Dolphins Defense Stars In Hard Earned Win Over Rams

Inglewood, CA – I’d be lying if I said I had faith in the Miami Dolphins tonight, but they proved me wrong in the best way possible. The defense was the star of the show as the Dolphins earned a huge road win over the red-hot Rams.

A loss for the Dolphins would have put them in the depths of hell in the AFC. While there are plenty of teams with sub-.500 records, this would have been a tough stretch from which to recover for Miami. However, with the win, the Dolphins are back in the swing of things. On top of that, they have a semi-favorable schedule up ahead.

Miami Dolphins have third-easiest remaining strength of schedule

Via Tankathon pic.twitter.com/RkDnJs6z0K

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) November 11, 2024

A Box Office Smash

With plenty of stars down for the count, this Dolphins defense still made the most of what they had. Picking an MVP from the group is difficult, but Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell both shined. The front seven for Miami pressured Matthew Stafford for the majority of the game, and it paid off.

Four sacks, seven tackles for a loss, and five deflected passes kept the veteran quarterback on his toes all night. One such deflection by Campbell led to an interception by Anthony Walker Jr, which led to three points by Jason Sanders. Even Chop Robinson got active with another sack to add to his rookie campaign.

Tipped… PICKED! Anthony Walker Jr. comes down with a @MiamiDolphins INT.

📺: #MIAvsLAR on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/CGF3MQDLy0

— NFL (@NFL) November 12, 2024

The defense played some of their best football on third down, limiting the Rams to three first downs on third down from 12 opportunities. But the best-looking stat of the night? NO. TOUCHDOWNS. ALLOWED. ALL. NIGHT.

In the end, Puke Nacua and Cooper Cupp collected 98 and 80 yards, respectively. A good chunk of both were from their hurry-up offense right before halftime and on their final drive. Nevertheless, for a good majority of the game, they were made nonfactors by Miami’s secondary. Both Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller did a great job in limiting destructive plays.

Safe Like Santa Monica

Miami’s offense did just enough to win this game. Some drives in this game, such as the first, looked like the Mike McDaniel offense we’ve been expecting since the season began. Other drives…not so much. Still, they cashed in points on every drive in the second half except for their final one – in which they took a knee to end the game.

Tua Tagovailoa ended up with a solid stat line – 20/28 with 207 yards and a touchdown. He did throw an interception, however, and sailed a couple of other passes that could have been picked off but weren’t. When he needed to make some plays on third down in the fourth quarter to extend drives and chew the clock, however, he did just that.

Tyreek Hill had a subpar game, sadly. With only four targets and three receptions for 16 yards, his night consisted of double-teaming from the defense. Still, he collected a touchdown pass from Tua in the third quarter which extended Miami’s lead.

There's a @cheetah in the end zone!! 🐆🏈

📺 #MIAvsLAR on @ESPNNFL pic.twitter.com/gEY9V1kpjE

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 12, 2024

Whereas Hill got a lot of attention from the defense, Jonnu Smith, Raheem Mostert, and De’Von Achane all became unsuspecting targets for Tua, and all of them delivered when they had to. Malik Washington, Odell Beckham Jr, and even Durham Smythe received targets in this game.

Miami tried like hell to establish the run game, and it didn’t work out that well. Only 37 rushing yards for Achane off 12 carries isn’t great. The offensive line didn’t do a great job creating holes for their running game. A lot of reverses and screens were read well by the Rams’ defense, leading to 10 tackles for a loss.

No Love For California

All in all, the offense delivered when they had to in the second half. The defense didn’t let up the heat on Stafford all game. And Jason Sanders, who has had a mixed first half of the season, was money tonight, going 3/3 including two 50-yarders.

A win is a win for the Dolphins who need all they can get amid a playoff push. They’ll head back home for a two-game homestand at Hard Rock Stadium, starting on November 17th at 1 pm against the Las Vegas Raiders.