INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Rams failed to reach the end zone in their 23-15 loss against the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. All of their points came from kicker Joshua Karty, as the offense couldn't capitalize on defensive turnovers.
Los Angeles stuffed the run the best they had all season and earned two takeaways in the first half. Meanwhile, the Rams' offense moved the ball fairly well, gaining more total yards and first downs than the Dolphins, but couldn't finish drives.
Here are five interesting stats from the Rams' Week 10 loss on Monday Night Football:
The Rams forced a loss or zero yards on 31.8% of the Dolphins' rush attempts, the third-highest rate of the week and L.A.'s best of the season by over 10%, via Next Gen Stats
The Rams defense stifled one of the fastest rushing attacks in the NFL on Monday night. They stuffed runs nearly a third of the time against a running back trio with 40-yard dash times all under 4.4 seconds. It was an elite display from the Los Angeles front.
Miami running back De'Von Achane was held to 37 yards on 12 carries, and almost half of that came on one 15-yard rush. Defensive end Kobie Turner said "they didn't have too much going in the running game" and nose tackle Bobby Brown was responsible for a lot of that success at the point of attack.
Brown often knocked linemen into the backfield or drew a double team in the middle of the line to help others run free.
The Rams gained more yards (327) and first downs (20) than Miami (238 yards and 15 first downs)
The Rams moved the ball fairly well between the 20s, but turnovers and stalled drives ultimately resulted in zero touchdowns. Both Stafford and head coach Sean McVay characterized the offense as "inconsistent" after the game.
Once again, the Rams' offensive stagnation revolved around finishing drives, not moving the ball. Los Angeles didn't come up with a single touchdown on their three red zone trips and went 3-for-12 of third downs.
Jared Verse passed Myles Garrett for the longest active streak of games with three or more pressures (nine), and he's the first to do that in his first nine career games, via Next Gen Stats
Verse joined elite company in multiple ways on Monday. His third-straight game with a sack gave him 4.5 on the season, leading all rookies. He now has at least 10 more pressures (45) through his first nine career games than last the four edge rushers who would go on to win Defensive Rookie of the Year: Will Anderson Jr. (2023), Nick Bosa (2019), Myles Garrett (2017) and Joey Bosa (2016).
His two tackles for loss gave him 11 on the season, tying him with Von Miller and Micah Parsons for second-most through a player's first nine career games since tackles for loss became an official stat in 1999. Verse said he "will never be satisfied" with his play, but the stats speak for themselves – he's having a historic rookie season.
Linebacker Christian Rozeboom achieved career highs in passes defended (three) and PFF defense grade (90.0)
Rozeboom had the best coverage game of his career against Miami. Usually getting his production via tackles, Rozeboom had one interception along with two pass breakups and in a fantastic coverage performance from the linebacker position.
On five targets, Rozeboom allowed just two receptions for 35 yards with a 25.0 passer rating, according to Next Gen Stats. With Troy Reeder on Injured Reserve, Rozeboom has stepped up over the past several weeks to fill the void, and that showed up in the passing game on Monday.
Karty's five field goals made is tied for second-most by a rookie in NFL history
If a false start penalty hadn't pushed a made 52-yarder back to a 57-yard kick that Karty missed, he would have been tied for first. Alas, Karty will have to settle for second, as he made five out of six kicks, including two from over 50 yards against the Dolphins. He also registered a new career-high of 55 yards to close out the first half.
There are four rookies tied at the top with six made field goals in one game. Karty's five were the most for a rookie since last November, when Blake Grupe hit that many for the Saints. It was a fantastic display of clutch kicking from the rookie as he kept the Rams competitive until the end.
