The Los Angeles Rams will try to finish the first half of their 2020 season with a second straight victory when they compete against the Miami Dolphins. When Los Angeles faces an NFL rookie quarterback in Tua Tagovayloa, he will probably try to take advantage of a team that cares more about the future than the present. Hoping to keep pace with Seahawks’ leading division, Rams is desperate to win in a context where the schedule is only getting more complicated.
Here are our four bold predictions of the Los Angeles Rams versus Miami Dolphins.
1. Aaron Donald ends the day leading the NFL in bags.
Although Sunday’s game was ninth in the sacks, according to ESPN statistics, the dolphins have an offensive line that seems vulnerable to the pressure of the second seeded Rams defense. Miami gave up the respectable 10 sacks in the first seven weeks of the season, with newcomers Solomon Kindley and Robert Hunt based for an updated line-up that was one of the worst in the league last year. Coupled with the quick release of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins worked well this year to reduce the quarterback’s pressure loss and ranked fourth in the NFL in terms of yards lost to bags.
However, regardless of the counting statistics, there is still reason to believe that the group is still vulnerable to the surprise challenger of the AFC in the East.
Although Fitzpatrick’s pace and speed could have been avoided, the Dauphin KB worked under pressure on an astonishing 40% of its passes – third in the league at Pro Football Focus – and finished 10th at the end of the INT thanks to his pace. Coupled with their inability to open the holes for a running game that is only 22nd in the NFL, it seems that the lack of loss equipment for dolphin players can be more of a statistical curiosity than an indicator of an improved offensive line.
These figures should be known as early as Sunday afternoon.
Against Aaron Donald, perhaps the best defender in the league, Miami have little chance of keeping their starting quarterback up. Despite the fact that two teams are expected in Donald, DT managed to win an impressive championship pass – 22% second place, according to ESPN. By pushing him across the line to create a beneficial game, Rams is likely to put strong pressure on his targets from his point of view to soften the kind of fast release Tua shares with Fitzpatrick by buying an extra second for their all-purpose catch to reach the recruit.
Led by experienced head coach Brian Flores, Miami can advise his young quarterback to be patient when choosing bags instead of the interceptors who have been harassing him all season. It would be great for Ramse and Aaron Donald.
2. Los Angeles wins 250 yards race
Despite the reputation of head coach Sean McVeigh as an aggressive player who likes to spread the field, and the loss of Todd Garley, a full-fledged former professional who returned to the free agency in the preseason, Ramsey tended to move forward quickly throughout the season. Led by a spin trio of Cam Akers, Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles rushed to second place in the league as they used the basic game to control time to fight for possession of only twice in previous games.
While the emphasis on the racing game will undoubtedly benefit the action-packed attack for which McVay and the company are known, the adaptation seems to be accompanied by a change in philosophy, as Los Angeles achieves a victory in a short time over the type of big players that were common in their Super Bowl season. Instead of a deep pass to former broad player Brandon Cook, the Rams will probably have a screen pass to one of his midfielders, who will freeze the defense for a more modest victory.
If he’s playing against Miami’s defensive line, which is only 18th in the opposing penal zones, it’s likely McVay will take the protection he has and try to discourage him from making his way to another victory.
Although they are only in the middle of the pack, measured in meters behind the yard – a respectable, even impressive 4.4 ypr – it seems inevitable that Los Angeles will have the kind of big court day on the path that their periphery seems to suggest. Working on a field with a second dolphin that seems to be on its way to the elite – if not yet – the Rams will try to control the terrain to reduce the chances of the Tuareg turning the competition into a shooting. If the Los Angeles veterans neutralize Von Godchaux’s line of attack within the D-line, Ramsey’s three midfielders will have to find a place to keep the precious Dolphins’ quarterback off the field.
3. Kicker New Rams Kai Forbat starts his career in Los Angeles with some bigattempts.
In a league where new players are rarely visible in the middle of the season, adding a kicker to the team is usually not worth mentioning for most players in the replacement league. Although the turnaround Rams has signed with Kai Forbat is unlikely to affect the team’s off-field season, it may be enough to change the fate of the championship, whose final places could be better than those of NFC East winners.
With the release of rookie Samuel Sloman after his performance against the San Francisco 49ers, in which he missed an extra point and McVeigh was mentioned at his post-match press conference, Los Angeles has gained a foothold with 86% success on the field, making him eighth among the active players.
With the Rams likely to take a more conservative approach to the battle against the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, it is likely that the nine-year-old veteran will soon impress his new team.
4. Ram makes comfortable profit, 28-14
It’s not hard to imagine what Sunday would be like if the Dolphins won. Your newcomer to the game demonstrates his dynamic skills by dancing around the pressure of the Ramsey as Miami steps off the record, forcing Los Angeles to react, with Jared Goffe in large numbers and the secondary Ramsey having to stop one deep threat after another, limiting Donald’s influence. The kind of game Los Angeles can definitely win, but probably not consistently.
Luckily for Los Angeles, Sean McVeigh has proven he can adapt to any reality on his list.
When he had a team led by Garley and some big guns, he attacked as fast as he could and on Monday evening he gave us the classic Chiefs-Rams, which was the perfect encapsulation of the team. Today, by leading a team that hasn’t changed in the world of talent at Gurley, McVay has adopted a more egalitarian approach, focusing on ball control and middle age, and rely on Aaron Donald and the company to get him on the pitch and maximize the chances of scoring.
The entire NFL is looking forward to Tua’s debut, and it’s just as likely that McVay and the Rams will win again thanks to their ho-ho-ho approach, which is a distant cry from their previous offensive efforts, but no less effective.
Related Tags: