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DOLPHINS AT RAMS
GAME FACTS
DATE: Sunday, Nov. 30
TIME: 1:00 p.m. ET
SITE: Edward Jones Dome; St. Louis, Mo.
TV: CBS
THE SERIES
SERIES RECORD: Miami leads 8-2
AT MIAMI: Dolphins lead 4-1
AT LOS ANGELES (Rams played in L.A. from 1946-94): Dolphins lead 3-0
AT ST. LOUIS: Tied 1-1
LAST MEETING: 2004 at Miami; Dolphins 31, Rams 14
SERIES HIGHLIGHT: The 2004 season was one to forget for the Dolphins, who started off 0-6 on their way to a 4-12 finish. But everything clicked in Week 7 when the Rams came to town with a 4-2 mark. Quarterback Jay Fiedler was almost flawless, completing 13 of 17 passes for 203 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 154.8 passer rating. The Dolphins put the exclamation point on their first victory of the season when Fiedler connected with Chris Chambers for a 71-yard touchdown pass 27 seconds after St. Louis scored to make the score 24-14.
SERIES LOWLIGHT: The Dolphins hung in there for a while against the high-powered Rams in their last visit to St. Louis in 2001, but things started to unravel on the last play of the first half and Miami left town with a humbling 42-10 defeat. On fourth-and-goal from the 1 with three seconds left before halftime, the Rams bypassed a chip-shot field goal and were rewarded for it when Kurt Warner hit Marshall Faulk with a touchdown pass. The score extended St. Louis' lead to 21-10, and the Rams went on to add three unanswered touchdowns in the second half.
SCOUTING REPORT
ST. LOUIS' RECORD: 2-9
LAST GAME: Lost to Chicago, 27-3
THE ST. LOUIS OFFENSE: In the span of a few years, the Rams have gone from having one of the most potent offenses in the league to having one of the most anemic. The Rams rank near the bottom in every offensive category and have managed to score 20 points in a game only once this season, in the shocking 34-14 victory over Dallas on Oct. 19. Injuries have been a big part of St. Louis' problems. That victory over Dallas was the Rams' second in a row under interim head coach Jim Haslett after four losses to open the season under former Dolphins offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, but an injury to running back Steven Jackson seemed to sap all the momentum the Rams had built. Jackson has missed the last four games, all losses, because of a thigh injury, but there's a chance he could return Sunday. The Rams also have a question mark at quarterback because Marc Bulger sustained a concussion in Sunday's loss to Chicago. If he's not cleared to play, the Dolphins will be facing none other than Trent Green, who struggled in the second half last week after replacing Bulger. Torry Holt is the Rams' leading receiver, but he's averaging only 11.8 yards per catch. Nobody on the St. Louis roster has caught more than two touchdown passes. The Dolphins really should be able to shut down the Rams offense unless Jackson plays and isn't slowed by his injury.
THE ST. LOUIS DEFENSE: Unfortunately for the Rams, their defense hasn't been much better than their offense. St. Louis began the season by giving up at least 30 points in their first four games, and now they've allowed 27 or more in each of their last four. Teams have run at will against the Rams, as evidenced by the 4.9-yard average per rushing attempt. The Rams haven't fared much better in pass defense, as opposing quarterbacks have combined for a 100.2 passer rating against St. Louis. Problems in coverage have surfaced all year, and the pass rush hasn't done enough to help. James Hall and Leonard Little share the team lead in sacks, but they only have 4.5 apiece. Chris Long, the second overall pick in the draft, is third with four sacks. The one bright spot on defense has been safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who has a fumble return for a touchdown this season as well as four interceptions. But this clearly is a defense the Dolphins should be able to exploit.
THE ST. LOUIS SPECIAL TEAMS: The one area where the Rams have had a pretty good season is on special teams, thanks in part to a former Dolphin. That would be punter Donnie Jones, who is among the league leaders with a 49.6 gross average, to go along with an impressive net average of 40.7 yards. Also having a good year is kicker Josh Brown, who has made 19 of 23 field goals, including 4 of 6 from 50 yards or beyond. The Rams didn't get much out of kick returner extraordinaire Dante Hall before he landed on injured reserve, and now the one handling the job is Derek Stanley. He had a 75-yard kickoff return against the Bears last Sunday.
LOOKING AHEAD
DEC. 7 - DOLPHINS VS. BUFFALO
This is a game that could have major playoff implications, but will be noteworthy regardless. The game, which will kick off at 4:05 p.m. at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, will be the first regular season contest played in Canada. The Dolphins will be going for a season sweep of the Bills and will be looking to make it another frustrating afternoon for quarterback Trent Edwards.
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