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Dolphins begin road test against Rams

Nov 25, 2008 - 4:53 PM MIAMI (6-5) AT ST. LOUIS (2-9), 1 pm EST

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- The Miami Dolphins will need to thrive on the road to stay in the playoff chase.

The Dolphins play four of their final five games away from home, starting with Sunday's matchup against the reeling St. Louis Rams.

Miami had its four-game winning streak snapped with last weekend's 48-28 loss to the New England Patriots.

The defeat was a setback for the playoff hopes of the Dolphins, and they cannot afford a slip-up against the pathetic Rams, who have staggered to five straight losses.

"I think this is a time for our team to look at each other and it is a gut check," Miami quarterback Chad Pennington said. "I think we will respond and do what it takes to get back in this thing."

Pennington threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for another, but tossed a costly interception that helped the Patriots open a 13-point lead with 8 1/2 minutes to play.

Miami suffered a devastating injury when leading receiver Greg Camarillo was lost for the season with torn ligaments in his knee.

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano was irked about how his team finished the game, which featured a fight between Patriots left tackle Matt Light and Miami's Channing Crowder. The Dolphins trailed by just three points early in the fourth quarter.

"I'm not just talking about an altercation on the field," Sparano said. "I'm talking about penalties. I'm talking about dropped passes. I'm talking about a lot of things that occurred at the end of that ball game. We've been making a pretty good living here of finishing games and we didn't finish yesterday."

If recent form holds, Miami should not worry about much of a fight from the Rams, who were torched by the Chicago Bears, 27-3, for their fifth straight defeat.

St. Louis has rolled over early and often in the past month, getting outscored, 123-13, in the opening 30 minutes over the last four weeks.

"I will do anything I can to help these guys be successful. Anything," Rams coach Jim Haslett said. "I'll put them in positions where they can succeed individually and as a team. But I can't tackle, I can't tackle anymore for them. I can't do it anymore. I can't take care of the football."

Quarterback Marc Bulger was knocked out of the game with a concussion and replaced by Trent Green, who threw four interceptions.

Bulger will undergo tests later in the week to see if he can play Sunday.