SPORT NEWS: Rams’ Jared Verse shares strong views on Tua Tagovailoa leading Dolphins.giang

Tua Tagovailoa is a game-changing talent, which Los Angeles Rams star rookie Jared Verse acknowledges.

Verse, the Rams‘ star linebacker, was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, just Los Angeles’ second draft pick in the first round since Jared Goff in 2016. And while the 24-year-old is only a handful of months into his first season in the league, Verse already understands the type of game-changer Tagovailoa is when healthy.

In the same vein, Rams head coach Sean McVay explained on an episode of the ‘Coach McVay Show’ how the Miami Dolphins are a force to be reckoned with Tagovailoa giving the team a boost. “Especially the spark that Tua has brought them the last couple of weeks,” McVay said before the game.

• Exclusive: Jared Verse confident in NFC success despite Rams’ lackluster 2024 results
• Sean McVay’s Tua Tagovailoa warning rings true as Matthew Stafford can’t find answer

“They’ve got great playmakers, they’re really well coached, they’ve got great playmakers on defense.” During the game itself, Verse saw firsthand how dynamic Tagovailoa was despite the signal-caller’s final line in Los Angeles, completing 20-of-28 pass attempts for 207 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Dolphins’ 23-15 win over the Rams.

Speaking exclusively to Mirror US Sports, Verse shared what he saw on the field as he went up against the 26-year-old star. Additionally, the 24-year-old explained the “spark” Tagovailoa gives the Dolphins, calling to mind what McVay said about the star quarterback.

“Yeah, he is [a spark],” Verse said after the Rams’ loss. “He can roll out the pocket. He took advantage of me not being patient, trying to rush something. He’s able to dictate things like that, and that’s a high-level type of quarterback play, especially from a dual-threat quarterback who can run.

“He knows how to use his feet pretty well.” While Verse complimented Tagovailoa’s skill, the former did sack the latter and also recovered a fumble, showing just how talented the rookie is on that end of the field, though he isn’t taking too much stock into his individual performance because of the loss.

“It’s so easy to look at the plays you did make,” the star rookie reflected. “Sometimes, it’s just, you focus on the plays that you didn’t. You know, if I made that play, now they’re backed up. They have to go for that field goal. They don’t get the touchdown instead. You know, this happens, that happens.”

Looking back on how the Rams defense – as a whole – played against Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, Verse admits the unit “could’ve done better” and there needs to be more consistency with how they play every week. “We did what we were supposed to, but we let them get too many big plays, too many opportunities when they were down in the red zone,” Verse continued.

“They could get field goals or they could go for it. Because they had that opportunity, we didn’t do enough. Offensively, they’re going to figure it out, but defensively, we have to, too.”

After the game, Matthew Stafford, the Rams’ star quarterback, gave Los Angeles’ defensive unit credit for holding Miami’s dynamic offense to 23 points despite the loss. “Yeah, I thought they played great, especially in the first half,” Stafford said to reporters. “Obviously, forced some turnovers.

“That’s a really talented offense. They did a really nice job of it. The drives we were able to get off the field on defense, there was a negative play. A sack or a fumble or whatever it was, a negative play. I thought they did a hell of a job.”

As Verse recalled how the Rams lost, he brought to mind all the good the defense did on the night, even if the game did not go their way. “Our rush was pretty good,” the star rookie pondered.

“They had to keep a lot of people in the box, chippers, you know, everything like that. We stopped the run pretty well. A couple plays here and there that could have the changed the outcome of the game, but for the most part, I feel like those are the two bright spots of what we did so far.”

Verse and the Rams look to bounce back against the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins will look to keep their good fortunes going against the struggling Las Vegas Raiders.