It's an inter-conference matchup as the 5-2 Los Angeles Rams are in Miami for a date with the 3-3 Dolphins on Sunday inside Hard Rock Stadium as part of the Week 8 slate in the NFL. This is the first meeting between the two franchises since 2016, as the Rams look to snap a four-game skid to Miami.
The Dolphins lead the all-time series, 11-2. Los Angeles' last win over the Dolphins came in 2001 en route to a Super Bowl appearance. The Rams are favored by 3.5 points with an over/under of 46.
Your Turn, Rams
The Lakers won the NBA championship, and 11 days later, the Dodgers won the World Series. The City of Angels has turned into the City of Champions, which means Los Angeles has now turned the spotlight on the Rams.
Sean McVay engineered a Super Bowl run two years ago before missing the playoffs entirely last year. This season, the Rams find themselves in the best division in football, but more than holding their own alongside Seattle, Arizona and San Francisco.
A win Sunday coupled with a 49ers win over Seattle would give the Rams the most wins in the NFC West at the halfway point. This trip to Miami marks their fourth trip to the East Coast as they also try to settle into their new $5 billion digs in SoFi Stadium.
Tua Time
This might be the most anticipated regular-season game for the Dolphins franchise since the Dan Marino era ended in 1999. Tua Tagovailoa becomes the 22nd different starting quarterback for Miami since Marino retired, as the rookie first-round pick takes over a team sitting just one game out of a playoff spot in the AFC.
The timing seemed interesting to many, considering their spot in the standings and the fact they were coming off two decisive victories over the 49ers and Jets, winning by a combined 50 points.
But the bye gave the offense an extra week to prepare to hand the reins over to the future as the Dolphins moved on from Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Whether the decision to make the switch under center came from the sidelines or from management is no longer relevant. The individual success of fellow rookies Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert may have played a part in moving up Tagovailoa's timeline. But whether or not he can keep them in the hunt will be the ultimate test and could prove to be the most beneficial in the long term.
Final Thought and Pick
For now, Tagovailoa has to make his debut against the Rams, who just picked off Nick Foles twice and sacked him four times in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football. Aaron Donald is leading a defense that's starting to click and should be licking their chops at the thought of facing a rookie making his starting debut.
Donald became just the fourth player in NFL history to record eight or more sacks in each of his first seven seasons. He finally got his first sack on Foles, and now he gets a crack at a new fish in the sea.
Pick: Rams -3.5
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