After an explosive opening touchdown drive by both teams, both struggled. The Rams lost two fumbles while Matthew Stafford was pressured 13 times – missing an 87-yard field goal attempt from Joshua Karty in the second quarter before Kyren Williams lost it on subsequent drives.
Miami responded to the challenge presented by New Orleans with rookie Malik Washington running for an 18-yard TD sprint and need a big effort from their defense in order to maintain their playoff hopes.
| Category | Miami Dolphins | Los Angeles Rams |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | ||
| Tua Tagovailoa | 20/28, 207 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT, 89.4 RTG | Matthew Stafford: 32/46, 293 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT, 77.5 RTG |
| Rushing | ||
| De’Von Achane | 12 CAR, 37 YDS, 3.1 AVG, 0 TD | Kyren Williams: 15 CAR, 62 YDS, 4.1 AVG, 0 TD |
| Malik Washington | 1 CAR, 18 YDS, 1 TD | Blake Corum: 2 CAR, 8 YDS, 0 TD |
| Tyreek Hill | 2 CAR, 11 YDS, 0 TD | Matthew Stafford: 1 CAR, 0 YDS, 0 TD |
| Jaylen Wright | 5 CAR, 3 YDS, 0 TD | |
| Receiving | ||
| Jaylen Waddle | 3 REC, 57 YDS, 0 TD | Puka Nacua: 9 REC, 98 YDS, 0 TD |
| Jonnu Smith | 3 REC, 45 YDS, 0 TD | Cooper Kupp: 7 REC, 80 YDS, 0 TD |
| Raheem Mostert | 2 REC, 34 YDS, 0 TD | Davis Allen: 5 REC, 34 YDS, 0 TD |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | 2 REC, 17 YDS, 0 TD | Tyler Johnson: 3 REC, 25 YDS, 0 TD |
| Malik Washington | 1 REC, 17 YDS, 0 TD | Demarcus Robinson: 1 REC, 23 YDS, 0 TD |
| Tyreek Hill | 3 REC, 16 YDS, 1 TD | Kyren Williams: 5 REC, 20 YDS, 0 TD |
| De’Von Achane | 5 REC, 15 YDS, 0 TD | Blake Corum: 1 REC, 7 YDS, 0 TD |
| Durham Smythe | 1 REC, 6 YDS, 0 TD | Tutu Atwell: 1 REC, 6 YDS, 0 TD |
| Defense | ||
| Zach Sieler | 5 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL | Omar Speights: 8 TOT, 6 SOLO, 1 TFL |
| Calais Campbell | 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 SACK, 1 TFL | Kobie Turner: 6 TOT, 5 SOLO, 1 SACK, 1 TFL |
| Jevon Holland | 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 SACK, 1 TFL | Jared Verse: 4 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 SACK, 2 TFL |
| Anthony Walker Jr. | 9 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 INT | Byron Young: 4 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 SACK, 2 TFL |
| Jalen Ramsey | 6 TOT, 4 SOLO | Christian Rozeboom: 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 INT |
| Kendall Fuller | 5 TOT, 4 SOLO | Bobby Brown III: 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 2 TFL |
| Cam Smith | 5 TOT, 3 SOLO | Cobie Durant: 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL |
| Kader Kohou | 3 TOT, 3 SOLO | Michael Hoecht: 3 TOT, 1 SOLO |
| Da’Shawn Hand | 3 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 TFL | Tyler Davis: 2 TOT, 2 SOLO |
| Quinton Bell | 2 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 SACK, 1 TFL | Jacob Hummel: 2 TOT, 1 SOLO |
| Chop Robinson | 2 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 SACK, 1 TFL | Kamren Curl: 2 TOT, 1 SOLO |
| Emmanuel Ogbah | 2 TOT, 1 SOLO | Jaylen McCollough: 2 TOT |
| Siran Neal | 1 TOT, 1 SOLO | Demarcus Robinson: 1 TOT, 1 SOLO |
| Tua Tagovailoa | 1 TOT, 1 SOLO | Jonah Williams: 1 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 TFL |
| Neil Farrell | 1 TOT | Puka Nacua: 1 TOT, 1 SOLO |
| Kamren Kinchens: 1 TOT, 1 SOLO | ||
| Kicking | ||
| Jason Sanders | 3/3 FG, 2/2 XP | Joshua Karty: 5/6 FG, 0/0 XP |
| Punting | ||
| Jake Bailey | 3 Punts, 134 YDS, 51 Long, 1 Inside 20 | Ethan Evans: 3 Punts, 148 YDS, 51 Long, 2 Inside 20 |
Offense
The Rams have seen their offense flourish lately, scoring more than 20 points in each of their past three games. It is essential for the Rams to maintain this trend and avoid turning over the ball; their defense, led by rookie pass rushers Jared Verse and Braden Fiske will play an instrumental role here; forcing four turnovers over their past two matches has proven key for them in winning this matchup.
The Dolphins offense has struggled this season and currently rank 20th in points per game. Their struggles are compounded by losing starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for four games, leading them to heavily rely on running back Damien Williams and wide receiver Mike Wallace who both remain ineffective; lacking an effective passing game also limits them from taking advantage of opposing defenses.
After an uneventful first quarter, Miami put themselves ahead with a special teams touchdown. Calais Campbell blocked a punt which Christian Rozeboom recovered and returned for a score 98 yards downfield. Although Los Angeles answered with a field goal, Kyren Williams fumbled on his next play and Jared Verse stripped him, giving Miami back their lead.
At halftime, Dolphins kicker Michael Karty made it 10-6 for Miami after making a 37-yard field goal to bring them within striking distance of winning 10-7. On their opening drive of the second half, Los Angeles advanced deep into Miami territory but was forced to settle for yet another field goal from Karty.
Miami’s defense has held the Rams to an unfavorable third down conversion rate, contributing to their lead. If Miami wishes to remain competitive in this contest, however, they must improve their own third down game in order to remain in contention.
The Dolphins defense was relentless in its attack against Rams’ passing game, forcing Kamren Kinchens into a sack and strip by Verse which gave Miami the lead with under two minutes remaining in the game. They managed to run down the clock on their next drive before sealing their victory with Jason Sanders field goal.
Defense
Miami’s defense kept pace against an opponent that leads the NFL in points scored, holding Los Angeles to only 70 rushing yards (3.9 per carry). Furthermore, they recorded four sacks against Los Angeles; it marked their first such feat since Week 16 against Dallas 2021 and joined Jared Verse and Arizona’s Xavier Thomas as the only rookies this year to record consecutive sacks in consecutive games. Rookie linebacker Chop Robinson became just the third rookie ever this season to do so!
Defense also produced two takeaways on defense – including an interception by Anthony Walker Jr and a forced fumble by defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand that was recovered by Kendall Fuller – giving Miami their most takeaways since joining Mike McDaniel’s staff this season (2-6 start). If these takeaways continue, this could help turn around their fortunes and improve on what was otherwise an inept performance from Mike McDaniel’s squad.
Tua Tagovailoa’s return has brought much-needed life back to the Dolphins offense. Now they must ensure their defense can stop teams from scoring easily against them; creating pressure on quarterbacks will be essential in stopping opposing offenses which rank amongst the bottom third in both run and pass offense.
The Rams have finally started finding their rhythm defensively thanks to Jared Verse and rookie defenders Kamren Kinchens and Jaylen McCollough’s strong play, forcing seven turnovers over the last three weeks and seemingly recovering from their slow start. Losing to Miami after three straight victories left them reeling. Wins must now come quickly if Los Angeles wants any chance at playoff contention; though losing is far from assured with six games still left on their schedule in the NFC West division and only 1.5 games behind Los Angeles currently.
Special Teams
The Rams have had great special teams success this year, but on Monday they made several mistakes that cost them dearly. Joshua Karty missed a 57-yard field goal to start the second half and that gave Miami good field position to score their touchdown drive.
The Rams successfully put pressure on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but failed to force any turnovers. They must find ways to generate takeaways from their defense – particularly rookie safeties Kamren Kinchens and Jaylen McCollough (who have combined for five interceptions this season). Doing so is key in restricting Dolphins big play ability.
On the Rams’ next possession, Cooper Kupp made a casual one-handed catch that helped them convert a third down. Unfortunately, their drive stalled after that point and they had to settle for a field goal from Jason Sanders.
Rams offense suffered through an unsuccessful performance and were unable to produce any points on their final four drives. Tua Tagovailoa was sacked three times during the night, failing to connect with any of his receivers due to Los Angeles’ defensive scheme and lacking depth on offensive line. This ultimately became an issue.
Starting the fourth quarter off right, LA had possession, but their drive quickly fizzled out when they failed to convert a third down and extend their lead further. Meanwhile, Miami’s defense held strong and prevented any onside kick recovery by LA.
Last time the Rams faced the Dolphins, they lost 27-15. That team was vastly different than what showed up Monday night; it will be interesting to see how the Rams respond after this loss. Next up will be an opportunity against Philadelphia Eagles at home in Week 10: they could regain the NFC West lead with a win against them and retake control of NFC West lead with victory! While defending Super Bowl champs may present tough challenges against them, Rams possess talent enough to do it!
Final Score
After struggling for much of the season on offense, Miami found new life in this game on offense and defense. They went 6 of 13 on third down conversions while keeping Los Angeles away from goal-to-go situations. Their defense made sure Matthew Stafford was sacked four times; which provided an immense boost for their defensive unit that also saw Zach Sieler play exceptionally well and rookie defensive end Calais Campbell make an impressionful debut performance.
After two three-and-outs, the Rams made inroads into Dolphins territory on their next drive. A successful fourth down conversion brought them within one touchdown; however, Jared Verse forced and recovered a fumble that gave Miami possession at their 36 before scoring to take a 10-3 advantage at halftime.
Jared Verse continued his impressive second quarter performance by sacking Tua Tagovailoa and recovering his fumble for another touchdown by Malik Washington rushing from two yards out on his next play. This put Miami Dolphins in position for first and goal at 2-yard line from which they scored on Malik Washington rushing touchdown play.
Rams got back the ball early in the third quarter, but third-down pass to Kupp was incomplete and an LA penalty for blindside block allowed Miami to maintain possession and work their magic again – scoring another touchdown through Washington’s running play while Karty hit an impressive 55-yard field goal to extend their lead 24-9.
On their next possession, Stafford was sacked for a loss by Campbell, who was an all-out force all night. Later on, Kendall Fuller knocked off a lateral from Tagovailoa to Christian Rozeboom that resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Tagovailoa resulting in another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty being issued against him.
Karty kicked three field goals – a 50-yarder by Jason Sanders and two more from Karty – to seal Miami’s win against Los Angeles on their final drive, as the Dolphins’ defense stymied an aggressive Rams offense. This victory kept Miami’s playoff hopes alive for now; now let’s hope they build on this performance for future victories!
