Following a much-needed road victory last week, the Los Angeles Rams (4-5) will play host to the surging Miami Dolphins (5-4) this Sunday. This game is equally important to the Rams as it is to the Dolphins, who are both standing one game short of their respective final wild card spots. Miami clearly has the momentum coming into this game, riding a four-game winning streak that has set them in second place in the AFC East. Los Angeles, on the other hand, is coming off its first win in well over a month, pulling out a gritty, no touchdown performance against the New York Jets.
The Rams are just two games away from entering its toughest test of the season, which features the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons and three divisional opponents, all who have combined for a 24-20 record. The road to what should be an exciting finish has now been handed to this year’s first overall pick, Jared Goff, who was announced as the Rams new starting quarterback early Tuesday morning. Here are three pivotal keys to victory:
Los Angeles Rams Week 11 Keys to Victory
AJAYI! AJAYI! AJAYI!
Jay Ajayi. No, I am not speaking a foreign language. Ajayi, a second-year running back out of Boise State, has been thrust into the spotlight after setting numerous records throughout the running game. The six-foot, 229-pound back is the lone player to amass over 200 rushing yards in a single game this season. Most surprisingly, he became only the fourth player in NFL history to run for 200-yard games in back-to-back weeks. He rushed for 204 against Pittsburgh in Week Seven and 214 against Buffalo in Week Eight. Ajayi currently leads the league with 5.7 yards per rush, eight 20-yard-plus rushes, and comes in third with a tad bit over 90 rushing yards per game.
Considering Miami’s rushing attack as a whole is something the Rams should be game planning for as well. The Dolphins currently own the sixth best rushing group in the NFL. Much is that can be credited to quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, who’s been equally known for his passing and running game. Miami also boasts two promising young backs, featuring the likes of Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake, who find themselves just a couple of carries shy of reaching 100 yards rushing on the season.
Despite Ajayi’s recent success, the Rams defense should feel good about their chances in shutting down the running game. His play was less effective in Miami’s win last week in San Diego, where he only totaled 79 yards on 19 attempts. Add on Branden Albert’s wrist injury that will sideline him this week, the Rams should be able to contain the Dolphins running game to a certain degree, especially with the defensive-line being as healthy as it’s ever been in recent weeks.
Pound The Rock Through the Ground
It’s needless to say that Todd Gurley has been this team’s biggest disappointment this season. Whether it be the late injury that he suffered late last year, the 10 to 15 pounds he shed during the off-season, or the mediocre play of Case Keenum and the offensive line, there is real concern set on the league’s reigning rookie of the year. Gurley’s average of 3.1 yards-per-carry has resulted in a dramatic decrease in attempts per game.
The hope for this week is that the insertion of Goff into the starting role will help benefit the slumping running back. It was difficult at most times for Gurley to run with Keenum under center, due to his inability to throw downfield. Despite his lack of experience as a starting quarterback, Goff offers an immediate upgrade in arm strength and deep accuracy, which may help spread Miami’s defenders farther into the field. This will help, create bigger holes for Gurley to possibly burst through on certain plays. It also helps that Gurley is going up against the third-worst rushing attack in the NFL. The Dolphins have allowed their opponents to rush for an average of 128 yards per game.
Head coach Jeff Fisher has previously stated that Gurley’s only way out of his struggles is to keep feeding him the ball. The positive side is that if that doesn’t turn out well, Benny Cunningham will be on the field for a good amount of time, especially following his best performance of the season last week. It would also be interesting to see if Fisher inserts Malcolm Brown for a couple of plays, given his exceptional play during preseason.
No Touchdown, No Victory
One of Jeff Fisher’s primary reasons for benching Case Keenum ten weeks through the season was mainly attributed to the anemic offensive production being displayed on the field. During Keenum’s reign, Los Angeles ranked 27th in passing offense and 29th in rushing offense. These last three weeks have been, arguably, one of the toughest to watch, as Keenum and company only managed to compile five field goals along with two touchdowns.
Points are valuable, especially against one of the hottest teams in the National Football League. Miami comes into Sunday’s game as one of the most efficient and highest scoring teams in the league (29 points per game), while the Rams find themselves in the opposite side of the spectrum. They’ve been prone to costly turnovers and coming in dead last in points scored (ten points per game) during their last three games.
No one outside the Rams organization exactly knows how Jeff Fisher and Rob Boras are game planning the offense this week, especially in regards of the passing attack. But this game will most likely be decided by the team who is willing to take the most big-play opportunities downfield. Seemingly so, Jared Goff will have to look deep for Kenny Britt and Brian Quick, which bodes well against a mediocre Miami Dolphins secondary unit.
