Calais Campbell, Dolphins start ‘wildfire’ to halt losing streak, Rams

Down 10-0 early in the second quarter, Matthew Stafford and the Rams faced third-and-7 and were desperate for some sort of momentum. Instead, the Dolphins delivered 6-foot-8 Calais Campbell. It was a common theme in Miami’s 23-15 win Monday night, plenty of Campbell and plenty of third-down stops.

“Here’s what’s huge,” Campbell told Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter after the game. “The mindset was, to start a wildfire, all you need is one spark. That spark happened to us today. Now, we have to keep blowing and blowing on it. It’s a short week but it doesn’t matter. We need the win, we’re hungry and we’re going to keep fighting for it.”

Miami (3-6) fought and won 23-15 Monday, snapping a three-game losing streak. Led by Campbell, the Dolphins converted hope into action. They spoiled each of the Rams’ first seven third-down attempts until Stafford finally moved the chains with a 17-yard pass to Cooper Kupp late in the third quarter. By that time, the confident Dolphins had a commanding 17-6 lead.

“Just trying to establish the confidence that our effort is going to matter,” said Campbell, who finished with a sack and two pass breakups. “If we keep standing, keep believing, eventually it’s going to pay off. If we just do the small things well, today was a big testament to that. It’s been brewing. Tough losses, good teams, and today we had a good team but found a way to win a ballgame.”

They won by holding the Rams (4-5) to just 3 of 12 on third downs and no touchdowns over three Los Angeles trips inside the Dolphins’ 20-yard line. In fact, the Dolphins ended the Rams’ four-game winning streak by shutting them out of the end zone, something that hadn’t happened in a Stafford start since Oct. 3, 2022, in a 24-9 setback at San Francisco. On third downs in Monday’s loss, Stafford was just 4 of 8 for 45 yards with an interception and three sacks.

“There wasn’t any sort of semblance of complementary football,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “Defensively, I was pleased with the way that we played. I thought we were able to limit them, create a bunch of negative plays, get some turnovers, and give short fields to the offense. Then, ultimately, we weren’t able to capitalize.”

Although they weren’t able to capitalize, the Rams did limit Miami to just 238 total yards and 67 on the ground, both the Dolphins’ lowest totals since Sept. 22. But the Dolphins found the end zone on their first possession, a nicely designed 18-yard touchdown run by rookie Malik Washington, Tua Tagovailoa connected with Tyreek Hill on a 1-yard touchdown that gave the Dolphins a 17-6 lead in the third quarter, although the play may have hurt Miami more than Los Angeles.

Hill, who revealed before the game he would play with torn ligaments in his wrist, said afterward he had back soreness after a wild touchdown celebration with Odell Beckham Jr.

Hill may not practice much this week in preparation for the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7), who come to Miami on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS). The Rams also will be on the East Coast, at New England (3-7) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX).

For more information on the Dolphins and Rams, visit the Miami and L.A. Rams team pages at ProFootballPost.com.