Dolphins-Rams live blog: Tyreek Hill is active as the Fins score first
Are you ready for some (Monday night) football?!
The Miami Dolphins are in Los Angeles to take on the Rams in a pivotal, primetime matchup. Keep it locked here for all things Dolphins.
Dolphins score game’s second touchdown:
Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill hadn’t connected on a touchdown since Week 1.
That changed at the 5:35 mark of the third quarter when Tagovailoa found the star receiver on a 1-yard out.
The score wouldn’t have been possible without Jonnu Smith’s 33-yard catch-and-run that got the Dolphins to the Rams 1-yardline.
Fins are up 17-6.
Kendall Fuller ruled out:
The starting cornerback went down with a concussion on the Rams’ first possession of the half.
It didn’t take long for the Dolphins to rule him out.
With Fuller out, second-year corner Cam Smith will slide in as the starting corner opposite of Jalen Ramsey.
Another injury on the Dolphins o-line:
Left guard Rob Jones has a knee injury and is questionable to return.
This is the second injury along the offensive line as starting tackle Austin Jackson was put on injured reserve prior to kickoff.
As long as Jones can’t suit up, Lester Cotton will play in his place.
HALFTIME NOTES:
▪ The Dolphins lead the Rams 10-6 at halftime.
▪ The Dolphins defense has been huge, limiting the high-powered rams offense to just 106 total yards, 54 of which came on the final drive of the half.
▪ After a lackluster Week 9 game, Jaylen Waddle came out on fire, catching two balls for 55 yards. He does have one bad drop that would’ve put the Dolphins in field goal range.
▪ The Dolphins have forced two turnovers, an encouraging sign considering the defense ranked second-to-last in takeaways.
▪ The Dolphins offense looked unstoppable on their first drive but haven’t done much since. After going 70 yards on that first drive, the offense finished with 111 in the first half.
Turnover bug starting to hit:
The Dolphins and the Rams have now had three consecutive possessions end in turnovers.
It began with Tua Tagovailoa throwing an interception to linebacker Christian Rozeboom. On the very next play, Rams running back Kyren Williams was fumbled thanks to a strip courtesy of Da’Shawn Hand.
Four plays later, Rams rookie Jared Verse sacked and stripped Tagovailoa. The rookie even recovered the fumble.
Luckily, the Dolphins defense was able to limit the Rams to just a field goal.
Fins are still up 10-3.
A-Walk gets first INT of season:
The Dolphins defense has come to play.
In just his second game as a Dolphins starter, linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. caught a tipped pass for an interception.
And just who tipped the ball? None other than Calais Campbell.
The Dolphins have exquisite field position at the start of the second quarter. Unfortunately, they could only get a field goal out of it.
Fins are still up 10-0.
Chop gets second sack of the season:
They say sacks come in bunches.
Well that certainly has been the case for rookie edge rusher Chop Robinson who just recorded his second sack in as many games.
Seems like all of Robinson’s extra reps with Terron Armstead are finally beginning to pay off.
Rookie scores first touchdown of season:
Now this is the Dolphins offense that people expected.
Tua Tagovailoa and the offense looked unstoppable on that first drive, using only five plays to go 70 yards in just under three minutes. A big part? A broken play that Tua Tagovailoa was able to save by finding Jaylen Waddle for 36-yard catch.
An end around to rookie receiver Malik Washington that he took 18 yards to pay dirt put the Dolphins on the board.
The Dolphins are up 7-0.
The Dolphins will be without captain and fullback Alec Ingold but have safety Jevón Holland.
Ingold was listed as inactive prior to the game, alongside cornerbacks Ethan Bonner and Storm Duck as well as runningback Jeff Wilson Jr., linebacker Mohamed Kamara, wide receiver Dee Eskridge and offensive lineman Andrew Meyer.
Holland will play in his first game since injuring his knee in the second quarter of the Dolphins’ Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. With Eskridge out, receiver Malik Washington will likely see some increased reps in the return game.
The loss of Ingold, who practiced in a limited capacity all week due to a calf injury, is huge considering he’s the main blocker on many of their run attempts. Who replaces him is unclear but makes this game all the more worthwhile to watch.
Tyreek Hill officially active, per reports:
The star receiver will play tonight, according to multiple reports, a big addition in what is the Dolphins’ most important game of the season thus far.
Hill didn’t practice at all this week due to an ailing wrist injury, an injury which was aggravated during his police detainment just hours before the home opener, the receiver told Lisa Salters.
The Dolphins officially listed Hill as questionable but his availability is surely a good sign for a Dolphins offense that has found its identity over recent weeks.
Well, that didn’t take long.
A few days after the Dolphins waived the defensive tackle from their active roster, the Seattle Seahawks claimed him on Monday.
Pili appeared in 12 games during his two seasons with the Dolphins, recording four combined tackles.
Pregame Roster moves:
The Dolphins offensive line will look a bit different in the coming weeks.
Miami placed starting right tackle Austin Jackson on injured reserve (IR), sidelining him for the next four games. Jackson suffered a knee injury during the Week 9 game against the Buffalo Bills. Veteran offensive tackle Kendall Lamm will start in Jackson’s place.
The Dolphins also activated River Cracraft off of IR as well as signed defensive tackle Neil Farrell to the active roster. Cracraft’s activation gives the receiving core another weapon, something very necessary considering Tyreek Hill is questionable for tonight’s game.
Both long snapper Tucker Addington and offensive tackle Jackson Carman were elevated to the active roster as well.
Safety Patrick McMorris, whose 21-day practice window opened up last week, was also downgraded to out.
Pregame Dolphins reading:
Check out these stories prior to kickoff.
▪ Kelly: Kendall Lamm steps to the forefront of Dolphins offensive line
▪ ESPN or CBS? Here’s how to watch Monday’s Dolphins-Rams game
▪ As the Dolphins travel to L.A. to face the Rams, the secondary must play big
▪ The Dolphins had the most players from HBCUs to start the 2024 season. Here’s why that matters.
▪ Fins CB Jalen Ramsey to donate $5,000 to five Los Angeles-based nonprofits
This story was originally published November 11, 2024 at 4:08 PM.
