Dolphins Head To Hollywood For Primetime Battle Against Rams

Inglewood, CA – After back-to-back game-losing field goals to end their last two games, the Miami Dolphins will head west to battle the Los Angeles Rams under the lights on Monday Night Football.

While Tua Tagovailoa’s return to the team has proven successful for the offense, the rest of the team has regressed. Miami’s defense gave up 26 points against New England and Indianapolis. Since then, they’ve given up 58 points in their last two games.

All in all, their loss to Buffalo was a lot closer than what most people thought the outcome would be. It’s easy to say this almost feels like a win with the direction the team is heading, but they’re 2-6 and nowhere near the playoffs. Now they have to take on a Rams squad that’s on a heater across the country.

Uh oh.

Drop The Moral Victories

The ending to their game against Buffalo was almost a guarantee. Of course, Josh Allen would have to lead the Bills to a game-winning drive. Of course, the Dolphins would make a key mistake to help out Buffalo. Of course, their kicker, who missed a pair of extra points, nailed a 61-yarder. Of course, Miami would be swept once again by the Bills. Of course.

Tua hasn’t missed a beat in these last two games. He went 25-28 with 231 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. The only real negative I can give Tua is that he dove for a first down instead of sliding. Tyreek Hill was also back to his usual self, racking up 80 receiving yards off of four catches.

O-line creates the gap & Achane slides thru! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Tjg3qVzSAJ

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 3, 2024

Miami’s offense has kept De’Von Achane as one of their most-used weapons. As long as he’s able, they using him in both the running and receiving game. With another 121 combined yards and two touchdowns, he’s been the most reliable player on this team.

The Dolphins’ defense was non-existent, which doesn’t surprise me. If they gave up that many yards and points to Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, then what Buffalo did shouldn’t come as a shock. 325 total yards aren’t absurd, but they only had to punt once.

Jalen Ramsey raked in an interception on Josh Allen, which is always nice to see. However, when the defense needed to step up in the fourth quarter, they struggled, and the result was a bit obvious. Overall, it was a tough outing in Western New York that, while a better performance than most, ended with another loss.

Absolute Cinema

In the City of Angels, the Los Angeles Rams are currently on fire. After starting the season with a 1-5 record, they have since won three straight against Las Vegas, Minnesota, and Seattle in overtime.

It’s now been a while since their Hollywood Thriller in Super Bowl 56, but they’re currently looking like a playoff contender. In a tight NFC West division, they can even say they have a shot at winning that group.

Matthew Stafford has always been a good quarterback on some bad teams in Detroit. However, he has put up great numbers as a Ram, currently throwing for 1,969 yards and nine touchdowns. At the same time, six interceptions and 17 sacks have also plagued Stafford so far this season.

LEGENDARY: #Rams QB Matthew Stafford is now tied for the 6th most game-winning drives in NFL HISTORY.

🤯

Stafford continues to make a strong push to be a Hall of Famer. pic.twitter.com/InEWleDrcc

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 7, 2024

Los Angeles’s receiving room was injured at the start of the season but has gotten healthier. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are a solid duo on paper, though they’re both coming back from injuries that happened in 2023. Their talents, combined with Tutu Atwell and Demarcus Robinson (who were the main targets while Kupp and Nacua were injured), make their receiver room one of the most underrated groups in the NFL.

Kyren Williams is entering his third season with the Rams and has also proven to be an underrated running back. After rushing for over 1100 yards last season, he’s already at 602 this season along with eight touchdowns.

The Rams’ defense is solid as well, with 21 sacks, eight interceptions, and six forced fumbles. They’re not an amazing unit but have been reliable in limiting teams to 20 points or less in their last three games. Aside from when they gave up 41 to Arizona, no other team has scored over 26 on them – not even Detroit or San Francisco.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this is another disaster scenario for Miami. Amid the slump they’re in, they have to take on another team that’s in their element. To make matters worse, it’s another nationally televised game, something that the Dolphins are 0-2 in so far.

With that said, the offense continues to improve. I don’t think Los Angeles’ defense is going to be able to contain Tua and this unit for the majority of the game. That said, Miami’s defense is going to have a real tough time guarding both Cupp and Nacua.

I’m hoping that Jalen Ramsey has a big-time game in his return to Sofi Stadium to take on his former team. With that said, it takes more than one player to turn a team around. We found that out already with Tua.

LOS ANGELES – 35

MIAMI – 30