Miami’s defense made an impressionful showing at SoFi Stadium on Monday, holding Tua Tagovailoa and the Rams scoreless through three quarters. Jared Verse sacked Tagovailoa before recovering a fumble during Los Angeles’ next drive; rookie Malik Washington then scored on an 18-yard run to give Miami momentum.
Karty kicked a 50-yard field goal to extend the Dolphins’ lead to 23-12 with 2:38 remaining.
| Position | Miami Dolphins | Los Angeles Rams |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback (QB) | Tua Tagovailoa | Matthew Stafford |
| Backup QB | Tim Boyle | Jimmy Garoppolo, Stetson Bennett |
| Wide Receiver (WR) | Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Robbie Chosen | Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell |
| Running Back (RB) | Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr. | Kyren Williams, Ronnie Rivers, Blake Corum |
| Tight End (TE) | Durham Smythe | Tyler Higbee |
| Offensive Line (OL) | Terron Armstead (retired), Austin Jackson | Coleman Shelton, Geron Christian |
| Defensive Line (DL) | Christian Wilkins | Jared Verse, Poona Ford |
| Linebacker (LB) | Bradley Chubb | Byron Young, Ernest Jones |
| Cornerback (CB) | Xavien Howard | Ahkello Witherspoon, Derion Kendrick |
| Safety (S) | Jevon Holland | Kamren Curl, Cobie Durant |
| Kicker (K) | Jason Sanders | Joshua Karty |
Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Rams
After having difficulty scoring in two of their previous three games, Miami finally found success against the Rams on Monday night. Tua Tagovailoa threw an easy one-yard touchdown to Tyreek Hill before their defense prevented any more Ram touchdowns until recovering an onside kick afterward to seal their win.
Joshua Karty provided five field goals for the Rams, helping them keep the score close throughout. They were unable to capitalize on third down and instead relied on their final drive of the fourth quarter – when they reached Miami 5-yard line – only for penalties on both first down (unnecessary roughness penalty) and second down (pass interference) forcing them into punting.
Karty’s 34-yard field goal gave the Dolphins an early 10-3 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the first quarter. His 50-yard effort cut Rams’ deficit down to four points before Miami extended their advantage by recovering Kyren Williams’ fumble for Jared Verse to extend their lead 17-3 with just under a minute remaining in halftime.
Los Angeles began their comeback in the third quarter, after Dolphins punter Matt Haack misfired a punt and gave up 33 yards to Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff who quickly gained possession on Miami 31. But on their next play a pass interference penalty by Dolphins safety Reshad Jones put the ball back at their 40 yard line forcing LA Rams punt while Dolphins ran out the clock for victory.
The Dolphins found themselves on an impressive run last night, snapping three games of losing streak and improving to 3-6 in record. Defensively they set season highs with six sacks and three takeaways tied at once by rookie edge defender Chop Robinson’s impressive 16.7% pressure rate performance during 30 pass rush snaps (16 total pressures he generated and one sack).
Predictions
The Miami Dolphins will look to rebound after their crushing defeat at the hands of Bills on Sunday by facing off with Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football. Led by Tua Tagovailoa and with an offense capable of scoring points at any time during a game, this matchup could prove exciting as De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert could lead their offensive attack while Jaylen Waddle, Odell Beckham Jr, Jaylen Waddle will also provide versatile options on defense for Miami Dolphins players.
The Dolphins have managed to remain competitive since installing Tagovailoa at quarterback, yet still need to improve on both sides of the ball in order to continue making an impactful playoff push. Facing off against Rams will require them to bring their A game.
A win against the Rams would give the Dolphins some much-needed momentum heading into their late season run. Their offense has had issues this season, so an impressive performance in primetime would go a long way toward building confidence among its members. Defensively speaking, Zach Sieler should contribute immensely towards creating more effective defense performances.
On the other hand, the Rams can be difficult to beat away from home, thanks to their impressive offensive line and pass yards allowed ranking fourth overall – something they hope to maintain against an upstart Dolphins side like Miami.
The Rams have won both of their matchups against the Dolphins recently, and are looking to extend that streak with another win against Miami on Sunday. Both teams need this contest badly as this matchup could prove crucial in their playoff races; Dolphins must improve their performance overall to stay relevant in AFC East race while Rams try to close gap behind Arizona Cardinals who have been dominating. Expect this matchup to produce high scoring action!
Head-to-Head Record
Over time, Miami and St Louis have met 15 times and currently lead with 2-13 wins between them. Unfortunately, neither team has met each other in playoff action yet.
The Rams started strong this season but have had difficulty late due to key player injuries. Following two consecutive losses against the Raiders and then edging past them last week, they finally broke through against them for a win that brought hope of making the playoffs. To achieve that goal, however, they will need to keep playing well throughout their remaining schedule.
Tonight’s match-up showcases two formidable offensive and defensive lines, as both teams look for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Dolphins hope Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila can regain their roles on their interior offensive line while Jared Verse and Kamren Kinchens may help strengthen their defense for both teams.
Both teams started the game off well. The Dolphins scored on their opening drive after five plays with rookie running back Malik Washington scoring an 18-yard touchdown run, while Rams were limited to only one first down on their initial three drives of the game.
The Dolphins welcomed back defensive tackle Zach Sieler for this game and immediately saw results: on their fourth offensive play of the day he forced a fumble that was eventually recovered by Cordarrelle Patterson and forced a quarterback sack that caused a forced fumble fumble that Cordarrelle Patterson recovered.
Both offenses stalled on their subsequent drives, leading to punts by both teams after an interception by Christian Rozeboom for the Rams and then Dolphins fumbling during their fifth possession – with Rams recovering quickly to secure victory.
In the second quarter, Rams took an early lead through a touchdown run by Darren McFadden. But then Ryan Tannehill struck again as T.J. McDonald caught an eight-yard pass from him for another score from Ryan Tannehill. Following an almost scoreless third quarter and Josh Karty kicking a field goal, the Rams extended their advantage until Tannehill passed to Michael Thomas on an 8-yard touchdown pass to tie it. With their victory, the Rams improved to 3-3 on the season and secured their first road win since 2017.
Lineups
The Dolphins defense struggled last week, but Zach Sieler’s return and the additions of rookie defensive end Kader Kohou and cornerback Storm Duck gives them more chance of success against an effective Rams pass rush led by Calais Campbell.
The Rams’ offense has been producing well in recent weeks, yet they could be without two starters for this game. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill has been limited in practice due to a wrist injury; his status remains uncertain and could end up playing or not.
On the other side of things, quarterback Matthew Stafford and his three receivers – Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Robinson – are fully healthy going into this matchup. Stafford is the key component to this team, serving as its driving force; his ability to make plays from different platforms will pose a daunting challenge to Dolphins’ secondary.
Even with all their injuries, the Rams should still field an effective offensive line in this game. Veteran tackle Joe Noteboom should be available, providing much-needed depth in lieu of injured starters Rob Havenstein and Jonah Jackson. Meanwhile, Dolphins front seven should perform strongly, with tackles Matt Moore and Jonathan Taylor expected to excel.
After an initial jump start by Miami, Los Angeles made their comeback in the second half. A missed 52-yard field goal from Josh Karty and a subsequent false start penalty on Los Angeles kept them away from red zone entry; and Jason Sanders kicked a 50-yard field goal to bring it within striking distance at 23-15 with 2:38 remaining.
Late in the game, a late drive from Los Angeles brought them close, but a fourth-and-1 run was stopped short of the first down marker, and Miami ran out the clock to claim victory and improve to 6-3 while snapping their three-game losing streak and expanding their win streak against Los Angeles Rams to five games; they remain undefeated against NFC West opponents as well – they’ll look to continue that trend Monday against a declining Los Angeles team.
