In a Monday Night Football game at SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles Rams fell to the Miami Dolphins by a final score of 23-15. This loss dropped the Rams' season record to 4-5, while Miami improved to 3-6.
Joshua Karty Keeps Rams in The Game
Despite an outstanding performance by Rams kicker Joshua Karty, who accounted for all of the team's points with five field goals, Los Angeles failed to reach the end zone and struggled to generate offensive momentum throughout the game.
Karty's five successful field goals went for 34, 55, 53, 53, 22 and 31 yards, with the 55-yarder being the longest of his career. His contributions kept the Rams in the game, but the offense's inability to score a touchdown proved costly.
In contrast, Miami started strong, opening with a five-play drive that concluded with an 18-yard touchdown run by wide receiver Malik Washington, giving the Dolphins an early 7-0 lead.
Miami's offense continued to put up points with a 50-yard field goal by kicker Jason Sanders and a 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the third quarter. Sanders added another field goal later, ultimately contributing six points via his two field goals of 50 and 37 yards.
The Dolphins' opening touchdown drive highlighted their efficiency, scoring on just five plays, while the Rams faced obvious early problems with two offensive series of 3-and-outs to start the game.
The Rams had another setback when a third-down pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford was deflected and intercepted by Dolphins linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. leading to a 50-yard field goal by Miami to extend their lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter.
Interception by Christian Rozeboom
A potential turning point occurred when Rams linebacker Christian Rozeboom intercepted a pass with 10:18 remaining in the second quarter, putting the Rams in an advantageous position near the Dolphins' 14-yard line.
However, an illegal blind blocking penalty against the Rams pushed them back to the 43-yard line, erasing the potential momentum shift. To complicate matters, on the next play, Rams running back Kyren Williams lost the ball, giving it back to Miami and ending what could have been a crucial offensive series.
Shortly after this turnover, the Rams defense made a statement as Verse caught Tagovailoa, forcing a fumble that the Rams recovered at the Miami 36-yard line. The Rams capitalized on this opportunity, as Karty kicked a 34-yard field goal to cut the score to 10-3 with 5:46 remaining in the first quarter.
In the second half, a series of mistakes further disrupted the Rams' rhythm. Their opening series was derailed by a high cross and a false start penalty, nullifying what would have been a successful 52-yard field goal by Karty.
After the penalty, Karty attempted a 57-yard field goal, but missed wide right, keeping Miami's lead at 10-6. Miami quickly took advantage, with Tagovailoa leading a touchdown series that ended in a 1-yard touchdown pass to Hill, bringing the score to 17-6.
Despite being knocked out of the #MLSCup, #LionelMessi has won at least 1 club trophy in 15 of his last 20 seasons 🤯🏆🐐 pic.twitter.com/YQ0a8N2tOv
- Betcris (@Betcris) November 12, 2024
Unnecessary Roughness Penalty Allows Miami to Close the Game
The Rams continued to press to close the gap, with Karty adding a 53-yard field goal early in the final quarter, making it a one-possession game.
However, a costly unnecessary roughness penalty against the Rams allowed Miami to advance down the field, culminating in a 37-yard field goal by Sanders that increased Miami's lead to 20-9 with just over nine minutes remaining.
The Rams responded, getting to the Miami 4-yard line on their next series, but once again failed to convert for a touchdown, settling instead for a 22-yard field goal by Karty to put the score at 20-12 with 6:34 remaining.
Miami continued to apply pressure, as Sanders nailed another 50-yard field goal to put the score at 23-12 with just 2:38 left on the clock.
The Rams, struggling to stay in the game, managed to get into the red zone once again, and Karty nailed a 31-yard field goal, his fifth of the night, to cut the score to 23-15 with just 38 seconds remaining. Despite the effort, the Rams' short kick attempt was unsuccessful, and with no timeouts remaining, Miami was able to run out the clock to secure their victory.
Individually, Karty was a standout for the Rams, demonstrating his long-range shooting accuracy by contributing all of Los Angeles' 15 points.
