Miami's defense held strong in keeping Los Angeles out of the end zone on Monday night, as a pair of turnovers and four sacks helped secure the Dolphins' 23-15 victory over the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went 20-of-28 (71.4 pct.) for 207 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Miami's offense added some explosive plays into the mix as they tallied three plays of 25+ yards in the air and two plays of 15+ yards on the ground.
The game started off hot for Miami, with Tagovailoa connecting with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle for a gain of 19 on the first play from scrimmage. The two connected once again later in the drive on third-and-13 from their own 46-yard line, as Tagovailoa scrambled out of the pocket and delivered a pass to a wide-open Waddle who was brought down deep in Rams territory for a gain of 36 yards.
Rookie wide receiver Malik Washington capped off the drive with an 18-yard rushing touchdown, the first score of his career, to give the Dolphins an early 7-0 lead with 12:01 remaining in the first quarter.
The Dolphins' defense started out just as strongly as their offense, forcing a Los Angeles three-and-out on their first two possessions. Defensive tackle Zach Sieler set the tone on the first defensive play of the series, tackling running back Kyren Williams in the backfield for a loss of 10 yards. After each team traded punts, rookie linebacker Chop Robinson notched the second sack of his career, taking down quarterback Matthew Stafford for a loss of 10 yards on third down to force the Rams to punt once more.
The Rams began to pick up momentum on their next possession, but that was quickly halted as linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. picked off a pass by Stafford after defensive tackle Calais Campbell tipped it at the line of scrimmage, giving Miami the ball at their own 46-yard line.
The Dolphins capitalized on the turnover, as a 15-yard run by running back De'Von Achane led to a 50-yard field goal by kicker Jason Sanders to extend Miami's lead to 10-0 with 14:07 remaining in the second quarter.
Following another Rams punt, Tagovailoa was picked off by linebacker Christian Rozeboom, but the Dolphins got the ball back a play later after defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand forced Williams to fumble, which was recovered by cornerback Kendall Fuller.
A strip-sack of Tagovailoa on the following drive led to the Rams' first points of the game with a 34-yard field goal by kicker Joshua Karty. Los Angeles would score once more as time expired in the second quarter, after an 11-play, 54-yard drive resulted in a career-long 55-yard field goal for Karty to cut Miami's lead to 10-6 at the break.
Coming out of the half, the Rams began to gain momentum for what seemed to be a promising drive, but a missed 57-yard field goal attempt by Karty prevented Los Angeles from further chipping into the deficit.
Miami capitalized on the field position to extend their lead on the following drive. Tagovailoa found tight end Jonnu Smith on second-and-8 for a gain of 10, pushing them into Rams territory. The two connected on a pivotal on third-and-3, as Smith broke multiple tackles on his rumble to the Rams' one-yard line for a 33-yard gain. On the following play, wide receiver Tyreek Hill caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa, giving the Dolphins a 17-6 advantage with 5:32 remaining in the third quarter.
The Rams tacked on two more field goals while the game was still in reach, but after each score, Miami answered with points of their own.
On Miami's final scoring drive with less than seven minutes remaining in fourth quarter, Tagovailoa completed a critical third-down pass to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to move the sticks and then rifled a 17-yard strike to Washington on the ensuing play. The Dolphins utilized the run game to take time off the clock, which set up a 50-yard field goal by Sanders that gave Miami a commanding 23-12 lead with 2:38 left in the game.
Sanders, who also made a 37-yard field goal earlier in the fourth quarter, is now 6-for-8 this season on field goals of 50-plus yards.
Karty made a 31-yard field goal with 42 seconds left that cut Miami's lead to eight, but the Dolphins came away with the ensuing onside kick, cementing the win.
Miami returns to Hard Rock Stadium to face the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. on CBS.
