Head coach Brian Flores and the Miami Dolphins will face off this Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. This will be the first time that Flores plays the Rams since the Super Bowl LIII victory in 2019, where he served as the Patriots de facto defensive coordinator.
In 2018, the Rams offense was nearly unstoppable. They were averaging 33 points per game, second in the NFL only behind the Kansas City Chiefs. Rams head coach Sean McVay and his electric offense started a movement in the NFL, leading to many teams looking for the next young, offensive-minded coach.
The Rams fought their way to the Super Bowl, where they met up against the New England Patriots. The Patriots made it to the Super Bowl with a brilliant defensive showcase in the postseason. They were the first team since the 1985 Chicago Bears to hold their opponents to a total of seven points or fewer in the first halves of three consecutive playoff games.
The defensive dominance continued in Super Bowl LIII. The game finished as the lowest scoring Super Bowl in NFL history, with a score of 13-3 in favor of New England. The majority of the praise was directed towards head coach Bill Belichick for his master-class defensive game plan.
On the other hand, Belichick was quick to offer praise to Brian Flores after the victory.
“Brian called a great game, as he has all year,” Belichick said. “He’s done a tremendous job for me. In the time he’s been with our organization, he’s worn I don’t know how many different hats — scouting, quality control, special teams, safeties, linebackers, defensive coordinators. He’s done a lot of things.”
Brian Flores is the new Dolphins coach.
His journey:
– Raised in one of NY’s toughest areas
– Same neighborhood as Mike Tyson
– Torn quad ruined NFL chances
– Joined Pats as assistant scout
– Promoted to defensive play-caller
– Held Rams to 3 points in Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/cixPiQ8MnK— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 4, 2019
After the game, McVay admitted that the coaching is what cost the Rams the game.
“There’s no other way to say it, but I got out-coached,’ McVay said.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff was sacked four times, and threw an interception. He was hit 12 times, as the Patriots sent a variety of creative blitzes, preventing the Rams from finding a rhythm. Todd Gurley, who was the NFL’s rushing touchdown leader and a First-team All-Pro that season, was held to 35 yards on 10 carries.
Just over 12 hours after the Super Bowl win, the Dolphins named Brian Flores head coach of the team. Flores will now look to replicate his performance from 2019 this Sunday, a game which will feature rookie Tua Tagovailoa in his first professional start.
It’s clear that the Rams offense isn’t at the same level as it was in 2018. The Rams are currently 19th in total points per game, and no longer have Todd Gurley III or Brandin Cooks.
It appears that the Rams’ strength this season may lie with their defense, led by two time defensive player of the year Aaron Donald and menacing cornerback Jalen Ramsey. This game has the potential to be another defensive battle, one which Brian Flores will certainly embrace.