The 2-6 Miami Dolphins travel across the country to take on the 4-4 Los Angeles Rams. The Matchup takes place on Monday Night Football as the Dolphins look to turn their season around. A loss almost certainly ends the Dolphins season and pushes them across the edge, while a win could be a sign of things to come down the stretch. So here are the keys to victory in Los Angeles.
Continue to Run the Ball
The Miami Dolphins rushing attack has come alive since Tua’s injury early on this season, and the Dolphins have continued to grow on it even with his return. The Rams’ run defense ranks 24th in the NFL, and the Dolphins’ offense will need to help their struggling defense in any way possible. Run the ball, control the clock, and also don’t turn the ball over on the ground. It will be interesting to see if Jaylen Wright gets more opportunities, as Raheem Mostert has had two game-changing fumbles over the past few weeks.
Keep Tua Upright
The Miami Dolphins will be without starting right tackle Austin Jackson on Monday with a knee injury. This leaves Kendall Lamm to deal with rookie Jared Verse. The Rams pass rush has been very good in recent weeks, and so has Miami’s offensive line. If the rest of the line continues its improvement, it will be up to Kendall Lamm and the scheming of the pass protection for Miami to minimize the sacks. The Rams’ pass defense is lackluster, and the Dolphins can exploit this if they give Tua time.
Contain Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ Passing Attack
The Rams are not much of a threat on the ground, ranking 26th in the NFL. With the Dolphins’ run defense ranking 13th and the return of Zach Sieler, the focus turns to the pass. Matthew Stafford is coming off of his best game this season vs. the Minnesota Vikings, and the Rams passing attack is ranked 9th in the NFL. So far this season, the Dolphins rank fourth in pass coverage, but over recent weeks, they have seen themselves exposed through the air. Big plays, miscommunication, and no pressure from the defensive line have allowed Josh Allen and Kyler Murray to pick them apart the last two weeks. Jalen Ramsey and the company have a tough assignment involving Cooper Kupp and Puka Nucua, and hopefully, they are up for the task.
Once again, the Dolphins are the better team on paper and should win this game. The offense should tear apart the Rams’ defense, and the defense should be able to hold against an average Rams offense. But once again, the Dolphins have continuously beat themselves, so the keys to victory that the Dolphins have actually shined in executing don’t matter. The Dolphins must begin to play mistake-free football to win these games down the stretch. It starts with the offense not turning the ball over, the defense staying on assignment and making tackles, among all the issues that have been exploited throughout this season.
The Miami Dolphins should win this prime-time matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, but more importantly, they need to make a statement on Monday night—not just for the league, but for themselves.
