After Week 2, Macdonald took responsibility for many of the issues that arose, admitting he hadn’t properly prepared himself to handle the run effectively. His comments made one thing clear: he’s not the type to publicly criticize his players. Despite being a young, first-time head coach, Macdonald shows enough self-awareness to recognize when he needs to shoulder the blame.
Inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson addressed the media on Thursday, offering a different perspective. The 2024 free-agent acquisition, who also holds the responsibility of relaying Macdonald’s play calls on Seattle’s defense, emphasized that while the calls need to be effective, it’s ultimately up to the players to execute and adapt on the field.
Dodson remarked that Macdonald was simply being “humble” by accepting the blame, stressing that the players needed to perform better.
“I’m not happy about last week, to be honest,” Dodson admitted. “The run game is how you make your living in the NFL. You make an offense one-dimensional by stopping the run, and that’s what we failed to do. To me, it’s the most disrespectful thing—letting an offense run the ball on you. We need to fix that, and it starts with me. As much as coach Macdonald is owning up to it, I think we, as players, need to do our jobs too.”
The key to beating the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 will be stopping the run on the edges. Unlike New England, which prefers power runs up the middle, Miami’s perimeter run game will challenge edge rushers Boye Mafe and Derick Hall to step up and contain the outside. If they fail, the Dolphins could break off explosive plays and potentially outscore the Seahawks.
While a solid defensive scheme is crucial against Miami’s speed—even without star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa—success will ultimately come down to players winning their one-on-one matchups. If Seattle can contain Miami’s rushing attack, they have a strong chance to come away with the win.