Tua and the Dolphins keep their playoff hopes alive with a win against the Rams

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – If the Miami Dolphins salvage their 2-6 start to the season, their win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10 could be the catalyst.

The Dolphins won for the second straight year at SoFi Stadium, this time beating the Rams 23-15 in a game in which they never trailed. Miami ended a streak of three losses, two of them on last-second field goals.

More importantly, the Dolphins opened the door for a possible playoff berth, as the win puts them 1.5 games behind the Denver Broncos for seventh place in the AFC. Only three teams in NFL history have recovered from a 2-6 start to advance to the playoffs, but with home games against the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots in the next two weeks, Miami could be at 5-6, when the team travels to Green Bay on Thanksgiving to play the Packers.

Entering Week 10, the Dolphins had an 8.1% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN’s FPI, but they will play the league’s 10th-easiest remaining schedule. With their chances of winning the AFC East virtually nonexistent, the Dolphins must secure one of three wild-card spots to keep their two-year playoff streak alive.

QB breakdown: Tua Tagovailoa overcame a potentially disastrous second quarter in which he threw an interception and lost a fumble on consecutive drives. He finished the game with 207 yards and a touchdown, but converted five third-down attempts. He suffered a few untimely sacks, which coach Mike McDaniel said was due to him trying to do too much, something Tagovailoa continues to work on in his fifth season.

Describe the game in two words: Constant pressure. Miami’s defense made life terrible for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was pressured 13 times and sacked four times – a season high for the Dolphins.

Promising trend: No Dolphins player has been under more quarterback pressure since Week 5 than Chop Robinson, who was thrust into a more prominent role following Jaelan Phillips’ injury. He continued that trend Monday night with five pressures and recorded his second sack of the season in as many games. — Marcel Louis Jacques

Next game: vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

The Rams entered the game with an 18.4% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN Analytics, but were unable to keep up with the loss in the NFC West.

After the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers won on Sunday, ESPN Analytics put the Rams’ chances of winning the division at 11.5%.

But on Monday, their offense struggled, even though wide receiver Cooper Kupp, wide receiver Puka Nacua and offensive linemen Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson all returned from injury for the first time since the season opener.

According to ESPN Research, this is the 50th game for the Rams that Matthew Stafford started at quarterback. This is only the second time in these 50 games that Los Angeles failed to score a touchdown.

The Rams’ offensive problems became apparent in the third period. The offense entered the game on 36% of third downs, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. On Monday night, the Rams were 1 of 10 (10%).

Los Angeles fell to 4-5, its first loss since a Week 6 bye.

Quarterback breakdown: After throwing six touchdown passes in the Rams’ last two games, Stafford didn’t throw a single one against a Dolphins defense that came into the game ranked 26th in pass defense DVOA. Stafford completed 32 of 46 passes for 293 yards and one interception. According to ESPN Research, he has thrown an interception in six straight games, which is the longest streak of his career.

Most surprising performance: The offensive line. Stafford had been sacked once in the Rams’ last three games. But as of Monday night, he was waived four times despite bringing Avila (MCL sprain) and Jackson (shoulder) back from injured reserve. The Rams were without right tackle Rob Havenstein, who was sidelined with an ankle injury. The Dolphins’ defense accomplished this despite entering the game with 10 sacks, the second fewest in the NFL.

Promising trend: First-round draft pick Jared Verse continued to impress. He had a sack and two tackles for a loss for the third straight game. According to the Rams, Verse’s 11 tackles for loss in his first nine career games are tied for second-most with Von Miller and Micah Parsons since it became an official statistic in 1999. — Sarah Barshop

Next game: at Patriots (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)