Rams offense doesn’t improve with Jared Goff at quarterback, and defense falters down the stretch of 14-10 loss to Dolphins
Bill Plaschke, Lindsey Thiry and Gary Klein break down the Rams’ 14-10 loss to the Dolphins in rookie quarterback Jared Goff’s regular-season debut.
Rain was falling as Jared Goff exited the Rams locker room on Sunday, the rookie pulling a small suitcase behind him as he made his way up the ramp to leave the Coliseum.
A late Miami Dolphins rally had washed away what appeared to be a certain victory for the Rams and their rookie quarterback in his regular-season debut.
Goff did not appear overly despondent.
The No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft performed adequately — if not always effectively — in his first NFL start and was about six minutes from finishing it with a victory.
But a Rams defense that had dominated nearly all of the game could not prevent the Dolphins from scoring two touchdowns in the final four minutes.
The result was a 14-10 defeat before a rain-soaked crowd of 83,483.
“Probably one of the most disappointing losses I’ve endured over the years,” Coach Jeff Fisher said.
It was a bitter defeat for a team that fell to 4-6. Playoff aspirations are fading fast because of an offense that continues to struggle to score.
The Rams’ next three games are against New Orleans, New England and Atlanta. Those teams entered the weekend ranked among the NFL’s best in scoring.
The Rams are last, and did nothing to improve their standing by scoring five fewer points than their league-worst average.
A reliance on the defense to win games cannot continue, tight end Lance Kendricks said.
“At some point,” he said, “the offense has to go out and score.”
After watching Case Keenum throughnine games — and booing the offense two weeks ago at the Coliseum — Rams fans were excited to see what Goff would provide.
“It was definitely a little nerve-wracking,” Goff said of the hours leading up to his debut, “but I’ve never been one to be too nervous.”
He was far from spectacular on a cloudy day that included intermittent showers.
His first pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage. After his next pass, he was slammed to the turf by a Miami defensive lineman.
There were no touchdown passes. No awe-inspiring completions, as offensive coordinator Rob Boras allowed Goff to throw only one lengthy downfield pass, a second-quarter quarter attempt to receiver Kenny Britt that fell incomplete.
Goff completed 17 of 31 passes for 134 yards. He did not have a pass intercepted and did not fumble.
“It took me a couple drives to settle in,” Goff said, adding, “But I felt good.”
Defensive players felt awful after wasting a 10-0 lead that came courtesy of Todd Gurley’s first-quarter touchdown run and Greg Zuerlein’s third-quarter field goal.
“A nightmare,” cornerback Lamarcus Joyner said.
Defensive players did not blame the offense for converting only two of 13 third downs and keeping the defense on the field.
“They gave us a 10-0 lead,” end Robert Quinn said. “All we had to do was hold them to field goals or keep them out of the end zone.
“The best way to put it is we dropped the ball. It’s frustrating, we thought we had a win but I guess that’s why you play until the clock says zero.”
The Rams’ downfall began after Fisher opted to try a field goal rather than go for it on fourth and one at the Miami 30-yard-line with 6:40 left.
Zuerlein’s 48-yard attempt bounced off the upright — his first miss from inside 50 yards this season.
Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill came alive and took advantage of Rams penalties to lead two touchdown drives. He connected with receiver Jarvis Landry for a touchdown with 2:38 remaining. The Rams went three and out — Goff’s pass to Brian Quick on third and 10 went for only six yards — and Tannehill came back and found receiver DeVante Parker in the end zone with 36 seconds left for the game-winning touchdown.
The Rams ran four plays before the Dolphins knocked away Goff’s Hail Mary pass into the end zone.
“It’s hard to praise any of your players in a loss like this,” Fisher said, “but when all eyes were on our quarterback, I thought he handled the game pretty well.”
With his first start behind him, Goff faces another difficult environment next week.
The Rams play at New Orleans against a team that features Drew Brees, considered a future Hall of Fame quarterback.
“What greater challenge can you imagine, being in his shoes, than going down and competing against Drew Brees?” Fisher said. “That’s a huge challenge for a young quarterback.”
Goff sounded like a seasoned veteran, not a rookie, when evaluating his first start.
“We just need to stay out of our own way,” he said. “We just need to continue what we do correctly, and do it well, and we’ll be fine.”
Twitter: @LATimesklein
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