The Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams were both in the playoffs last season. They both returned playoff quality rosters.
But you only get so many chances in an NFL season, and a few tough losses can create too big of a hole. The Dolphins can look at Monday night’s performance in a bittersweet way. They easily beat a pretty good Rams team on the road in a 23-15 win. They can also watch that film and wonder what might have been if Tua Tagovailoa hadn’t missed four games due to a concussion and they didn’t lose consecutive games on last-second field goals when he returned. If they had a couple more wins, maybe they’d be chasing another playoff spot instead of being far behind at 3-6.
The Rams will probably have regrets, too. They started the season slow but were 4-4 coming into Monday night’s game after three straight wins. Then they blew that momentum in an ugly performance against the Dolphins. They looked oddly unprepared, which is rarely the case with a Sean McVay team. At 4-5, the Rams aren’t dead, but their path to a playoff spot got a lot harder.
The Dolphins aren’t technically dead yet either. But barring an incredible finish, they’ll look back at games like Monday night and think about how things might have turned out differently for them with a couple breaks earlier in the season.
Rams have a bad 1st half
The Rams didn’t do much right in the first half. They gave up a very quick touchdown drive to start the game. The offensive line struggled to protect Matthew Stafford. Even when the Rams got an interception off a bad pass from Tagovailoa, Kyren Williams fumbled it away on the next play.
It’s rare to see the Rams look flat, but it was an ugly half for them.
The Dolphins weren’t much better. After their first touchdown drive, which ate up 70 yards in less than three minutes, the offense bogged down. Neither quarterback had 100 yards in the first half. There were six punts and four turnovers before halftime between the teams. The Rams did rally for a field goal as the half expired and trailed just 10-6 at halftime. Given how they struggled, that wasn’t too bad of a result.
The second half started with plenty of the same. The Rams were driving but a flubbed snap was recovered by Stafford for a 13-yard loss. The Rams still got a 52-yard field goal, but it was taken off the board due to a false start penalty. And then Joshua Karty missed the 57-yard try.
The Rams are one of the best-coached teams in the NFL. But they were impossibly sloppy for most of Monday night.
Dolphins extend their lead
The Dolphins took advantage of the 57-yard missed field goal by the Rams. Jonnu Smith had a catch and a tough run downfield to the 1-yard line, then Tyreek Hill caught a touchdown. That put Miami ahead 17-6.
The Rams still weren’t totally out of the game when they trailed 20-9 midway through the fourth quarter. The Rams drove inside the 5-yard line and then the drive stalled and McVay chose to kick the field goal. That made it 20-12 with 6:31 left. The Rams just couldn’t execute when they had to.
The Dolphins put the game away after that, picking up some first downs and chewing up most of the rest of the clock. Jason Sanders hit a field goal with 2:38 to play, restoring the lead to 11 points, and that pretty much sealed the win. It wasn’t necessarily pretty for Miami, but it was a win on the road without much stress.
Miami has the talent to be a pretty good team the rest of the season. The offense wasn’t great on Monday night but it usually is good with Tagovailoa healthy, and the defense stifled a Rams offense that had been playing well. But with six losses already, Miami is going to have to be just about perfect to earn another postseason berth.
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Dolphins 10, Rams 6: Key halftime stats
A sloppy first half is over in a one-possession game. The Dolphins started hot with a quick-strike touchdown on their first drive, but have struggled since on offense. The Rams needed three possessions to pick up their first first down, but trail by just four points after their own strong showing on defense.
Rams turnovers: 2 (one fumble lost, one interception)
Dolphins turnovers: 2 (one fumble lost, one interception)Rams punts: 3
Dolphins punts: 3Tua Tagovailoa: 9 of 15, 87 yards; 0 touchdowns, 1 interception, 1 lost fumble
Matthew Stafford: 15 of 21, 97 yards; 0 touchdowns, 1 interceptionDe’Von Achane: 6 carries for 23 yards
Kyren Williams: 6 carries for 25 yards, 1 lost fumbleDolphins total yards: 111 (3.8 yards per play)
Rams total yards: 106 (3.3 yards per play)Rams announce death of former coach John Robinson
Sad news for the Rams family. Former Rams and USC head coach John Robinson died on Monday due to complications from pneumonia. He was 89 years old.
John Robinson coached the Rams for nine seasons. (David Madison/Getty Images)
