Another doubleheader is on the way for NFL fans on Monday Night Football, featuring a showdown of the Tennessee Titans at the Miami Dolphins, followed by a matchup between the Seattle Seahawks at the Detroit Lions
In the early slot of the doubleheader, the 0-3 Tennessee Titans will visit the 1-2 Miami Dolphins, with both teams looking to recover from recent difficulties.
Tennessee has yet to record a win in 2024, quickly falling behind in the AFC South due to struggles on the offensive side. Most recently the Titans fell short against the Packers and backup QB Malik Willis, losing 30-14 to their former teammate. They look to right the ship against a Dolphins squad dealing with its own QB problems.
With Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) on injured reserve, Skylar Thompson started Week 3 and fared poorly, putting just three points on the board versus the Seahawks and coming out of the game with rib pain that will keep him off the field this week. The recently signed Snoop Huntley will start with Thompson out.
As for the aforementioned Seahawks, Seattle (3-0) will be on the road in the nightcap to face the 2-1 Detroit Lions.
The Seahawks' undefeated record came through wins against the Broncos, Patriots and Dolphins, and will look to cement their status as a contender with a victory over the Lions, a preseason playoff favorite. The Lions have won games over other NFC West foes already in the Rams and Cardinals, taking their first loss of the season in Week 2 versus the Buccaneers.
Recent matchups between these squads have been high-scoring affairs, with the two combining for at least 65 points in each of the last three matchups, most recently a 37-31 overtime win by Seattle in Week 2 of the 2023 season. The Seahawks have won each of those matchups, leaving Lions head coach Dan Campbell still searching for his first win against these avian foes.
Meanwhile, Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald is the only undefeated rookie head coach this year and the only Seahawks HC in history to go 3-0 to start his career, and will be looking to continue both trends on Monday night.
Here are four things to watch for when the Titans-Dolphins and Seahawks-Lions games kick off on Monday Night Football on ESPN and NFL+:
- WHERE: Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla.
- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes, NFL+
1) Levis’ mistakes have to stop. A major storyline of each of the Titans’ three losses has been quarterback Will Levis’ struggles to take care of the ball, with ill-advised decision-making and costly turnovers leaving points on the board. He had two interceptions and a fumble in the fourth quarter against the Bears in Week 1, and then a fumble near the goal line against the Jets. Last week versus the Packers included yet another pick-six to Jaire Alexander. In total, he has four touchdown passes and five interceptions -- the latter already more than his 2023 total -- and also has recorded a fumble in each of the first three games. It hasn’t helped that Levis has faced near constant pressure, with the offensive line ranked second-to-last in sacks allowed (15). Looking to turn over a new leaf and get his team its first win, Levis will hope the location of Monday’s game can prove fortuitous. The Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium was also the scene of not only the Titans QB’s last win in Week 14 of last season, but also one of his best performances in the NFL. Levis led two touchdown drives in the final five minutes to overcome a 14-point deficit for the comeback 28-27 win, also his only 300-yard outing in 12 starts.
2) Hill needs to get over the hill with backup QB. The quarterback situation in Miami will undoubtedly greatly affect the way Monday’s game plays out, but regardless of who is under center, it would certainly help to get Tyreek Hill going after the star wide receiver’s uncharacteristically down last two weeks. After a 2023 season in which Hill flirted with becoming the first receiver with over 2,000 yards in a season, Hill’s first game with Tagovailoa throwing to him was more of the same, recording 130 yards. But in Week 2 versus the Bills, he was stifled and had just 24 yards, his lowest total since 2022, and last week with Thompson, he was only slightly better with 40 yards. When Tagovailoa missed four games in 2022, Hill had 55 or fewer receiving yards in three of those contests, a trend that cannot continue this time around if the Dolphins are to win while Tagovailoa recovers. With Tagovailoa out until at least Week 8, Hill will need to find a way to return to form to help carry his team to victory, even without his usual QB available.
- WHERE: Ford Field (Detroit)
- WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | ABC, ESPN+, NFL+
1) Can Lions pass rusher pop off against Seahawks' O-line? Aidan Hutchinson has been on a tear to open up the 2024 season, recording at least one sack and one tackle for loss in each of the Lions’ four games and exploding for 4.5 sacks in Week 2 versus the Buccaneers. His 6.5 sacks have him already more than halfway to his 2023 sack total of 11.5. Facing off against the Seahawks this week will present an interesting next challenge for the young pass rusher, as while Seattle’s offensive line has not been markedly bad at keeping Geno Smith upright -- allowing eight so far, tied for 15th -- it is missing vital pieces. Tackle Abraham Lucas and his replacement George Fant are both inactive with injuries, with the latter’s placement on injured reserve meaning backup Stone Forsythe will have the tall task of fending off Hutchinson. Adding an extra layer of intrigue is the familiar face Hutchinson will see across the sideline in Mike MacDonald, who was the defensive coordinator at Michigan for one of Hutchinson’s years at the school. Whether he’ll be able to add to his ever growing stat sheet against his old coach’s current squad will be a story to track.
2) Formidable Seattle D faces toughest test. Through three weeks, the Seahawks have featured a shutdown defense that has kept the team in games even at the points in which the offense showed some struggles. The unit comes into this Week 4 matchup ranked No. 1 in the league in passing defense after allowing just one passing TD so far and an average of 132.3 passing yards per game. But these outcomes came when lining up against the likes of Bo Nix, Jacoby Brissett and Skylar Thompson, three quarterbacks who don’t have a reputation for being gunslingers. Thus facing Jared Goff this week could prove to be the defense’s toughest test yet. Goff’s offense was No. 2 in pass yards in 2023, and so far has the Lions sitting at No. 7, which becomes especially dangerous when paired with their hard-running ground attack. However, Goff’s had a problem so far with costly turnovers, recording more interceptions (4) than touchdowns passes (3) coming into the matchup. Seattle has only two interceptions this year, but if the Seahawks can become ballhawks, they could exploit this weakness to make a key difference in the game.
