They've shown they can win at home, so the next step in the St. Louis Rams' progression is winning on the road.

The Rams, who are 7-35 on the road since 2007, including an 0-2 mark this season, will travel to Miami to play the Dolphins on Sunday.

"Sometimes, when you're on the road, you've got to overcome adversity," Rams quarterback Sam Bradford said. "When you're at home, you can feed off your crowd, you can feed off of playing at home in an environment that you're really comfortable in, whereas sometimes on the road, you've got to learn to overcome certain things.

"I think it just comes with going out and doing it. I think once we get one under our belt, hopefully more will come."

The Rams should be brimming with confidence after posting NFC West wins over Seattle and previously unbeaten Arizona in back-to-back weeks.

"I think in this locker room this year, everyone believes, everyone thinks that if we go out and do our job, we have a shot to win," Bradford said. "Everyone just feeds off of Coach (Jeff) Fisher's confidence."

The Dolphins also have reason for optimism. They're coming off a 17-13 win over Cincinnati and they easily could have a winning record if they hadn't lost overtime decisions in back-to-back weeks to the New York Jets and Arizona.

"I think if you watch our film, you'd have to say that we've played five games and I think our guys have been ready to play five times," said Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said, who was hired after Fisher chose the Rams over his other finalist, the Dolphins, for his return to coaching. "That's a good place to start."

One sticking point for Philbin has been the Dolphins' turnovers. They've have committed 12 turnovers -- six interceptions and six fumbles -- this season.

"We've turned the ball over way too much," Philbin said. "Good offenses don't do that, and we've got to get that straightened out."

Having some growing pains should be expected with rookie Ryan Tannehill at quarterback.

Tannehill has thrown for 1,269 yards, the third most in NFL history by a rookie in his team's first five games. Cam Newton (1,610) and Brandon Weeden (1,288) are the only two quarterbacks who have thrown for more yards.

Philbin said Tannehill's relationship with Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, who was his college coach at Texas A&M, was one of the things that made him a good fit.

"We thought he had the physical traits that we were looking for," Philbin said. "We thought he had a strong arm. He moved very well. He threw the ball on the move well. Obviously, our offensive coordinator had a history with him, so we kind of knew how he ticked so to speak."

Running back Reggie Bush, who has rejuvenated his career since joining the Dolphins last season, has taken some of the pressure off Tannehill.

Bush rushed for 1,086 yards and six touchdowns last season, and he's rushed for 417 yards and three touchdowns so far this season.

"Reggie's the inside runner, the outside runner, he's doing everything," Fisher said. "He's catching the ball out of the backfield. We just hope they don't put him back as a returner."

The Dolphins have the top run defense in the NFL with only 61.4 rushing yards allowed per game. They haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 19 games.

Throwing the ball more might be a problem for the Rams, who will be without top pass catcher Danny Amendola because of a shoulder injury.

Amendola has served as Bradford's safety net.

"Danny going down just opens the door, gives an opportunity to some of our other receivers to step up and make plays," Bradford said. "I think Steve Smith is a tremendous inside receiver. I look for him to take advantage of this opportunity. And then the young guys as well. Danny caught a lot of balls, was involved in a lot of our passing game. Those balls, they have to go somewhere."

Amendola's absence also effects the Rams' special teams as he was the team's punt returner. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins is the Amendola's likely replacement on punt returns.

"I'm not concerned about it," Fisher said. "Danny's done so much and is so comfortable with everything and gets it. He's hard to replace, but 'Jenks' is very explosive. We've seen what he can do with the ball in his hands and we just have to get it in his hands and give him some space."

The Dolphins have a blast from the Rams' past on their offensive line in guard Richie Incognito, whose propensity for drawing penalties led to his exit from St. Louis.

"He's been an extremely hard worker since the day I got here," Philbin said. "Football's very important to him. He studies his trade diligently and he's made a nice contribution so far. We've watched the film obviously every week and, while I think he's a physical player, I don't he's had a holding a penalty. Maybe he's had one holding penalty. He plays the game hard."

Contact reporter Steve Korte at skorte@bnd.com or 239-2522.