Tag: rams dolphins

Rams can’t fall victim to trap game vs. Dolphins

The Rams should beat the Dolphins, but this is a classic example of a trap game.

The Rams are positioned well to head into their Week 9 bye at 6-2. The only team standing in their way is the Miami Dolphins, who they’ll visit on Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.

However, as close as the bye week is, the Rams cannot afford to overlook the 3-3 Dolphins. This has the makings of a classic trap game for L.A., and the oddsmakers seem to know it.

Surprisingly, the Rams are only 3.5-point favorites over Miami, which is starting a rookie quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa. Given how well the Rams have played this season, and how inconsistent the Dolphins have been, that spread is definitely on the lower side.

It’s because there are things working against the Rams, which can sneak up on them and lead to a loss in Week 8.

First, there’s the travel effect. The Rams are once again heading to the East Coast for a 1 p.m. ET game. Yes, they’re 6-1 in these games since 2017, but this is their fourth in eight weeks. All that travel has to be taking a toll on the Rams, who have had just three home games so far.

Then you have to account for the fact that Miami is coming off a bye week. Teams are statistically better after having a week off to prepare for their upcoming opponent, giving them an advantage in the game-planning department. Add in the fact that the Rams are on a short week after playing Monday night against the Bears, and the amount of rest each team has gotten leading up to this game is vastly different.

The Dolphins’ quarterback situation isn’t working in the Rams’ favor, either. Shockingly, Miami benched Ryan Fitzpatrick for Tagovailoa last week, promoting the rookie to first-string. The Rams knew what they would get if Fitzpatrick were under center – a gunslinger with a propensity for taking shots and making mistakes with the football – but there’s far more unknown that comes with Tagovailoa.

He’s attempted two passes in the NFL, so there isn’t exactly much film to watch on him. So the Rams have gone all the way back to Tagovailoa’s Alabama tape as a way to study the rookie quarterback. Plus, he’s a lefty, which is just another wrench thrown into the equation.

Defensively, Brian Flores has this group rolling. And he’s already shut down Sean McVay’s offense once before, doing so in Super Bowl LIII when Flores was with the Patriots. The Rams have evolved since then, but he’s at least somewhat familiar with McVay’s scheme. He once again has a shutdown cornerback in Xavien Howard, but Byron Jones is equally good in coverage, if not better.

The Rams should beat the Dolphins, probably by a touchdown. They should be able to rattle Tagovailoa with Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and the rest of their defensive stars. But this is a perfect example of a potential trap game – and the Rams can’t fall for it.

Jared Goff would rather not rewatch his ‘cringe-worthy’ NFL debut vs. Dolphins

Jared Goff doesn’t remember everything about his NFL debut, but he knows it was a loss.

It seems like ages ago that Jared Goff made his NFL debut with the Rams. Granted, it was four years ago and since then, he’s made two Pro Bowls and led the Rams to the Super Bowl. As most fans will remember, Goff’s rookie season didn’t go according to plan.

He didn’t win a single start, he threw five touchdown passes and seven interceptions and was sacked 26 times in only seven games. But he’s rebounded from that difficult year in a big way by throwing 94 touchdown passes and only 39 interceptions since.

Coincidentally, his debut came against the Dolphins back in 2016; Tua Tagovailoa will now make his first NFL start against Goff’s Rams. Goff remembers some parts of his first NFL start and will never forget having his family there to watch, but he’d probably rather not watch the game.

He said this week that it would be “probably pretty cringe-worthy to watch it now,” knowing how far he’s come in his development.

“I remember it was raining. It was a weird rainy day for L.A. I obviously, you know, I would hate to watch it now,” he told reporters. “I mean, it would be probably pretty cringe-worthy to watch it now, as far as, how far I feel like I’ve come, but a lot of stuff going on in that game. I was excited. My parents were there, my whole family was there, and a lot of people are very excited. I remember we actually played decently on offense. It wasn’t our best game of the year, but it wasn’t our worst and had a chance to win and ultimately didn’t. It was a fun day to be out there and to get my career started, but don’t really want to watch that film any time soon.”

Goff doesn’t have the fondest memories of that loss, though he didn’t play as poorly as he did in some other games that year. The Rams fell to Miami 14-10, and Goff completed 17 of 31 passes for 134 yards but didn’t turn the ball over.

“I don’t know. I mean the whole game. I don’t know,” he said when asked what was so bad about his performance. “Did I throw any picks? I can’t even remember, but it was a loss and I think we scored 13 points, I think we lost 14-13, but yeah. It was the kickoff to my career. A day I’ll never forget, absolutely.”

Goff hopes to have a different result on Sunday against the Dolphins, looking to snap the Rams’ four-game losing skid to Miami. A win would send the Rams into their Week 9 bye at 6-2 and at least in a tie of second place in the NFC West. A loss means they could drop to last place in the division.

 

 

Rams are only 3.5-point favorites vs. Dolphins in Week 8

With Tua Tagovailoa taking the reins for the Dolphins, the Rams are only slight favorites in Week 8.

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The Rams will have a short week coming up after beating the Chicago Bears 24-10 on Monday night. With one fewer day to prepare for their next opponent, the 3-3 Miami Dolphins, the Rams won’t get much time off before getting back on the practice field.

And when they do start their prep for the Dolphins, they’ll be gearing up to face Tua Tagovailoa in his NFL debut. The oddsmakers like Tagovailoa’s chances to lead Miami to victory in Week 8, making the Dolphins only slight home underdogs to the Rams.

At BetMGM, the Rams are just 3.5-point road favorites over Miami. The Dolphins have been better than expected this season, but it’s surprising to see the spread start smaller than it was for Rams-Bears when Los Angeles was a six-point favorite at one time. The over/under and money lines have not yet been posted as of Tuesday morning.

It’s hard to predict how a team will perform with a rookie quarterback under center, which makes this a tough line to set. Had Ryan Fitzpatrick been at quarterback, the spread might’ve been even lower. But the oddsmakers have to factor in the unknown of a rookie being at quarterback, which is the case here.

Not to mention, the Dolphins were off in Week 7, so Tagovailoa had some extra time to prepare for his first start. The Rams will have one day less than normal, too, and have to travel across the country for an early 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

All of that is factored into the spread, but it’s still somewhat surprising to see it open at only 3.5 points.

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Tua Tagovailoa to make first NFL start vs. Rams in Week 8

Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey will be waiting to welcome Tua Tagovailoa to the NFL in two weeks.

The Los Angeles Rams will get the chance to welcome Tua Tagovailoa to the NFL in his first career start less than two weeks from now. On Tuesday, it was reported that the Dolphins are naming Tagovailoa their starting quarterback moving forward, replacing the veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The Dolphins have a bye in Week 7 but will return to action in Week 8 against the Rams – Tagovailoa’s first scheduled start. He’ll have two weeks to prepare for Brandon Staley’s defense, but there’s nothing easy about facing Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey in your first-ever start as a professional quarterback.

Rams-Dolphins will be played at Hard Rock Stadium, so at least Tagovailoa will be at home for his first start. But Donald and Ramsey will be on the other side as a welcoming committee for the rookie quarterback.

That didn’t go unnoticed by fans on Twitter, either, with many pointing out the challenge ahead for the former Alabama star.