Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks in a 12-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Here's what we learned.
- Kept out of the end zone for 59 minutes, Russell Wilson responded to Ryan Tannehill's 86-yard, go-ahead touchdown drive with his own 14-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a feathery two-yard touchdown toss to Doug Baldwin. Playing behind an interior offensive line that provided no push, Wilson struggled to go downfield all afternoon until the final possession. Due to an accidental third-quarter ankle twisting by Ndamukong Suh, Wilson's mobility was a non-factor and his accuracy took a hit when he had trouble putting his lower body into his throws. Seahawks fans have grown accustomed to early-season rust, as Tom Cable tinkers with his undermanned offensive line.
- A wide-open Kenny Stills dropped a long pass that would have gone for a surefire touchdown in an aerial attack that was otherwise overly reliant upon screen passes. Prior to a late fourth-quarter touchdown drive, Dolphins wide receivers had combined for a meager 10 yards on five receptions against Seattle's vaunted Legion of Boom secondary.
- Coach Pete Carroll followed through on his vision of Christine Michael and Thomas Rawls as a "1-2 punch" in the backfield. Despite losing his longest run (17 yards) to an illegal shift penalty, Michael was the more productive of the duo, averaging 4.5 yards per carry compared to Rawls' 2.7 figure. Although Michael was the chosen one on the game's deciding drive, it's clear that the coaches have trust in Rawls after his impressive rookie season. Carroll told reporters last week he had always believed in a backfield-by-committee attack prior to the Marshawn Lynch era. Look for Michael and Rawls to continue to split time until one clearly demonstrates a superiority.
- The interior of the Dolphins' offensive line lost the battle up front, leaving Arian Foster with little room to operate. Foster still totaled 100 yards from scrimmage on 16 touches, showing vintage form with sharp cuts on several plays. He's the every-down back in Miami -- as long as he stays healthy.
- Cassius Marsh and Frank Clark each generated a sack, a promising sign for a Seattle defense looking to replace Bruce Irvin's production. Marsh strip-sack effectively ended any chance of a late-game prayer from Tannehill. The 2014 fourth-round pick had blocked a potential game-tying field goal earlier in the fourth quarter.
