of the guys. Thinking back at this week, guys are dinged up, they're coming to work no matter what, not using excuses, just being a pro."

Having faced the Dolphins twice a year during his time with the Buffalo Bills, Dodson came into the game with a healthy dose of respect for the strain players like Hill, Achane and receiver Jaylen Waddle can put on a defense, so he was thrilled to see the defense limit Hill to 40 yards on three catches, Waddle to 26 yards on four catches, and Achane to 30 rushing yards and 28 receiving yards.

"Being in the AFC East, I have so much respect for those guys," Dodson said. "At the beginning of the week, I told the guy, 'Put the track shoes on.' And guys, we put our track shoes on today, we were in the Olympics. We were running to the ball, we were meeting each other at the ball, we were trusting each other with the angles and stuff like that."

Making the performance all the more sweet was the fact that Seattle's defense began their week upset with how things went in last week's win at New England, particularly because of the way the Patriots were able to rush for 185 yards.

"Last week, we didn't play well, and I was honestly pissed off about that," Dodson said.
"And you see how we responded today. We've just got to keep stacking it. We're 1-0 for this week, but we've got to go 1-0 again. So after tonight, this game don't mean nothing."

Thanks to the defense's big day, the game felt like it was in Seattle's control after two quick touchdown drives in the first quarter gave the Seahawks a 17-3 lead. Seattle's offense got stagnant for a while before putting together a game-sealing 98-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, and while there will be games in which the offense will need to do more to pull out a victory, on this particular Sunday, a dominant defensive performance made any offensive struggles a non-factor.

"When we talk about complementary football, those are the things we talk about," quarterback Geno Smith said of the way the defense picked up the offense. "Situations aren't always going to be perfect. Again, we got to eliminate the mistakes, and that starts with me. I've got to eliminate putting our defense in tough spots. To see them go out and not flinch, not bat an eye, go out there and put the clamps on that offense and hold them to three points, the only points they got throughout the game, and then they had another big time stop late in the game right before the big drive. You know, so the way they're playing is lights out. Man, it's going to give us a chance to win every single game we play."