The Dolphins were victorious in Tua Tagovailoa‘s first NFL start, despite the team’s awful offensive performance. With all the Tua hype entering the game, it was instead the Dolphins defense that carried the team to victory.
Rough Start
The 6th overall pick in the draft quickly had his ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment. On his first drop back of the game, Aaron Donald greeted Tagovailoa with a strip-sack that was recovered by Leonard Floyd. The Rams answered with a Robert Woods rushing touchdown to take the early lead. Jakeem Grant then gave the offense field position to bounce back from the turnover, returning the ensuing kickoff to the Miami 49 yard line.
They’d pick up just one first down before stalling, though, and wound up punting the ball away from the Rams 39-yard line. The Rams were able to flip field position before ultimately punting the ball back to the Dolphins. The offensive struggles continued with a short three and out.
Christian Wilkins Gets 1st Career Interception
Brian Flores got a huge play from his defense to inject his team with energy. Second-year defensive tackle, Wilkins, got his first NFL interception late in the opening quarter. Wilkins who was selected 13th overall in the 2019 NFL draft, dropped into zone coverage and Jared Goff threw it right to him. The turnover was the first of four Goff would have before the game reached halftime. The field position led to the first career passing touchdown for Tagovailoa, who hit DeVante Parker on a three-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, 7-7.
Dolphins Get Big Plays From Defense and Special Teams
In a day the offense would never get going, the Dolphins other phases stepped up. Emmanuel Ogbah‘s strip-sack led to a 78-yard touchdown return by Andrew Van Ginkel. Then, it was Jakeem Grant’s return skills back on display. This time it was a punt, which he returned 88 yards for a touchdown. Two more first half Goff turnovers would come in the form of another pick and another lost fumble. This helped the Dolphins take a 28-10 lead into halftime. The second half saw just 7 more points scored, in the form of a Robert Woods touchdown reception.
Performances
In the 28-17 Miami victory, Tua would fail to reach 100 yards passing. He went 12-22 for 93 yards with the Touchdown to Parker. Myles Gaskin turned 18 rushing attempts into 47 yards (2.6 YPA). He also scored a goal-line touchdown and lost a fumble.
For the Rams, the first-half turnovers were simply too much to overcome. Goff wound up throwing 61 passes, completing 35 of them on his way to 355 passing yards. Cooper Kupp caught 11 of those passes for 110 yards. The Rams outgained the Dolphins 471 yards to 145 yards.
Highlights
WHITE RANGER @cwilkins42 🔥
📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/ACvRnisDfd
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 1, 2020
Welcome to the league, Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa. @Tua ➡ @DeVanteParker11
📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/0eMVRfQQPr
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 1, 2020
.@AndrewVanGinkel WENT ALL THE WAY 😳
📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/BAlkcbynLZ
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 1, 2020
The Dolphins will look to correct the offensive issues in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. They’ll enter that game 4-3 on the season. They’re in the thick of the AFC playoff race, but clearly need to figure out the offense with Tua starting.
The Rams, meanwhile, drop to 5-3 this year. They’re in the thick of the NFC playoff race but are in the ultra-competitive NFC West. Next week, they’ll face the Seahawks in a huge in-division showdown.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
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