Dolphins Handle Rams in Tua's Starting Debut

Miami Dolphins rookie Tua Tagovailoa didn't put up big numbers in his first NFL start, but the team's defense and special teams led the way to an easy victory against the Los Angeles Rams

Jasen Vinlove-USA Today Sports

Rookie first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa came out with a victory in his first NFL start, but the Miami Dolphins sure made it easy for him.

Continuing the kind of strong defensive work they displayed before they went into their bye, the Dolphins took advantage of four turnovers on their way to a 28-17 victory.

For the first time since 2009, the Dolphins scored touchdowns on defense and special teams. Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel scored on a 78-yard fumble return and was followed by Jakeem Grant's team-record 88-yard punt return.

Tagovailoa threw his first NFL touchdown pass when he hit DeVante Parker with a 3-yard touchdown pass, pleasing numerologists everywhere with a score from 1 to 11 on 11/1.

But Tagovailoa played a supporting role in this third consecutive Dolphins victory, which moved the Dolphins record to 4-3 on the season.

Tagovailoa finished with 12 completions in 22 passes for 93 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

The Dolphins became the first team since the 2004 Colts to create a halftime lead of 18 points or more in three consecutive games.

The two scores gave the Dolphins a 21-7 lead after the Rams had a second-and-goal from the Miami 9-yard line in a 7-7 game.

Myles Gaskin scored on a 1-yard run immediately after linebacker Kyle Van Noy returned a fumble, helping the Dolphins got into halftime with a 28-10 lead despite the fact they were outgained 224-54 in the first half and ran only 22 offensive plays to the Rams' 52.

Gaskin's touchdown created a scoring drive of 1 play for 1 yard in 1 seconds, another nod to numerologists on this Nov. 1 (11/1).

Head coach Brian Flores and defensive coordinator Josh Boyer came up with a defensive game plan that completely baffled Rams quarterback Jared Goff.

The Dolphins came up with four takeaways in the first half, and all of them were caused by pressure and/or confusion.

The first was the interception by defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who dropped into coverage in the middle of the defense while the Dolphins sent a couple of blitzers.

Van Ginkel's touchdown came when Emmanuel Ogbah hit Goff in the pocket while the quarterback was staring at the left side of the offensive formation.

The Eric Rowe interception came when Goff's arm was hit by blitzing linebacker Jerome Baker, and Kyle Van Noy's fumble recovery came when Shaq Lawson hit Goff from the blind side.

As was the case in the victories against Jacksonville, San Francisco and the Jets, the Dolphins did very little offensively in the second half, though the outcome never really was in doubt.

The Rams did mount something of a comeback in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 28-17, but they rally ended when newly signed kicker badly missed on a 48-yard field goal attempt Kai Forbath in the final five minutes.

The Dolphins then got a first down to kill off almost the rest of the clock.

But this game was about the Dolphins defense, which is looking like it's going to be the catalyst for whatever run the team can make in the second half of the season.

As for Tua, it was an underwhelming debut in terms of statistics, but at least it was a winning one.