It’s bad news for the Miami Dolphins. Their offensive line is hurting again. Brandon Albert injured his wrist now Mike Pouncey may have re-aggravated his hip injury. Miami hasn’t had a ton of luck without their starters intact, so Sunday’s game will be a challenge. The Los Angeles Rams are coming off of a sleeper game against the New York Jets and are turning towards their rookie quarterback, Jared Goff. Which team has the upper hand?
Advantage Miami
On average, the Los Angeles Rams are allowing 103 yards per game. The once-stingy defense has a crack in its armor. The Dolphins will be without starter Brandon Albert and possibly Mike Pouncey this Sunday so look for them to try and exploit this. With Jay Ajayi’s success against defenses the past few games, it could be another breakout game for him.
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However, If Laremy Tunsil struggles on the left side look for Miami to switch things up. Running back Damien Williams has had a knack making game-changing plays. His number could get often called out of the backfield in the passing game. For Miami to be successful, Devante Parker needs to continue his west coast ways.
Parker had five catches for 103 yards against the Chargers and has yet to fulfill his role. With an injured offensive line Miami could struggle and turn to their safety net Jarvis Landry. Fantasy owners should expect a big week out of him as well. Can a patchwork offensive line keep their win streak intact?
Advantage LA
The Los Angeles Rams are at a point in the season where they started so well and quickly fell off. Luckily for the Rams, they’re facing a Miami team that has struggled with identity. Even though they picked off 4 of Phillip Rivers passes last week, they often struggle against passing teams. There’s no better time to bring in a rookie quarterback than against a team with an identity crisis. They’ll have a tough test against Cameron Wake and Ndamukong Suh.
However if the offensive line can hold up just long enough to give Goff some time, he might be able to make something work. Expect the Rams to have short, dink and dunk pass attempts that challenge the Miami defense. That’s not to say the Dolphins should sleep on the deep passes, but young quarterbacks always start with high completion percentage passes to get in a rhythm. With the Dolphins starting to come alive in run defense, Goff should challenge the middle linebackers coverage abilities.
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The Miami Dolphins and LA Rams have mirrored each other for so many seasons. Each one has struggled to find their franchise quarterback. Each has had dominating defenses with no offensive support. They’ve both tried multiple times to find up and coming head coaches who eventually failed. Fans have stuck by them to the bitter end.
Sunday’s matchup will represent which team wants to be their same old self versus which wants to turn the corner. Miami is riding a four-game win streak where the Rams just barely snapped their four-game skid. Winning on the road is never easy, but last week the Dolphins proved they can. Signs point to their favor as Los Angeles is 1-3 at home. However, if the beginning of the season was any indication, without their starters up front, the Dolphins could be in trouble.
Miami loses a tough one 17-14.