Monday Night Football: Dolphins beat Rams 23-15

The recent Monday Night Football matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Rams culminated in a decisive 23-15 victory for the Dolphins, marking a significant turning point in their season. This triumph not only ended a three-game losing streak but also kept their playoff aspirations alive, improving their record to 3-6 . The Dolphins showcased an effective offensive strategy, particularly in the first half where they secured two touchdowns. Tua Tagovailoa played a pivotal role, completing 20 of 28 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown .

The Dolphins scored two touchdowns, each coming on their first drive of the half. Aside from that, Miami had trouble getting into scoring position, with Jason Sanders hitting field goals of 50 and 37 yards, and the Dolphins gained only 238 yards.

The Rams stru offensively for much of the night, with high snaps, penalties, and poor pass protection derailing their possessions. They started 1-of-10 on third down and 0-of-2 in the red zone.

The Rams will probably have regrets, too. They started the season slow but were 4-4 coming into Monday night’s game after three straight wins. Then they blew that momentum in an ugly performance against the Dolphins. They looked oddly unprepared, which is rarely the case with a Sean McVay team. At 4-5, the Rams aren’t dead, but their path to a playoff spot got a lot harder.

The Dolphins aren’t technically dead yet either. But barring an incredible finish, they’ll look back at games like Monday night and think about how things might have turned out differently for them with a couple breaks earlier in the season.

Monday's win left the Dolphins 1½ games behind the Denver Broncos for the AFC's seventh and final playoff seed. Three teams in NFL history have rebounded from a 2-6 start to make the playoffs, and Hill said the Dolphins must treat every game the same if they're to become the fourth.

"The mindset is still going to be the same: win every game, dog. It doesn't matter," Hill said. "I'm preaching to our guys in this locker room, every game matters. It doesn't matter if we're 1-6, 2-6, 3-6 -- it doesn't matter. The mindset is to win every game."

Defensively, the Dolphins excelled by applying consistent pressure on Rams' quarterback Matthew Stafford throughout the game. The defense successfully sacked Stafford four times and limited his passing yards to just 293 without allowing any touchdowns . Conversely, the Rams struggled significantly on third down conversions—only managing to convert three out of twelve attempts—demonstrating inefficiencies that ultimately hindered their performance . Overall, this victory exemplified both strategic execution and resilience from the Dolphins as they seek to revitalize their season.

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Sarah H

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