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SEATTLE -- The Miami Dolphins squandered one early scoring opportunity when they passed up a short field goal on fourth-and-inches Sunday afternoon, and they had another one get swatted away on a blocked field goal a few minutes into the fourth quarter. After a 12-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, when either kick could have made a difference, the Dolphins were kicking themselves at all the chances they squandered.
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The blocked field goal and a dropped pass on what almost certainly would have been a 71-yard touchdown in the second quarter stood out as the most egregious errors.
Wide receiver Kenny Stills took advantage of broken coverage in the Seattle secondary to get 10 yards past any Seahawks defender on the Dolphins' first offensive play of the second quarter, only to drop a perfect pass from quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
"Obviously, if we catch it, it's a big play," Miami coach Adam Gase said after his debut as an NFL head coach. "But one play doesn't make a game. It's the NFL; bad things happen, and you've got to move on to the next play."
Stellar defensive play kept the Dolphins within 6-3 well into the fourth quarter, and then kicker Andrew Franks had a 27-yard attempt blocked with 10:41 remaining.
Further adding to the Dolphins' mistake-filled day, the defense allowed two fourth-down conversions on the Seahawks' game-winning drive.
Afterward, Gase was eager to put the mistakes behind him.
"We can't let one loss become two," he said.
--The Dolphins lost two starting defensive linemen -- end Mario Williams and tackle Earl Mitchell -- in the second half, which may have had something to do with Miami's inability to stop the Seahawks on their final drive.
Just as important was the player whose injury didn't take him out of the game.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson limped through an ankle injury he sustained early in the second half to lead Seattle on a game-winning drive.
"When I'm 43, 44 years old and still playing, that's probably what I'll look like out there," Wilson said. "We had to find a way to win."
Wilson was hurt when he was trying to avoid a Ndamukong Suh sack, only to have the big defensive lineman inadvertently catch Wilson's ankle under his foot, twisting it.
"It feels a little sore, but I'll be all right," Wilson said after the game. "A little ice, a little prayer, a little treatment. ... I'll be all right. I'll be ready to roll."
--One of the unexpected stars of the win was Seattle defensive lineman Cassius Marsh, who did most of his damage on special teams.
Marsh, a third-year player who saw limited action with the defense last year, made two big hits while covering punts, and then he blocked a fourth-quarter field goal that kept the Seahawks ahead 6-3 with 10:41 remaining.
"The guys (on the) inside (of Seattle's defensive line) were killing (Miami's) tackle and guard, and I was just able to get through and get the block," Marsh said.
The backup defensive lineman added a sack on Miami's final snap, forcing a fumble that rolled out of bounds.
"I just felt good on the field and felt good starting off the day," Marsh said. "I put in the preparation and was trying to go out and take advantage off every opportunity I had."
--Four Dolphins players knelt during the national anthem, continuing a protest that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick popularized in recent weeks.
Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane, who followed Kaepernick's act of civil protest in the final two preseason games, stood in solidarity with his Seattle teammates as they made a pregame demonstration of unity Sunday by linking arms.
"We wanted to do something as a team," wide receiver Doug Baldwin said. "Yes, there are things in our country that need to be changed. But that's what makes our country so great: that we're willing to meet those challenges head on."
Wilson was among the players touched by the moment.
"It meant so much," the Seahawks quarterback said. "Our country has been through a lot. The African-American community, we've gone through a lot. Not every police officer is a bad police officer; not every black person is a bad person -- and vice versa."
NOTES: Seattle got TE Jimmy Graham (knee) and RB Thomas Rawls (ankle) back from offseason surgeries. Graham played sparingly and made his only catch, an 11-yarder, during the Seahawks' game-winning drive. Rawls started the game on the bench, backing up Christine Michael, and had 32 yards on 12 carries. .... Among the Miami inactives was backup RB Jay Ajayi, who was reportedly left behind in Miami after moping about not earning the starting job.
