Scooter & Hum: Day 1,704, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Rams Game 9 Review

Somehow, some way, Miami went on the road and earned a hard-fought victory against a respected Rams team. Along the way, the 'Fins were flagged exactly once, which represents a crucial turning point -- and also means that the squad clearly needs to draw Ron Robert's crew more often.

The Dolphins ran 15 fewer plays than Los Angeles and struggled on offense, but the defense absolutely refused to give in. Despite respectable defense on both sides, the second half included no punts, five field goals, a touchdown, and a missed field goal.

The performance went a long way toward extending Miami's season and breathing life into faint playoff hopes.

On to the clutch-as-it-gets recap ...

Offense

Miami managed just 15 first downs and 238 total yards, picking up just 67 yards on the ground and averaging three yards per rush. The bright spots were on third down (six of 13 conversions) and the red zone (two touchdowns in three visits), but it was a sloppy performance overall.
Tua Tagovailoa was out of the rhythm or much of the game, with poor fundamentals and decision-making that led some observers to question whether he had suffered another concussion on an ill-advised tackle attempt. He did connect on 20 of 28 passes for 207 yards with a touchdown, but he threw an interception, took three sacks, fumbled once, and generally struggled with pocket presence. Tua lost a yard on his only rushing attempt and could have thrown three more interceptions.
At running back, De'Von Achane got 17 touches but was limited to just 52 total yards, as the Rams did a fine job of limiting big plays. Raheem Mostert got just eight snaps in this one and did not record a carry, though he caught two of three targets for 34 yards. Rookie Jaylen Wright got more run at the position, but picked up just three yards on five carries. The ground game desperately missed fullback Alec Ingold, who missed the game with a calf injury, and the outing seemed to reflect a shift for Mostert, who assumed more of a third-down role. As he's a tone-setter for the offense, it will be interesting to watch whether that remains the case in future weeks.
Tyreek Hill played 46 snaps despite a self-described torn ligament in his wrist (which he seemed to ascribe to being handcuffed during an early-season traffic violation), and he caught three of four targets for just 16 yards and ran twice for 11 yards. However, he did score his first touchdown in seven games. Jaylen Waddle reeled in three of six targets for 57 yards (55 coming on the first possession of the contest), with a long of 36, but had a massive drop and lost a yard on a carry. The hero was rookie Malik Washington, who had a 17-yard catch, scored his first career touchdown on an 18-yard end-around, contributed on special teams, and displayed strong perimeter blocking. Odell Beckham snared both targets for 17 yards and River Cracraft saw his first action of the season (four snaps), throwing a key block on Washington's score.
At tight end Jonnu Smith and Durham Smythe both got 25 snaps, with Smith grabbing three of four targets for 45 yards, with a 33-yard catch and run that showed great open-field ability. Smythe had a six-yard catch while Julian Hill failed to come up with his long target -- but did not commit a penalty. Tanner Conner left with a knee injury.
The offensive line regressed with right tackle Austin Jackson out for this one. He was replaced by Kendall Lamm, who yielded to rookie Patrick Paul for a couple of snaps when Lamm had to leave briefly due to injury. Left guard Robert Jones also left with a knee injury, with Lester Cotton replacing him for 24 snaps. Miami's interior was routinely decimated by the Rams' stout defensive front.

Defense

In a tremendous all-around showing, the 'Fins did not allow a touchdown despite three red-zone visits by the home team. The unit posted four sacks, forced two turnovers, and limited LA to just three of 12 third-down conversions. The Rams managed just 327 total yards and 4.8 yards per play, and an inefficient running game (70 yards) led to Matthew Stafford having to throw it 46 times. Overall, this was easily Miami's best defensive performance of the season.
The return of Zach Sieler made a massive difference quickly, as he registered five tackles, two solos, a stop for loss, a batted pass, and a quarterback hit for a 74.8 grade from Pro Football Focus. His partner on the interior, Calais Campbell, notched three tackles, two solos, a sack, a stop for loss, two batted passes, and a quarterback hit in just 33 snaps, earning a 72.8 PFF mark. Da'Shawn Hand posted three tackles, one solo, a tackle for loss, and a forced fumble, while Neil Farrell pitched in with an assisted tackle and a quarterback hit.
On the edge, rookie Chop Robinson had his best game, racking up two solos, a sack, a stop for loss, two quarterback hits, and six pressures in a career-high 42 snaps -- good for a 70.7 PFF grade. Emmanuel Ogbah (two tackles, one solo) and Tyus Bower (one solo tackle) were quiet, but Quinton Bell came off the bench to record two solos, a sack, a forced fumble, and a stop for loss in just 13 snaps, earning a 92.1 mark from PFF.
As usual, Jordyn Brooks led the way on the inside, notching 11 tackles, six solos, and a stop for a loss while playing all 70 snaps and earning an 86.4 grade from PFF. After wresting the starting job from David Long, Anthony Walker proved the coaches right by registering nine tackles, three solos, a pass breakup, and a crucial interception in his 69 snaps. Eliminating the rotation at inside linebacker seemed to pay massive dividends.
At cornerback, Jalen Ramsey played all 70 snaps, collecting six tackles and four solos on his way to a 75.9 PFF mark. Kendall Fuller had five tackles, four solos, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery before leaving with a concussion. His departure paved the way for Cam Smith, who tallied four tackles and two solos in 33 snaps. Kader Kohou made three solo tackles from his nickel position, and Siran Neal came on to deliver one solo tackle despite giving up a big play. Despite some injury concerns, the corners were an integral part of an impressive performance from the secondary.
Jevon Holland's return was massive for the safety group, and he delivered three tackles, two solos, a sack, a stop for loss, and a quarterback hit in 69 snaps, good for a 75.7 PFF mark. Jordan Poyer played all 70 snaps, registering seven tackles, two solos, and a 76.7 grade from PFF. A week after a shaky effort from the safeties, this return to form -- which coincided with Marcus Maye getting zero snaps from scrimmage -- was welcomed.

Special teams

Jason Sanders connected on all three field goal attempts, with a long of 50, and drilled both extra points.
Jake Bailey punted three times for a 44.7-yard average, putting one inside the 20-yard line.
Washington returned three punts for 21 yards, but Miami did not return any kickoffs.
One-time starters Long and Maye only saw action on special teams, and Duke Riley (23 snaps) and Neal and Bell (22 snaps each) paced the team in special-teams plays. Tindall picked up a pair of solo stops in the kicking game, while Neal committed the team's only penalty when he went out of bounds and failed to return to the field in a timely fashion (this is a personal foul, apparently).

Momentum plays

Fast starts have eluded Miami all season, but this game represented an exception, as a 19-yard strike to Waddle got things moving, and then a 36-yard connection to Waddle on 3rd & 13 (on a Tua scramble) kept the possession going. An end-around from Washington on the very next play covered 18 yards and staked the 'Fins to an important 7-0 lead.
Three straight three-and-outs ensued, with Sieler making a 10-yard tackle for loss on his first play after returning from injury and Tua countering with three straight incompletions before a Robinson sack ended the next Rams drive, which started at their own 49-yard line.
A nine-yard pass to Mostert on 3rd & 6 finally earned the Dolphins another first down, but the drive stalled and Bailey delivered a poor 35-yard punt.
Los Angeles picked up a quick first down, but Campbell batted a pass at the line that Walker was able to intercept and return for five yards to set up Miami on its own 46-yard line.
Achane ripped off a 15-yard run to start the drive, but the 'Fins couldn't manage another first down, setting up Sanders to deliver a 50-yard field goal for a 10-0 advantage.
The Rams managed one first down before punting yet again thanks to a Campbell sack. Unfortunately, the next Miami possession featured a run that lost four yards and an interception that was returned 30 yards and saw Tua get steamrolled while trying to make a low tackle.
Taking over in 'Fins territory, LA fumbled on its first play, with Hand forcing and Fuller recovering. After a 12-yard connection with Hill, Tua returned the favor, holding the ball entirely too long on a sack that saw him fumble it back to the Rams -- marking the third straight possession ending in a turnover in a contest that was quickly turning weird.
Los Angeles took possession in Miami territory for the second time in a row, this time picking up an initial first down before settling for a short field goal to trim the lead to 10-3.
The Dolphins picked up an early first down on an Achane run, but Tua again made a poor decision, taking a 15-yard sack that led to a 51-yard Bailey punt that was downed inside the 10-yard line.
A string of runs and short passes moved the Rams down the field quickly, with LA barely avoiding another turnover when Bell forced a Stafford fumble on a sack. A 16-yard pass to Puka Nacua got the Rams into scoring position, and a spike led to a 55-yard field goal as time ran out in the first half. Despite a dominant defensive performance, the 'Fins led just 10-6 at intermission.
The Rams settled into an offensive rhythm on the opening possession of the second half, again mixing runs and passes. A bad snap led to a loss of 13 yards, and a 57-yard field goal attempt drifted wide right.
Miami took possession at its own 47-yard line, and passes of 10 and 33 yards to Smith put the Dolphins on the doorstep. The 33-yarder featured a number of broken tackles by Smith, who was marked down at the one-yard line. After wasting a timeout, Tua found Hill for an easy touchdown on the next play, extending the lead to 17-6.
Los Angeles used 11 plays to cover 39 yards on the following drive, highlighted by a 17-yarder to Cooper Kupp on 3rd & 5. Holland dropped Stafford for a 12-yard sack on a 3rd & 7, making it a tougher field goal, but the Rams converted from 53 yards away to make the score 17-9.
An unnecessary roughness on LA gave the Dolphins a first down, and Tua converted a 3rd & 3 with a 10-yarder to Achane. Facing a 3rd & 9 three plays later (and after a second Miami timeout), Tua found Mostert, who raced 25 yards for a crucial first down. The possession petered out from there, but Sanders connected from 37 yards away to make it 20-9.
Stafford went to his playmakers on the ensuing drive, hitting Kupp for 19 and 15 yards and Nacua for 21. However, the "D" stiffened in the goal-to-go situation, holding the Rams to another short field goal that trimmed the advantage to eight points at 20-12.
Tua found Beckham for 11 yards to convert a 3rd & 6 on the following possession, then hit Washington for 17 more. The 'Fins came up short on a 3rd & 6, but Sanders put another 50-yarder through to once more extend the margin, 23-12.
Another lengthy Rams drive ensued, but it ended in the fifth straight field goal by the two teams. Strangely, Los Angeles elected to kick on third down with 39 seconds remaining, cutting the lead to 23-15.
A really good onsides kick gave Riley some trouble, but he secured it, allowing Tua to kneel once to secure a much-needed Dolphin victory.