3 Dolphins to be blamed (and 3 who can't be) for awful performance vs. Seahawks

The Miami Dolphins do not look like the high-powered offensive team that everyone expected. Through three weeks of the season, the Dolphins look like a team destined for a Top 5 draft pick in 2025.

Against the Bills, there was plenty of blame to go around, and against the Jaguars, the victory wasn't without its concerns. In Week 3, the Dolphins looked utterly lost. Now, fans are not hiding their concerns, and it goes much deeper than simply losing Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins are not good.

If the Dolphins are going to improve and get better, they need to wake up and fast. The level of play hasn't been good enough. In this piece, we take a look at three guys who struggled vs. Seattle, while also pointing out three playmakers who don't deserve blame at all:

Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler are making Dolphins fans forget about Christian Wilkins

Calais Campbell got a sack in Week 1 and got another one in Week 3. Campbell is not showing his age. The Dolphins didn't make a lot of great moves this past offseason, but getting Campbell is paying off in spades so far.

Campbell and Zach Sieler are playing well together, and they will only get better as the season progresses. The more they play next to each other, the better they can anticipate each other's moves on the field. Sieler has emerged as a leader on the Dolphins defense and the team as a whole.

Skylar Thompson is not a good quarterback

There is no way to sugarcoat it. Skylar Thompson's play to close the Bills game and his start against the Seahawks were both brutal. Whatever the Dolphins saw through camp needs to be reevaluated. Thompson was marginally better than Mike White, but against Seattle, fans were wondering how bad White would have been instead.

Thompson's injury was an insult to his day. He couldn't generate positive plays consistently, couldn't drive the ball consistently, and worst of all, the Seahawks didn't have to do much to confuse him. The Dolphins won't release Thompson, but there is no reason why he should still be on the team in 2025. If he is, Stephen Ross needs to fire his general manager. It would be one thing to lose due to inexperience, but this is his third season in this system, and like McDaniel's play-calling, nothing has changed.

De'Von Achane isn't getting the chance to shine like he should

When De'Von Achane was drafted, McDaniel celebrated in the draft room. Achane was banged up early in his rookie season, but it looked like he could explode in the NFL - 2024 is supposed to be his coming out party, the year he shows the NFL that he is one of the best. The problem thus far? McDaniel's play-calling is doing him no favors.

In Week 3, Achane was a bright spot in an otherwise horrible game. He ran 11 times for only 30 yards. Most of the time, he was put in a bad position behind an offensive line that couldn't block. He caught three passes for 25 yards. Why is he not being used more?

With Tagovailoa out, McDaniel should have called a run-heavy offense, but he didn't. Achane is a playmaker, and the more carries he gets, the better he is. Unfortunately, the game in Seattle was another waste of his talent.

There is no discipline along the offensive line

Which player should you point your finger at along the offensive line? You could probably point five of them, one for each player. The line was horrible, but the worst part wasn't the lack of pass protection, it was the lack of discipline. False starts in Seattle are not uncommon, but the Dolphins were called for holds, illegal formations, and yes, false starts. In total, 11 penalties were called in this game against the Dolphins offense. That is unacceptable.

McDaniel called out the line in his postgame press conference, but maybe we shouldn't blame them. Most of them wouldn't be starting on other teams. They have to get better and soon if the Dolphins are going to turn the season around. The lack of discipline is evident, and that has to change. Butch Barry needs to get this corrected before they play the Titans at home in Week 4.

Mike McDaniel remains a big part of the Dolphins offensive problems

No matter how much you put together a game plan, if the players don't execute it, it won't work. That is the saving grace for most head coaches, but it isn't for McDaniel. The Dolphins head coach, as we have already pointed out, is not part of the solution, but is part of the problem.

Fans believe that McDaniel should 100 percent give up play-calling duties, and nothing he has done so far this year has convinced anyone that he is capable of calling the game. McDaniel's game plan against Seattle was mind-blowing because it was as if he spent 10 days whining about losing his starting quarterback.

Nothing McDaniel did vs. Seattle worked, and he can't blame all of it on the players. He had a rushing game that showed signs of life, but insisted on letting his backup quarterbacks throw the ball despite the inability to do so accurately. When the game needed adjusting, McDaniel again failed to make calls that worked.

Fans were all over McDaniel on social media at the end of the first half. Running a play-action fake when a Hail Mary was the only call to make looked like something a high school coach would do. Not sending a single player to the end zone for a Hail Mary made no sense either.