Rams at Dolphins
Jeff Fisher has quickly turned around the St. Louis Rams, who look for their first three-game winning streak since 2006 when they visit the Miami Dolphins for an interconference game on Sunday. St. Louis is north of the .500 mark for the first time in six years and already has surpassed last year’s win total. Winning at Miami would be another major achievement for Fisher’s squad. The Rams have lost four straight there and are 0-2 on the road to start the season. Led by improving rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill and a staunch defense which hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in the last 19 games, Miami shut down Cincinnati in a 17-13 road victory last week.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Dolphins -3.5, O/U 37.5
ABOUT THE RAMS (3-2): The Rams will play without top receiver Danny Amendola, who suffered a broken collarbone in St. Louis’ win over Arizona last week. QB Sam Bradford called the loss huge and it was evident early. He finished with just 141 passing yards on the night while struggling to find anyone to target until he connected with Chris Givens on a 51-yard scoring bomb. The Rams are 0-2 on the road and moving the ball won’t be easy against the Dolphins, especially with Steven Jackson struggling to regain his old form. Jackson ran for a season-high 76 yards last week.
ABOUT THE DOLPHINS (2-3): Miami is ranked No.1 in the league against the run and has recorded 11 sacks in the past two weeks. The Dolphins stymied the Bengals last week, limiting them to 80 yards on the ground. The Dolphins have to be kicking themselves for losing back-to-back overtime games, both of which they appeared to have in hand. Miami blew a late lead in losing at Arizona, and kicker Dan Carpenter missed a field goal that would have beaten the Jets. Tannehill has flashed his big-play ability, becoming the first rookie in league history to pass for over 1,250 yards and win at least two of his first five games. He was 17-of-26 last week.
EXTRA POINTS
1. St. Louis has allowed just 16 points in its last two games.
2. The Rams' offense is ranked 29th in the NFL.
3. Miami WR Brian Hartline leads the NFL with 514 yards.
Prediction: Dolphins 21, Rams 14