Rams cannot take visiting Dolphins and this former teammate lightly

The LA Rams are back to .500 with a 4-4 record, a spot that after eight games and nine weeks of the 2024 NFL season, places them back to square one. What that means is that this team has lost as many games at it has won, and several of those losses were mild surprises. But perhaps no loss matches the surprise experienced when the team lost to NFC West Division rival Arizona Cardinals. Perhaps the team and players were caught looking ahead to their Week 3 opponent, the San Francisco 49ers?

Whatever the cause of four losses, the Rams cannot allow any lapse of respect or preparation to dull their senses or preparation for Week 10. The Miami Dolphins may be 2-6, but they have QB Tua Tagovailoa back in the pocket, and the Dolphins offense has scored 27 points in each of their past two contests.

Just as a quick reminder, the LA Rams offense has surpassed 27 points just once this season, a 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football.

So are the Rams ready to face the rejuvenated Dolphins? That's a great question.

Dolphins pose a formidable opponent

The Dolphins are far better than their season average on offense. After eight games, they boast the ninth-best rushing offense, averaging 133.9 rushing yards per game. The 'Phins passing offense averages just 191.0 passing yards per game, sending them to a 24th-ranking in the NFL. But Tua is an impressive passer, so the Rams pass rush and secondary will be tested throughout the game.

Defensively, the Dolphins are indeed formidable. They allow just 301.1 yards per game, good enough to be the seventh-ranked defense in the NFL. In terms of defending the pass, it's no wonder that the Jalen Ramsey-led secondary averages just 183.1 yards per game, good enough for the fourth-best pass defense around. But this Dolphins defense is no slouch at stuffing the run, coming in as the 13th-best defense with an average of just 120.0 rushing yards per game.

So how can this team be 2-6? Well, much of that comes from their schedule. They played (and lost) to the Buffalo Bills twice. They lost to the Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, and Tennessee Titans when Tagovailoa was out with injury. And they lost to the Arizona Cardinals in the first week of their starting quarterback's return.

That is not to say that the Rams cannot win the game. It's simply a fact that the team cannot take the Dolphins lightly.

Rams are getting healthy too

So how can the team counter the enthusiastic arrival of the Miami Dolphins in Week 10? Well, the LA Rams are getting healthy too. Better yet, the team is finally starting to reap the benefits of rookie players gaining NFL experience. On defense, the team finally sees the group come together with fury. The Rams' young pass rushers, constantly generating amazing pressure on opposing quarterbacks, are finally getting home. In the past three games since the Week 6 BYE, this Rams defensive front has generated 12 quarterback sacks.

Furthermore, the breaking secondary is learning how to bend only. The Rams' defense has scored in each of the past four games played, accounting for 22 points scored by the team.

The team is not just becoming more robust on the defensive side of the football. The Rams have gotten remarkable production from rookie offensive linemen Beaux Limmer and Just Dedich. But it appears that reinforcements are on the way. The team has designated both IOL Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson to return to practice this week

The Rams will need as much time to pass the football as possible. While the team boasts a remarkably effective aerial attack with Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Jordan Whittington, Demarcus Robinson, and Tutu Atwell, Stafford needs time to find his receivers. And he is often good for at least one error, resulting in an interception.

His former teammate, DB Jalen Ramsey, is almost certainly prepared to capitalize if that happens in this game.

Ultimately, the Rams will need to have an error-free football game in order to win in Week 10. But this team has scraped and clawed it's way back to .500. If there is any fight left in them, this could be a solid test for the team.

As always, thanks for reading.

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