Los Angeles Rams

3 Questions For Los Angeles Rams Heading Into Week 11 Against Miami Dolphins

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:50 p.m. ET

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Nov 13, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA;
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) warms up before a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s three questions surrounding the Los Angeles Rams heading into Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

After weeks of struggling on offense, the Los Angeles Rams have finally made the switch at quarterback as rookie Jared Goff will make his NFL debut on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. The Rams may rank near the bottom of the league when it comes to overall offense, but Jeff Fisher hopes replacing Case Keenum with Goff will provide the offense with the spark they desperately need.

Los Angeles may be coming off a 9-6 win over the New York Jets, but there’s plenty of reason for concern as the team has scored just 29 points over their last three games. Instead of building off of last year’s offense that was ranked near the bottom of the league overall, the argument can be made the Rams have taken a step back in 2016.

Hopefully, that all will change on Sunday when Goff squares off against the red-hot Dolphins team that has won four games in a row after a disastrous 1-4 start to the season.

So what else should Los Angeles fans expect from Goff in his highly anticipated debut? Well, let’s take a look at five questions surrounding the Rams heading into their matchup against the Dolphins in Week 11.

Sep 25, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) points as he works out prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Can Jared Goff Live Up to Hype?

When taking a closer look at all of the draft picks the Rams surrendered to the Tennessee Titans in order to move up in the 2016 NFL Draft, it was only a matter of time before Goff took over the starting job at quarterback. As frustrating as it was to see Goff watch from the sidelines up until this point, Fisher has made it clear all along that he wanted to wait until the rookie was fully ready.

Unfortunately, making the transition from the collegiate level to the NFL hasn’t been as smooth for Goff when compared to other rookie quarterbacks over the years, but anything at this point would be an improvement for the Rams’ offense. It was obvious at the beginning of the season that Los Angeles didn’t have the strongest receiving corps in the league, but nobody could have predicted they would look this bad on a weekly basis, and most of the blame falls on the shoulders of Keenum.

Fisher made a bold decision at the beginning of the season to go with Keenum as his quarterback due to the fact he believed the veteran gave the team their best shot at making a playoff run. Obviously, Keenum failed to live up to the hype, but here’s to hoping Goff can provide some sort of excitement to this offense that ranks last by averaging just 15.4 points per game.

Sep 25, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) works out prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Will This Be Todd Gurley’s Breakout Game?

From a fantasy football perspective, Todd Gurley has been one of the most frustrating players to deal with in 2016 when considering the sophomore running back enters Week 11 without recording a single 100-yard rushing game on the season. For a running back that was selected with the No. 1 pick in some leagues, it’s easy to see why fantasy owners are frustrated over the Rams running back, but there’s hope for his matchup against the Dolphins on Sunday.

Not only should Gurley benefit from the switch at quarterback of Goff replacing Keenum, but Gurley faces a Miami team that ranks near the bottom of the league by allowing their opponents to average 128.8 rushing yards per game. If Gurley can manage to find holes early on, there’s a good chance he will finally get the monkey off his back by rushing for more than 100 yards for the first time all season.

Unfortunately for Gurley, the running back has been at a disadvantage with opponents stacking the box more since Los Angeles has proven they’re not much of a threat in the passing game. Here’s to hoping a matchup against a weak Dolphins’ rushing defense is just what Gurley needs to finally get the ball rolling in the ground game.

Nov 13, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) looks to pass during the third quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

How Will Rams’ Defense Contain Ryan Tannehill?

Believe it or not, Miami has emerged as one of the hottest teams in football over the last couple of weeks, with one of the reasons being the solid play of Ryan Tannehill at quarterback. Throughout his career, Tannehill has faced plenty of criticism for his inability to lead the Dolphins on offense, and even after a rough start to the 2016 season, the fifth-year quarterback finally has his team on the right track.

Unless the New England Patriots experience an end of season collapse, chances are the Dolphins will have to fight for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs since winning the AFC East seems highly unlikely at this point. Other than facing New England in the regular season finale, Miami has a favorable remaining schedule for the most part, but that doesn’t mean he won’t face a tough challenge against the defense of Los Angeles.

The Rams may only be 4-5 on the season, but their defense has put together some impressive performances this season in which they have found ways to contain quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Carson Palmer. Tannehill has been on a tear as of late, but Los Angeles’ defense seems ready for the challenge as they look to help the team get back to .500 on the season.