Skylar Thompson gets shot to lead Dolphins’ offense at Seattle

Skylar Thompson is kind of like the teenager who has been handed the keys to his father’s sports car.

Thompson will be behind the wheel of Miami’s high-octane offense when the Dolphins travel across country to face the host Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Thompson, a seventh-round pick in 2022 out of Kansas State, will be replacing Tua Tagovailoa, who was placed on injured reserve after sustaining his third concussion in two seasons last Thursday in a 31-10 loss to the visiting Buffalo Bills.

Thompson plans to keep things simple.

“When tomorrow comes, I’ll focus on tomorrow,” Thompson said. “That’s my approach to everything. That’s been my approach since I’ve gotten here, and that’s led me to success.”

Thompson started three games in 2022 with Tagovailoa sidelined, including a playoff defeat to the Bills. Thompson completed 78 of 150 passes for 461 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in those three starts, going 1-2.

He served as the Dolphins’ No. 3 quarterback all of last season and didn’t get into a game.

“I felt like my rookie year I was doing things exactly by the book and viewing everything as I would see it in the playbook,” Thompson said. “The footwork and everything. And it was all new to me. I studied it so much — I felt I knew it so well that sometimes it slowed me down a little bit even.

“That’s just another progression of being in my third year and having this opportunity again. I feel like I have a very good understanding of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

The Dolphins (1-1) signed former Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley off Baltimore’s practice squad for depth, but they appear ready to go with Thompson until Tagovailoa gets back. Thompson completed 8 of 14 passes for 80 yards off the bench last week.

“I have no doubts in my mind that Skylar is going to go out there and do the best he can in Seattle,” Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler said. “I’m super excited to see him play and work on this opportunity. Obviously, we’re praying for and sad about Tua, but I have no hesitation with Skylar going out there as QB1 this week.”

The Seahawks (2-0) are coming off a 23-20 overtime victory last Sunday at New England. With running back Kenneth Walker III sidelined due to an oblique injury, Geno Smith carried the offense by completing 33 of 44 passes for 327 yards and a touchdown.

“That was a heck of a performance, man,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “… There’s a little chip on his shoulder. I like it, because they just keep sleeping on this guy. He played at a super high level, so he deserves all the credit he’s getting right now.”

Smith drove the Seahawks down the field for a last-minute field goal in regulation to tie the score, then led the winning march in overtime.

“Whenever I’m in this situation and the game is on the line, I’m so happy and just excited for those opportunities. I look forward to them actually,” Smith said. “I know it’s going to happen more and more times throughout the season. The best quarterbacks always find ways to win. I want to be regarded in that light.”

The Dolphins had one player who missed practice on Wednesday due to an injury, offensive tackle Terron Armstead (shoulder). The Seahawks had eight: Walker, wide receiver DK Metcalf (hand), tight end Brady Russell (shoulder), defensive end Leonard Williams (knee), linebackers Jerome Baker (hamstring), Uchenna Nwosu (knee) and Boye Mafe (knee) and safety K’Von Wallace (shoulder).

–Field Level Media

Ravens, Cowboys chase critical bounce-back win

Deflated by Week 2 losses, the Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens meet Sunday at Dallas where only one can come away with a bounce-back victory.

Baltimore fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2015 with a 26-23 setback to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders and nears desperate times as fall arrives. Even with a win in Dallas, the Ravens are on a tightrope. They have a primetime visit to Buffalo (2-0) on deck next Sunday followed by a grudge match with AFC North rival Cincinnati (0-2).

Dallas was blown out 44-19 by the New Orleans Saints, snapping a 16-game home winning streak in the regular season. The Cowboys allowed 190 yards rushing and a bigger challenge arrives in the Ravens, who are seventh in the NFL with 168 yards rushing per game with dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson and four-time Pro-Bowl rusher Derrick Henry teaming as a formidable 1-2 punch.

“We made some technique adjustments that we need to be better at,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said about the run defense this week. “We can’t get gapped, and we were gapped time and time again. That puts more pressure on your second-level defenders, obviously your linebackers and our primary support element. But yeah, we have to. It’s that first step, the discipline, playing the technique, and making sure the fit behind them is in order. We definitely were not clean and we weren’t consistent.”

There are sharks in the water ahead on Dallas’ schedule, too, with the Steelers (2-0), 49ers (1-1) and Lions (1-1) comprising the Cowboys’ slate in October.

The Ravens have three new starters on the offensive line and left tackle Ronnie Stanley isn’t at full strength. He was on the injury report Wednesday with an ankle injury.

Pass and run blocking were both a struggle over the past two games. The mobile Jackson has been sacked three times. Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons was held without a sack against the Saints, but he should create matchup problems against the Ravens.

Baltimore, which leads the regular-season series 5-1 against the Cowboys, needs to get the running game revved up to set up the pass. After a slow start, Henry finished with 84 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown.

Jackson has thrown for 520 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in two games. He will likely test the Dallas pass defense, which is ranked 16th in the NFL allowing 189.5 yards passing per game.

Jackson is agitated by his team’s early struggles and is determined to get the season on track.

“(We’ve) just got to find a way to win,” Jackson said. “I’m not used to being 0-2. (We’ve) just got to catch our momentum and get it started right away.”

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract with a record $231 million guaranteed earlier this month. Prescott had an uneven performance over the past two games, throwing for 472 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. As a veteran, Prescott understands the pressure to win as the Cowboys quarterback.

“That’s one thing that I’ve grown to realize, especially in this organization when you’re playing on national TV every week. You are the Cowboys and the attention that we get is, if you lose, you’re down here,” Prescott said. “If we win, you’re way up there. None of that really matters. It’s about for us to trust the process, trusting one another, responding each and every day to get better. I know that we have the guys in there that can do that.”

The Ravens’ pass rush has seven sacks in two games. However, the secondary appears vulnerable to big plays. Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb could be poised to have a huge game. In the season opener, Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice caught seven passes for 103 yards and often ran free in front of and behind Baltimore’s defense.

And Davante Adams finished with 110 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions last week.

Prescott likely will target Lamb and Jalen Tolbert early and often. However, Lamb landed on the injury report this week with an ankle issue and tight end Jake Ferguson (knee) didn’t play in Week 2. He was limited in Wednesday’s practice.

Ravens rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins missed the previous game and practice this week after he was involved in a car accident resulting in a concussion and neck injury.

One of the biggest challenges facing the Ravens is closing out games. Over the past five seasons, the Ravens have had 10 losses when leading by seven or more points in the fourth quarter — the most by any team.

Conversely, Prescott has led the Cowboys to 22 wins when they are tied or trailing in the fourth quarter or overtime since 2016 — second most in franchise history behind Tony Romo (24).

“Giving up a fourth-quarter lead is never OK — it’s not acceptable; it should never happen,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “You do it because you don’t play consistent football to get the stops that you need to get, and our guys know that — they’ll take accountability for it. Coaches will take accountability for it.

“When I say, ‘Us,’ I mean all of us — players and coaches together.”

–Field Level Media