LOS ANGELES – Coming into the Dolphins’ ‘Monday Night Football’ matchup against the Rams in Los Angeles, Miami looked like a team battling for its season, which Rams head coach Sean McVay noted ahead of the two teams’ matchup at SoFi Stadium.
Speaking on the ‘Coach McVay Show’ before the Dolphins’ 23-15 win over the Rams, McVay explained how Miami looked like an entirely different unit with Tua Tagovailoa in tow. “Heck no,” McVay said if the Dolphins’ 2-6 record reflected their effort.
“Especially the spark that Tua has brought them the last couple of weeks. You look at two of the better teams in the NFL, the way they’ve played the last two weeks, in the Cardinals and Bills, and they’re wire-to-wire with them.
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“They’ve got great playmakers, they’re really well coached, they’ve got great playmakers on defense.”
And in the first quarter, it certainly appeared that the Dolphins were doing what they could to keep their season alive. Early in the first quarter, Miami’s star quarterback targeted the usual receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
However, once the Dolphins worked their way to the redzone, Tagovailoa found Malik Washington for an 18-yard run to give Miami the early 7-0 lead. That said, aside from the early score, the Rams and Dolphins struggled to get anything going on the offensive end.
Malik Washington and the Miami Dolphins were on the board early in the first quarter (
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Miami would not score again until 14:07 in the second quarter after the Dolphins scored a field goal to push the lead to 10-0. Conversely, the Dolphins defense made life extremely difficult for Matthew Stafford.
For almost 20 in-game minutes, the Dolphins kept Stafford’s head on a swivel, with each of Los Angeles’ possessions either ending in a punt or at one point, an interception. With just under six minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Rams finally broke through, thanks to the defense.
Rams rookie star linebacker Jared Verse sacked Tagovailoa, with the quarterback fumbling the ball, which was then recovered by Verse. Though the Rams were not able to connect on a touchdown, Josh Karty converted a 34-yard field goal attempt to put Los Angeles on the board.
The Miami Dolphins’ defense made life difficult for Matthew Stafford on Monday night (
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
The first half ended with Stafford struggling yet again to find the endzone, though the Rams scored another field goal to cut the deficit to 10-6. However, Tagovailoa connected with Jonnu Smith for a 33-yard gain to get the Dolphins at first and goal.
Tagovailoa made quick work of the opportunity, finding star wideout Tyreek Hill wide-open in the endzone for the score, his first since Week 1. The subsequent field goal pushed the lead to 17-6 with 5:32 remaining in the third quarter, putting the onus on the Rams to string together a successful drive.
However, Stafford was sacked to end the third quarter. The fourth quarter featured more of the same, with neither team able to get too much going offensively, as the defense for both sides ratcheted up.
The Dolphins stretched their lead to 20-9 with 9:07 remaining in the game after an 11-play, 55-yard drive resulted in a 37-yard field goal. After struggling for most of the night, it appeared as if Stafford found something in the fourth quarter.
After getting to redzone, the Rams once again failed to convert on their opportunities, settling for a 22-yard field goal to trim the deficit to 20-12. However, the Dolphins made a field goal to push the lead to 11, 23-12 with 2:38 remaining in the fourth.
Overall, Tagovailoa finished with 20 of 28 with 207 yards and one touchdown while Stafford struggled, going 32-46 for 293 yards but with one interception and struggling to convert in the red zone.
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