Week 8 NFL Rams at Dolphins Betting Preview
All Eyes on Tagovailoa
The Week 8 Rams at Dolphins betting matchup is going to draw more interest than it normally would as Miami coach Brian Flores has decided to make the switch to rookie Tua Tagovailoa at QB. That makes this tilt very hard to handicap, especially with the Dolphins having the bye last week and the Rams traveling across the country for an early game on a short week after beating the Bears on Monday night.
The Dolphins +3.5 points doesn’t look bad in this spot, but then again Tagovailoa hasn’t played since dislocating his hip last November 16th against Mississippi State. The Dolphins had won 3 of 4 before making the signal caller change, but the Rams looked very good in beating the Bears 24-10 on MNF as -6.5 favorites. Do you go with the known – or the potential – in this game?
Can Rams Be Trusted on the Road?
The Los Angeles offense looked good on Monday night, ripping through an alleged good Bears defense for 160 yards on the ground. One thing to like about Los Angeles is that they have two quality RBs as Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown both gained 55+ yards vs. Chicago.
The Rams are traveling for an early game and on a short week however – and despite Monday’s win, games with the Bears are generally pretty physical. The Dolphins defense pitched a shutout the last time they were in action, albeit in a 24-0 win against the Jets. New York did run for 115 yards vs. Miami though, and San Francisco had 131 yards rushing on just 19 carries a week earlier.
One big advantage L.A. has in Rams at Dolphins betting is the pressure of Aaron Donald up against a QB making his first start in a little under a year. The Rams average 3.4 sacks/game, which is 4th in the NFL. Donald is 2nd in the NFL with 8 sacks, just one behind Myles Garrett of Cleveland.
Tagovailoa the Big Storyline
It was only a matter of time before the Dolphins made the switch to the #5 pick in the 2020 NFL draft. Ryan Fitzpatrick hadn’t been doing a bad job leading Miami to a 3-3 record, including a remarkable 43-17 win in San Francisco in Week 5 as +8.5 underdogs.
Tua Tagovailoa was great at Alabama, with a 71.4% completion percentage to go with 33 TD and just 3 INT last season. He hasn’t played in nearly a year however, and Tagovailoa really missed out on there not being a preseason this year. Flores will try to give his rookie help with Myles Gaskin, who had a season high 91 yards on 18 carries against the Jets. The Rams are 7th in the NFL vs. the run, but also 5th vs. the pass.
Rams at Dolphins Betting Free Pick
A bet on the Dolphins on Sunday is a wager on Tagovailoa succeeding in literally his first NFL snap. The rookie did get first team reps the last two weeks thanks to the bye week, and Los Angeles is traveling on a short week.
The Dolphins are 3-3, but two of those wins came against Jacksonville and the Jets who are a combined 1-13. If the rookie succeeds he gets a tip of the cap, but the wager is on the proven commodity.
Rams 27 – Dolphins 13
Free Pick: Rams -3.5
