Sloppy play reigns. You can’t tell the story of this game without explaining the calamity that was the first half. Near the end of the first quarter, Calais Campbell deflected a Matthew Stafford pass just enough to reroute it into the arms of linebacker Anthony Walker for an interception. After a Miami field goal and a Rams punt, Tua Tagovailoa returned the favor, throwing an off-balance pass into the arms of Christian Rozeboom for an interception. On the very next play, Kyren Williams fumbled, returning possession to the Dolphins. Four plays later, Jared Verse strip-sacked Tagovailoa, swapping possession once again. The turnover festival cooled off from there, but the mistakes continued. An open Jaylen Waddle dropped a pass on third down. Stafford fumbled, but recovered it (he did it again early in the third quarter). Joshua Karty missed a 57-yard field goal. And though it wasn’t the last error, defensive tackle Bobby Brown drew a personal foul penalty by headbutting Liam Eichenberg, gifting the Dolphins 15 free yards on a drive that ended in a Jason Sanders field goal. Mistakes ran rampant throughout the night, making for a bit of an ugly viewing experience, but the Dolphins emerged victorious because they were able to capitalize on their opportunities more often than the Rams. Let’s just hope the next Monday night game isn’t so messy.
Tagovailoa fights through up-and-down night. Miami’s offense has struggled throughout the 2024 season, and by no means was this a pretty game for either offense, but if I had to choose one over the other, it’s Miami’s operation for at least one night. The reasoning is simple: The Dolphins got the job done on third down more frequently than the opposition. The Dolphins finished 6 of 13 on third down, only punted on three of their 10 possessions and, most importantly, managed to put points on the board on every drive that ended in Rams territory. The picture itself wasn’t the best — Tagovailoa’s pocket awareness and reaction were shockingly bad, indicating some lingering rust after his extended time off — but he still managed to make enough throws to sustain drives long enough to result in points. And Tagovailoa capped off the second most-impressive drive of the night with a dart to Tyreek Hill for a score. Coupled with a suddenly stifling defense, this blend was enough to end Miami’s three-game losing skid and notch a sorely needed win.
Miami’s defensive front peaks. Zach Sieler’s return might have flown under the radar for the average football fan, but ball-knowers — especially those who love trench play — understood how important it might be for the Dolphins. The Rams did, too. They double-teamed Sieler 25 times on the night — good for 58.1% of his 43 pass rushing snaps — yet he still managed to record two QB pressures and two tackles. What didn’t show up in the stats was how Sieler’s presence and Miami’s creative use of Calais Campbell elevated the entire unit. Campbell caused Stafford’s interception and recorded a sack and two pressures, while rookie Chop Robinson finished with a team-high five pressures to go along with a sack. The most important stat of them all defined the night for this matchup: Of Miami’s four sacks, three came on third down. After meandering as a generally average unit through most of the season, the Dolphins brought a new aggression to SoFi Stadium on Monday night, preventing the Rams from reaching a goal-to-go situation until the fourth quarter and keeping them out of the end zone entirely on the night. If the Dolphins can sustain this, they just might have reason to hope they can salvage this season.
Rams drop the ball all night. This isn’t meant entirely literally — although there were some of those, too — but Los Angeles will be kicking itself all week when it reviews this tape. The Rams finished 3 for 12 on third down, and two of those conversions came on their final drive, which was little more than a last-ditch attempt to cut it a one-score game before praying they might recover an onside kick (they didn’t). It was shocking to see a Sean McVay offense struggle this much, especially considering Stafford had both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua at his disposal. Nacua finished with nine catches for 98 yards, and Kupp followed closely behind with seven catches for 80 yards, but their combined efforts couldn’t push them into the end zone. Stafford attempted 46 passes, completing 32 for 293 yards, but will likely reflect on those third-down sacks and the many other missed opportunities more than he’ll remember his smaller successes. After winning three straight to dig out of a 1-4 hole, the Rams once again have issues to fix.
Verse is a stud. If Jared Verse wasn’t on your radar when he finished up his illustrious career at Florida State, he better be there now. Just check the numbers from Monday night: four tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and a team-high six quarterback pressures (including two quick pressures), good for a pressure rate of 23.1%. He’s been a beast since his days with the Seminoles, and he and his former FSU teammate Braden Fiske have both been quality investments made by the Rams. Verse should be a favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year, might make an outside play for the Pro Bowl, and could become a household name before long. Even with the Rams’ loss, it wasn’t hard to spot Verse’s contributions. Get used to seeing more of that.
Next Gen Stats Insight from Dolphins-Rams (via NFL Pro): Rookie edge Chop Robinson generated five pressures (tying his season high) and a sack on 30 pass rush snaps (16.7% pressure rate) against the Rams on Monday night. He logged four of his pressures in 16 matchups against right tackle Joe Noteboom, who was playing in his first game since Week 1 of this season.
NFL Research: The Dolphins’ defense set a season-high mark in sacks as a team (four), tied a season-high mark in takeaways (two) and completed their first game without allowing a touchdown this season.