No matter your level of enthusiasm for sports, understanding player stats is critical to enjoying any matchup or sporting event. In this article we provide key statistical insights into offensive and defensive performance as well as special teams performance and critical matchups.
Miami’s linebackers did an outstanding job containing Rams’ perimeter runners, while their standout performer notched one sack and two pass deflections.
In this article, we will discuss the main points of Los Angeles Rams vs Miami Dolphins Match Player Stats.
Miami Dolphins
Offense:
- Tua Tagovailoa (QB): Completed 20 of 28 passes for 207 yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
- Tyreek Hill (WR): Despite a wrist injury, caught a touchdown pass in the second half.
Defense:
- The Dolphins’ defense recorded four sacks, contributing significantly to the team’s success.
Los Angeles Rams
Offense:
- Matthew Stafford (QB): Threw for 293 yards but failed to secure a touchdown and was intercepted once.
- Puka Nacua (WR): One of the top receivers for the Rams, contributing to the team’s yardage.
- Cooper Kupp (WR): Also a leading receiver in the game, adding to the Rams’ offensive efforts.
Defense:
- Kobie Turner (DT): Recorded six tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection.
- Jared Verse (OLB): Made significant plays, including a sack and a fumble recovery.
Special Teams:
- Joshua Karty (K): Scored all of the Rams’ points by making five out of six field goals.
Offense
Early turnovers dominated the first half, as mistakes on both sides were rampant. Calais Campbell deflected a Matthew Stafford pass just enough for linebacker Anthony Walker to intercept it for an interception; on the very next play Kyren Williams fumbled and gave Miami possession; then Jared Verse strip-sacked Tua Tagovailoa to allow the Rams to take over at Miami’s 36-yard line.
Rams long drive ended with Jason Sanders making the longest field goal of the night to put LA up 11 at halftime.
After receiving a quick Miami punt, the Rams began the second quarter with an extended drive that moved all the way down to Miami’s 22-yard line before it was stopped on 3rd down when Tackle Bobby Brown was flagged for headbutting DT Liam Eichenberg and consequently flagged for headbutting on 4th down.
With less than two minutes remaining in the half, the Dolphins had just enough time to drain some clock as they drove downfield and scored with Jason Sanders kicking a short field goal.
Both teams struggled to score during the game. Miami converted on 6 of 13 third down attempts while Los Angeles only managed 3 for 11.
The Rams’ offense was led by three veteran backs, along with an impressive group of wide receivers such as Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Demarcus Robinson. Unfortunately, their defense is without star linebacker Aaron Donald and allowing too many big plays through in passing games. The team must tighten up its pass coverage and improve communication among players as a unit, to avoid future lapses. If they’re successful at this, then their season could turn around; otherwise it will likely end in disappointment for the Rams. While their trend seems promising enough, more work needs to be done if they hope to make noise when playoff time rolls around; there can be no room for error here if they want to qualify for postseason qualification.
Defense
The Dolphins entered this game knowing they needed to win at least two of their final three games to have any chance at reaching the playoffs. Their defense rose up and proved its mettle by stopping Rams’ explosive offense while also limiting scoring opportunities on third down.
Miami’s defensive line played an invaluable role, recording four sacks and nine quarterback pressures to significantly disrupt Los Angeles Rams’ offensive rhythm and cause hurried throws that kept receivers from running deep routes.
On the other hand, Los Angeles Rams secondary struggled to make plays and cover Miami Dolphins top receivers’ deep routes, which lead to several long drives by Miami and several touchdown scores from them.
Los Angeles’ opening drive of the second half was derailed by a high snap and then a false start penalty that nullified Josh Karty’s 52-yard field goal attempt, leading them down an unsuccessful path before losing possession on Kyren Williams fumbling away it back to Miami on their next possession.
Miami’s subsequent drive was highlighted by Jonny Smith’s outstanding running play, breaking two tackles before sprinting into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown run – their longest run of the night! This score made the score 10-6 at half time.
Special Teams
Special teams don’t usually garner as much notice as offensive and defensive units; however, their performance can have just as great an effect on a game as anything else. Converting third downs and stopping punt returns and kickoff returners at the 10-yard line could mean the difference between field goal attempts and touchdown scores.
The Rams special teams held up well against the Dolphins, though not perfectly. A punt from early in the second quarter had an unfortunate muffed snap that resulted in it being returned back to Miami 25 before Miami used this turnover as an opportunity to move the ball deeper into Rams territory and score a field goal against them.
After that, however, the Rams managed to prevent the Dolphins from scoring again by recovering Kyren Williams’ fumble, recovered by Anthony Barr. They returned the ball back up the field but their drive was stopped by an illegal blindside block penalty.
As soon as the second half began, Rams’ offense struggled mightily; failing to gain more than one yard on two of three initial drives. Tua Tagovailoa’s 17-yard gain on first down provided one bright spot in their offensive output.
But the rest of their drive stalled; neither the Rams nor Kupp were able to gain ground on the ground, and Stafford found Kupp in a third-down play but was unable to gain any yards on his catch.
The Rams’ final drive of the game was no different as they drove deep into Dolphins territory but were forced to settle for Jason Sanders’ 50-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining. While not his most spectacular effort, Sanders managed to extend their lead from 23-12 to 23-13 while improving to 7-4 on the season despite struggles from their receiving corps and defense.
Key Matchups
The Rams have come out of their bye week on fire, winning three straight and moving into second place in the NFC West with their 26-20 overtime victory against Seattle. Jared Goff has led an effective offense recently; now facing one of the worst defenses in football in Miami’s defense will present him with yet another tough test.
Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, two talented route-runners with wide receiver skills who can run multiple routes at the same time, must continue receiving passes from quarterback Jared Goff. While their running game has been average so far, Kyren Williams can serve as an effective three-down back. Furthermore, Kyren Williams is capable of creating pressure on quarterbacks as the Rams rank fifth best in rush rate among NFL teams.
After Aaron Donald left, there were concerns over the pass rush; however, Jared Verse, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Byron Young have done their part to ensure it remains effective. While at times leaky on defense, they boast third best takeaway rate with six interceptions and two fumble recoveries on board.
To win against Tua Tagovailoa and his Dolphins counterparts, the Rams must establish steady pressure. Their opponents have given up many points on defense while struggling to create turnovers; if they can manage some takeaways that could quickly change things.
The Rams must bring their A game on defense to stop the Dolphins’ revival and avoid another devastating late-game collapse. A victory would give this prime-time matchup enough momentum for them to start making an audacious playoff push – even if too late to change current standings, an outstanding performance against an esteemed foe may give this team some confidence heading into their home stretch of the season.