Inside The Numbers | Dolphins 23 Seahawks 31

Every Monday, we'll go inside the numbers from the previous game. We'll take a look at the snap counts, cumulative team stats for the season, and advanced metrics from a variety of analytics sites such as Pro Football Focus, NFL Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Reference.

Dolphins-Seahawks

Team Stats

(These statistical rankings do not include the Week 4 Monday Night Football games including Kansas City, New England, Green Bay and Atlanta)

Putting up 400 yards against the Seattle defense on Sunday improved Miami's offensive rankings across the board. With a quarter of the season in the rearview mirror, the Dolphins rank 23rd in total offense, 24th in yards per play, 20th in passing and 22nd in rushing.

The Miami scoring offense ranks 24th at 23.3 points per game. The offense has been able to sustain drives through a 46.9 percent third down conversion rate – ninth-best in the NFL. With nine touchdowns on 15 red zone trips, the Dolphins rank tied for 16th in the league with a 60 percent conversion rate in the most critical part of the field.

The Dolphins average drive time of 3:05 is sixth-best in the NFL. Miami's 2.33 points per drive ranks 20th.

With 96 first downs the Dolphins are tied for sixth in the NFL in moving the chains. Both the passing offense and rushing offense rank in the top 10 in first downs gained – 30 via the rush (10th) and 57 through the air (ninth).

Only three teams with four games played have allowed fewer sacks than the Dolphins offense. With only six sacks allowed through four games, Miami's average sacks allowed per game of 1.5 is down from 3.6 in 2019.

Jason Sanders and the field goal unit are one of seven teams without a missed field goal attempt; nobody in that group has made more than Sanders' nine successful field goals. He also has the second-longest successful kick of that group at 52 yards.

The Dolphins rank 27th in total defense and 28th in passing defense. The total rushing defense ranks 20th in the league and 21st in yards per rush.

Allowing 24 points per game, the Dolphins scoring defense is tied for 12th-best in the NFL. The four opponents of Miami rank second (Seattle), tied for fifth (Buffalo), 11th (New England) and 23rd (Jacksonville) in scoring.

With 21 missed tackles, Miami are 14th in the league in that department (two teams rank ahead of Miami with only three games played).

With a 20.1 percent pressure rate, the Dolphins pass rush ranks tied for 13th in applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Offense

Snap Counts

The Dolphins passing offense had its biggest plays, and also the most detrimental plays, when Fitzpatrick was under pressure. His arm was hit twice in the game and both throws were intercepted. Even with those two plays, Fitzpatrick completed 8-of-12 throws when under duress for 110 yards. Fitzpatrick had three scrambles that went for 10-plus yards.

Half of Myles Gaskin's 10 rush attempts moved the chains Sunday. He ran for 40 yards in the game with 25 of those coming after initial contact, good for a 2.5 YCO/A (yard after contact average). He's led all Miami backs in that stat each of the first four games.

Matt Breida averaged 13 yards per reception with 12 yards of run-after-the-catch on average. Two of his three receptions moved the chains.

DeVante Parker caught 10 of his 12 pass targets for 110 yards. Through four games, he's averaging 9.6 yards per target – 37th in the NFL (mi. 15 targets).

Durham Smythe posted 30 receiving yards in the game, a career high. He also didn't allow a quarterback pressure.

Miami's interior three had another stout day in pass protection. Between Ereck Flowers, Ted Karras and Solomon Kindley, Seattle only put pressure on Fitzpatrick against the triumvirate twice. On the season, those three have allowed only 12 pressures. Karras was the line's highest-graded run blocker, per Pro Football Focus.

Defense

Snap Counts

The free safety play of Bobby McCain and temporary replacement Jamal Perry (McCain missed 23 snaps under evaluation for a concussion) were the highest-graded Dolphins defenders Sunday, per Pro Football Focus. McCain had two quarterback pressures including a hit on Russell Wilson, a pass breakup, and four total tackles. Perry made five tackles in the game.

The Dolphins defensive line provided consistent pressure on the Seattle quarterback. Emmanuel Ogbah picked up his second sack of the season and had two additional pressures. He also made four run stops (tackles within two yards of the line of scrimmage) without missing a tackle.

Shaq Lawson picked up his first sack as a Dolphin; he also had a run stop and an additional hit on Wilson.

Zach Sieler led the Dolphins in pressures with five – all hurries. The five pressures on 21 pass rush reps give him an impressive 23.8 percent pressure rate – second-highest in a game for a Dolphins defender (Kyle Van Noy 30 percent Week 3 at Jacksonville) this season.

Van Noy had two pressures of his own and five total tackles without a miss. Christian Wilkins had a pressure and two run stops and Nik Needham had two hurries of Wilson.

Safety Eric Rowe was credited with just 37 yards allowed on seven pass targets, good for 5.28 yards per target. He also made six tackles with one going as a run stop.

Finishing

The Dolphins point differential is the closest to zero in the National Football League. Playing white-knuckle contests with a trio of teams that have combined to start the season 10-1, the Dolphins feel like they're close.

"Well, we're 1-3. I think we're really disappointed at our record right now," Fitzpatrick said. "I think we continue to trend in the right direction but it doesn't really — it's not really helpful when you keep losing games. It's bad to have that record. It's a good thing to see how upset everybody is after these losses and knowing that we were in all these games, but we've got to find a way to get over the hump."

Three trips into the red zone produced nine points in a game where Miami came up eight points short on the scoreboard. Both Fitzpatrick and Head Coach Brian Flores agree that the execution in that portion of the field needs to be better to reverse the outcome of these close games.

"I thought that was the story of the day, being able to move the ball effectively and not being able to do anything in the red zone," Fitzpatrick said. "And whether it was a penalty or poor execution or just a bad read by me, it just seemed like every time we got down there, something popped up. And red zone execution really falls on the quarterback."

"It's just execution down the red zone is what it boils down to," Flores said. "When you get down there, the run lanes are tighter, the safeties are closer to the blocks, so the run game – more guys in the box. It's hard to score in the red zone and you've got to have really good execution. We didn't have that today."

The Dolphins were the first team to hold Russell Wilson below four touchdown passes in a game this season. They also held the MVP candidate to his lowest passer rating in a game (112.4, his previous low was 130.7) this year. Dolphins captain and safety Bobby McCain expressed his frustration with the result, but acknowledges that this team knows they're capable of more.

"I'm not going to sit here and tell you we're trash because we're not; we've just got to be better," McCain said. "We've got to be better defensively. We've got to be better in the secondary and not give up big plays. We have a good team. We have a good defense, and we just didn't put it all together today."

Fitzpatrick agrees.

"Red zone execution really falls on the quarterback," Fitzpatrick said. "And, so, for me, I walk out of this game feeling terrible in that I felt like there was a lot of guys on our team that played well enough to win and I, unfortunately, was not one of them. And when that happens and your quarterback doesn't play up to his ability, then you're not going to win a whole lot of games in this league."

McCain's brief reply to how this team responds marks a clear message for where this team's frame of mind is currently at.

"That's how we rebound. Get a win," McCain said. "Have a good week of practice, rebound and get a win."