There's been plenty of heartbreak in South Florida this season, and in particular the past three weeks. The Miami Dolphins won their opener, then suffered through a three-game losing streak and lost their starting quarterback along the way.
Now Mike McDaniel's club is in the midst of another three-game skid, with their three setbacks coming by a combined 10 points. The last two losses, 28-27 at home to the Cardinals, and 30-27 at Buffalo, saw the opposition kick field goals with no time and five seconds remaining, respectively.
The Dolphins have a tall task ahead of them on Monday night against a Rams team that has won three straight games after a 1-4 start. In terms of climbing back in the AFC East race, the Patriots and Bills won at Chicago and Indianapolis, respectively, while the Jets were pounded at Arizona.
As for the conference playoff picture, keep in mind that only six teams in the AFC own a winning record entering Monday night. Incredibly, an upset of the Rams would keep the Dolphins in the postseason hunt.
All-Time Series Record
This has been a very one-sided interconference series that dates back to the team's first meeting in 1971. The Dolphins have prevailed in 12 of the 14 encounters, and have won five consecutive games in this setting dating back to 2004. In the club's last clash, the 'Fins came up with a 28-17 victory in South Florida in 2020. Miami also managed a 14-10 win in 2016 in their last road game in this series.
Quarterbacks: Tale of the Tape
Since his return in Week 8, Tua Tagovailoa has connected on 53 of his 66 throws (80.3 percent) for a combined 465 yards, three scores and zero interceptions. He fumbled three times in the loss to Arizona (losing one), but he had a hand (or didn't) in that crippling safety that afternoon. The Miami offense has scored a combined six touchdowns the past two weeks, equaling this unit's total in the first six games.
Matthew Stafford continues to climb up the all-time passing charts. He's been far from perfect this year, throwing an interception in six of his eight appearances. In the last two weeks, he's connected for a combined six TD passes while being picked off twice. More significantly, Stafford has not been sacked in two consecutive contests. The Rams entered Week 10 ranked ninth in the NFL in passing yards per game.
Defensive Analysis
Anthony Weaver's defensive unit got off to a pretty solid start this season. The biggest problem for this side of the ball in recent weeks has been its play in the second half of games. Miami entered Week 10 as the NFL's seventh-ranked defense in terms of fewest yards allowed per game. In their last two outings, Weaver's group was burned for 278 and 207 yards, respectively, after intermission to the Cards and Bills.
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The Rams' defensive rankings are far from fearsome. After nine weeks of play, Sean McVay's club was a less-than-scintillating 24th in the league in both total yards and rushing yards allowed per game. That latter stat has been a problem area for the club as Los Angeles defenders are giving up 135.1 yards per game on the ground. The Rams have totaled 12 sacks during their current three-game winning streak.
Keys to the Game
Dolphins: Look for McDaniel's team to push the ball downfield. Consider the success that Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith had last week (although he was picked off three times), especially when it came to wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He was targeted 13 times and caught seven passes for 180 yards and two scores in the loss to the Rams. The Seahawks totaled nine passing plays of 20-plus yards in the setback.
Rams: Injuries have been a big part of the Rams' season, but they're showing the same resiliency they did last year when they won seven of last eight games following a 3-6 start. Stafford figures to have a clean pocket on Monday night considering the Dolphins have just 10 sacks in eight games, and Los Angeles has not allowed a sack in their last two contests. Look for the Rams to do a little dinking and dunking early on.
Dolphins Player to Watch
The Dolphins' ground attack has been highly effective, and second-year running back De'Von Achane comes off a huge performance in the 30-27 loss at Buffalo. He totaled 121 yards from scrimmage, and scored as both a runner and pass-catcher in the setback. As previously mentioned, this is a less-than-imposing Los Angeles defense, and the speedy second-year pro could have a very productive outing.
Achane has quietly had a solid season, somewhat lost because of the team's struggles. He leads Miami in touches (130), total yards from scrimmage (722), receptions (37), and total touchdowns (5). In fact, he has nearly half of the Dolphins' 12 offensive touchdowns. Miami's pass rush has been ineffective this season. Perhaps the only way to keep Stafford and the Rams' offense off the field may be a big dose of Achane.