LOS ANGELES (AP) — DeVante Parker caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannehill with 36 seconds to play, and the Miami Dolphins rallied for two late scores to spoil Jared Goff’s NFL debut with a 14-10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Tannehill passed for 172 yards in the fifth straight victory for the Dolphins (6-4), who were dominated by the Rams’ defense until their final two drives on a rainy day at the Coliseum. Miami barely kept alive its longest winning streak since 2008.
BALL GAME!!! pic.twitter.com/R0Sa6GoHmp
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 21, 2016
After Jarvis Landry caught a 10-yard TD pass with 4:02 to play, the Dolphins got the ball right back and drove downfield for Parker’s diving TD reception in the corner.
Goff went 17 of 31 for 134 yards in a quiet debut by the NFL’s No. 1 pick in the Rams’ 10th game of the season.
Todd Gurley scored on a 24-yard run in the first quarter for Los Angeles (4-6), but neither team managed much offense until Miami’s late surge.
Goff got the ball back at the Los Angeles 41 with 29 seconds left, but moved the Rams only 12 yards before throwing an incompletion in the end zone as time expired.
The Dolphins spent the week in California after beating San Diego last weekend, but their offense was mostly awful until Tannehill got it moving in the final minutes. Parker had eight catches for 79 yards, and Jay Ajayi rushed for 77 yards.
Nearly seven months after the Rams traded up to draft Goff, their prized rookie finally got his first start and was introduced to raucous cheers on a rare rainy day in downtown LA, but he made few memorable plays in a conservative game plan.
The rookie got his first NFL completion on a short pass to fellow rookie Tyler Higbee, but neither team made much headway in the first three quarters. Goff showed mobility in the pocket and made a handful of key third-down throws to keep the Rams moving. They added a 46-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein in the third quarter.
But after Zuerlein missed a 48-yard attempt off the upright with 6:40 to play, the Dolphins finally mounted a scoring drive capped when Landry caught a short pass and his teammates pushed the pile 4 yards into the end zone.
INJURY REPORT
Dolphins: OG Laremy Tunsil started at left tackle in place of Branden Albert, but injured his shoulder during the first half. Backup RT Sam Young moved over to the left side.
Rams: DE Robert Quinn started the game five days after spending the night in a hospital with an apparent case of dehydration. … C Tim Barnes also started after weeklong concerns about his foot. … Rookie LB Josh Forrest hurt his knee in the first half and didn’t return.
UP NEXT
Dolphins: Return home to host woeful San Francisco.
Rams: At New Orleans in yet another long road trip in a season full of travel.
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