Dolphins defense doesn’t allow a touchdown en route to a 23-15 prime-time win against the Rams
The Miami Dolphins defense had yet to dominate an opponent in 2024.
That changed Monday night when the Dolphins beat the Los Angeles Rams 23-15. After back-to-back close games in which the opposing quarterback had picked apart the defense, the unit limited the high-powered, Sean McVay offense to zero touchdowns despite three red zone trips.
With defensive tackle Zach Sieler back in the lineup, the Dolphins pass rush had Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford running for his life for most of the game. Stafford, who completed roughly 70% of his passes for 293 yards and an interception, was sacked four times and finished the game without a touchdown pass for only the second time in his tenure with the Rams. The defense also allowed the Rams to convert just three of their 12 third-down opportunities.
“The best way to win is to get off the field,” defensive tackle Calais Campbell said. “As a defense, you get the ball back to the offense. They got firepower; we just got to keep feeding them. So third down is money down.”
Both sides of the ball started off Monday night with a bang. The Dolphins offense came out on fire, going five plays for 70 yards in just less than three minutes to score the game’s first touchdown on their opening drive. Sieler made his presence felt on the Dolphins’ very first defensive snap, skirting around a blocker to tackle Rams running back Kyren Williams in the backfield for a 10-yard loss en route to forcing a three-and-out.
“Sieler is such an important part of what we do so it was absolutely a momentum capturing moment where guys were fired up to have one of the most important pieces of the unit back on the field, making plays immediately,” coach Mike McDaniel said.
While the Dolphins offense struggled for the rest of the half, accumulating only 41 yards on their subsequent six possessions, the defense wouldn’t let the Rams move the ball. The Rams’ first five drives ended in either a punt or a turnover. Los Angeles’ two first-half field goals came courtesy of edge rusher Jared Verse’s strip sack of Tua Tagovailoa that the put the offense on the Miami 36 and a well-executed two-minute drill on their final possession.
“They were able to give us a huge lift,” Tagovailoa said of the defense. Tagovailoa completed 71% of his passes for 207 yards and one touchdown but also threw an interception as well as lost a fumble. “Now we got to do our job as well — not turn the ball over, stay on the field and puts some points on the board.”
Halftime, however, allowed the offense to get back on track. After turning the ball over twice in the first half, Tagovailoa led the offense to scores on every possession save for his game-sealing kneel on the final play.
“I think we played complementary football,” cornerback Jalen Ramsey said. “The offense got points when we needed them. They got long drives when we needed them. They flipped the field. We were able to make them earn every and make some splash plays as well.”
In a season when miscues have continuously hampered the Dolphins, they benefited greatly from the Rams’ mistakes. A botched snap and false start on the Rams’ opening drive of the second half pushed them out of field-goal range. And when the Dolphins got the ball on the Miami 47, Tagovailoa would lead the offense down the field for a 1-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill, his first since Week 1. Hill, who was questionable for Monday’s game with a wrist injury, finished with three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown.
“They’re just in it to win it,” Tagovailoa said of both Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who had for three receptions for 57 yards. Although the star receiver duo didn’t have best night from a stats perspective, they are doing “anything that they got to do to help us.”
The Dolphins came into Monday’s game ranked dead last when it came to offensive plays of more than 25 yards. Big plays, however, were a staple on both of the Dolphins’ possessions that ended in touchdowns. On the first drive, Tagovailoa found Waddle for 36 yards on a broken play. In the second half, a 33-yard Jonnu Smith catch-and-run got the Dolphins to the 1-yard line before Hill’s touchdown.
“Collectively, it was the best execution of what we’re trying to get done,” McDaniel said.
With the win, the Dolphins are now tied for second in the AFC East with a record of 3-6. Their next two opponents — the Las Vegas Raiders and the New England Patriots – have a combined record of 5-14. If they can win those two, the Dolphins could build some momentum ahead of an important Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers.
“Football is a game of momentum,” Campbell said, later adding “this is the kind of game to spark a streak.”
This story was originally published November 11, 2024 at 11:22 PM.
