The Dolphins snapped a three-game losing streak with a come-from-behind, 24-21 win over the Seahawks on Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Miami (5-6, 1-2 AFC East) trailed by seven with fewer than eight minutes remaining, but rookie QB Ryan Tannehill rallied the team before leading a late drive for the game-winning field goal.
However, it wasn’t always pretty for the Dolphins and they were again victimized by poor special teams. The defense failed to force a turnover and a handful of missed tackles helped Seattle (6-5, 0-3 NFC West) keep drives alive. But it was enough for Miami, which finds itself on the fringes of the playoff picture with games looming against New England and San Francisco.
Offense: B-
The team finally got back to basics -- running the ball and using play-action passes and crossing routes to keep the defense off-balance. Tannehill completed 18 of 26 passes for 253 yards with one touchdown against one interception. The offensive line did yield two sacks, but was much better in run blocking, paving the way for 189 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Previous game's grade: F
Defense: C+
This group struggled to corral Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, but the tackling was much improved over the past few weeks. Wilson completed 21 of 27 passes for 224 yard with two touchdowns and ran for 38 yards on five carries. Seattle star RB Marshawn Lynch had just 46 yards on 19 carries and was routinely stuffed at the line of scrimmage. LB Karlos Dansby finished with a team-high seven tackles while DE Jared Odrick had four tackles and a sack. Previous game's grade: C
Special teams: C-
K Dan Carpenter connected on his first game-winning field goal since 2010 when he drilled a 43-yard attempt as time expired on Sunday. However, his late-game heroics might not have been necessary if the kickoff coverage unit would have stopped Seattle RB Leon Washington from returning a fourth-quarter kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. The Dolphins yielded a punt return for a touchdown last week against Buffalo. Previous game's grade: C-
Coaching: B
The offense went back to basics and executed its fundamentals behind a commitment to the running game. Offensive coordinator Mike Sherman also demonstrated some creativity in getting the ball to TE Charles Clay in space and WR Marlon Moore on a reverse. Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle had the team fully prepared to deal with Seattle’s power-running attack and misdirection passing game. This is the most organized and ready to play the team has looked in weeks. Previous game's grade: F
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