Jared Goff stinks it up, Rams dominated by Dolphins
The Los Angeles Rams laid an egg on the road against the Miami Dolphins heading into the bye week.
Quarterback Jared Goff turned it over four times in the first half, leading to three Miami touchdowns as the Rams lost 28-17 at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
The four turnovers by the Rams is the most by any NFL team in the first half this season.
Dolphins rookie quarterback rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa made his NFL debut, but didn’t have to do much with the Miami defense controlling play. Tagovailoa finished 12-of-22 for 93 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions.
The Rams dropped to 5-3 on the season with the loss, while the Dolphins improved to 4-3 on the year.
Key play: The Dolphins scored 14 straight points in a little over a minute to take a 21-7 lead midway through second quarter. On second-and-9 from Miami’s 9-yard line, edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah sacked Jared Goff, stripping him of the ball. Teammate Andrew Van Ginkel recovered and rumbled 78 yards for a score. After Miami’s defense forced an L.A. three-and-out, Jakeem Dent raced 88 yards on a punt return for a score with 9:02 left in the half. The Dolphins scored 28 straight points in the first half.
Top player: Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods' play were one of the few bright spots for the Rams. Kupp finished with 11 catches for 110 receiving yards on a game-high 21 targets. Woods totaled seven receptions for 85 yards and two total touchdowns.
What I liked: Aaron Donald had a nice strip sack of Tagovailoa on Miami’s opening series of the game. Leonard Floyd recovered the fumble and the Rams scored three plays later -- a jet sweep to Woods for a 4-yard score. … The Rams held Miami’s offense to 145 total yards.
What I didn’t like: Goff had his worst game of the season, finishing 35 of 61 (57.4 percent completion percentage) for 355 yards, with a touchdown pass, two interceptions and two lost fumbles. Goff was sacked twice and had five passes tipped at the line of scrimmage as Miami brought pressure most of the game. Goff finished with a 65.9 passer rating. The last time Goff turned it over four times in a game was Sept. 29, 2019, a 55-40 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. … The Rams gave up 133 return yards to Grant, including an 88-yard punt return for a score. ... In his first action with the Rams, Kai Forbath had an ugly miss from 48 yards, shanking it wide left.
Injury report: Cornerback Jalen Ramsey did not play due to an unspecified illness. Miami targeted his replacement David Long Jr. on Tagovailoa’s first NFL touchdown -- a skinny post to DeVante Parker for a 3-yard score. Running back Darrell Henderson Jr. did not play in the second half because of a thigh injury. He finished with 47 rushing yards.
Up next: After traveling 19,096 miles in first eight weeks of the season on the road, the Rams get a much-needed bye week. L.A. will host the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks in two weeks at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 15.
