Sarah Barshop
Marcel Louis-Jacques
Marcel Louis-Jacques
ESPN
Marcel Louis-Jacques joined ESPN in 2019 as a beat reporter protecting the Buffalo Payments, earlier than switching to the Miami Dolphins in 2021. The previous Carolina Panthers beat author for the Charlotte Observer gained the APSE award for breaking information and the South Carolina Press Affiliation award for enterprise writing in 2018.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — If the Miami Dolphins salvage their 2-6 begin to the season, their win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10 may very well be the spark.
The Dolphins gained at SoFi Stadium for the second yr in a row, this time 23-15 over the Rams in a sport during which they by no means trailed. Miami stopped a three-game dropping streak, two of which got here on last-second area targets.
Extra importantly, the Dolphins cracked the door open for a possible playoff run because the win places them 1½ video games again of the Denver Broncos for the AFC’s seventh seed. Solely three groups in NFL historical past have rebounded from a 2-6 begin to make the playoffs, however with residence video games towards the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots over the following two weeks, Miami may very well be 5-6 when the workforce travels to Inexperienced Bay on Thanksgiving to play the Packers.
Coming into Week 10, the Dolphins had an 8.1% probability of constructing the playoffs, in response to ESPN’s FPI, and had the league’s Tenth-easiest remaining schedule. With their probabilities of successful the AFC East just about nonexistent, the Dolphins might want to seize considered one of three wild-card spots to maintain their two-year playoff streak alive.
QB breakdown: Tua Tagovailoa overcame a doubtlessly disastrous second quarter throughout which he threw an interception and misplaced a fumble on consecutive drives. He completed with 207 yards and a landing however transformed 5 third-down makes an attempt. He took a few premature sacks, which coach Mike McDaniel mentioned was the results of him making an attempt to do an excessive amount of, one thing Tagovailoa continues to work on in his fifth season.
Describe sport in two phrases: Fixed stress. Miami’s protection made life terrible for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was pressured 13 occasions and sacked 4 occasions — a season excessive for the Dolphins.
Promising pattern: No Dolphins participant has extra quarterback pressures since Week 5 than Chop Robinson, who was thrust right into a extra distinguished position after the harm to Jaelan Phillips. He continued that pattern with 5 pressures Monday night time and recorded his second sack of the season in as many video games. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Subsequent sport: vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
The Rams entered the sport with an 18.4% probability to make the playoffs, in response to ESPN Analytics, however they could not maintain tempo within the NFC West with the loss.
After the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers gained on Sunday, ESPN Analytics had the Rams’ probabilities to win the division at 11.5%.
However on Monday, their offense struggled, regardless of having broad receiver Cooper Kupp, broad receiver Puka Nacua and offensive linemen Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson all again from harm for the primary time because the season opener.
In accordance with ESPN Analysis, that is the fiftieth sport for the Rams that Matthew Stafford began at quarterback. That is solely the second time in these 50 video games that Los Angeles failed to attain a landing.
The Rams’ offensive woes confirmed up on third down. The offense entered the sport changing 36% of third downs, which is ranked twenty third within the NFL. On Monday night time, the Rams had been 3-of-12 (25%).
Los Angeles fell to 4-5, its first loss because the Week 6 bye.
Quarterback breakdown: After throwing six landing passes within the Rams’ earlier two video games, Stafford didn’t throw one towards a Dolphins protection that entered the sport ranked twenty sixth in move protection DVOA. Stafford accomplished 32 of 46 passes for 293 yards and an interception. He has thrown an interception in six straight video games, tied for the longest streak in his profession, in response to ESPN Analysis.
Most stunning efficiency: The offensive line. Within the Rams’ earlier three video games, Stafford had been sacked as soon as. However on Monday night time, he was sacked 4 occasions, regardless of getting Avila (MCL sprain) and Jackson (shoulder) again from injured reserve. The Rams had been with out proper sort out Rob Havenstein, who was out with an ankle harm. The Dolphins’ protection did this regardless of getting into the sport with 10 sacks, the second fewest within the NFL.
Promising pattern: First-round draft decide Jared Verse continued to impress. He had a sack for the third sport in a row and two tackles for a loss. In accordance with the Rams, Verse’s 11 tackles for a loss by way of his first 9 profession video games are tied for the second most with Von Miller and Micah Parsons because it turned an official stat in 1999. — Sarah Barshop
Subsequent sport: at Patriots (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
