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In his first play back after a two-week absence, Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler made an immediate impact by stopping Rams running back Kyren Williams for a 10-yard loss on a screen pass. Sieler, who had missed two games due to an orbital bone injury from practice in Week 8, played a crucial role in Miami’s 23-15 win over the Rams on Monday night. This early defensive stop led to a three-and-out for Los Angeles and set the tone for the rest of the game.
“[As] you go through the week, you are correcting some stuff from the previous game, and I think the guys felt a lot of confidence in terms of where they were building,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “Then getting a couple key guys back … Sieler is such an important part of what we do.
“So it was absolutely a momentum-capturing moment where guys were fired up to have one of the most important pieces of the unit back on the field to make plays immediately.”
Defense Shuts Down Rams’ Offense
The Dolphins defense held the Rams to 327 yards and kept them out of the end zone, allowing only five field goals. This marked Miami’s first game this season where they prevented their opponent from scoring a touchdown. The defense pressured Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford on 15 of his 49 dropbacks, recorded four sacks— their highest of the season—and limited the Rams to just 3 of 12 on third-down attempts.
“I think our defense really galvanized the whole team, and I think it’s very, very difficult to keep that offense out of the end zone,” McDaniel said. “It seem the jump-off point was third down. I thought that the coaching staff led by [defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver] did a great job with having a way to attack the guys, and I thought collectively it was the best execution of what we were trying to get done.
“So it was a very, very important game for our team just to be on the heels of three losses, two on the final moments of the game, and I think that’s something that we can build upon moving forward.”
Victory Ends Losing Streak
This win snapped Miami’s three-game losing streak and marked their first road prime-time victory since Week 2 of the 2023 season. The Dolphins had lost their last two games on last-second field goals, making this complete performance particularly satisfying.
“We had our ups and downs, and you work through that stuff,” Sieler said. “You have the endurance to kind of figure it out without certain pieces there. Then when it clicks, it clicks, and I think tonight was a great example of that.”
Hill Breaks Scoreless Run
The Dolphins managed 238 yards of offense, their second lowest in a win under McDaniel, and ended their streak of four consecutive games with at least 149 rushing yards. However, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played a steady game, converting six third downs and helping keep the Dolphins in control.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill ended a seven-game scoreless streak with a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He was questionable before the game due to a wrist injury that kept him out of several practices during the week.
The win moved the Dolphins to within 1.5 games of the Denver Broncos for the AFC’s final playoff spot. Only three teams in NFL history have made the playoffs after starting 2-6, but Hill stressed that every game needs to be treated as crucial.
“The mindset is still going to be the same: win every game, dog. It doesn’t matter,” Hill said. “I’m preaching to our guys in this locker room, every game matters. It doesn’t matter if we’re 1-6, 2-6, 3-6 — it doesn’t matter. The mindset is to win every game.”
The Dolphins will play their next two games at home against the Raiders and Patriots before heading to Green Bay for a Thanksgiving night matchup with the Packers.
This report used information from ESPN.
