LOS ANGELES — — Midway through a season filled with heartbreaking losses, major injuries and wildly inconsistent play, the Miami Dolphins mostly got things sorted out Monday night.

While their preseason Super Bowl aspirations are still in grave danger of disappearing, the Dolphins’ gritty 23-15 win over the Los Angeles Rams demonstrated to Miami’s key players that they could still have a chance to do something out of this very difficult year.

Tyreek Hill caught a short touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa in the third quarter to end the longest scoring drought of his career, and the Dolphins (3-6) kept Los Angeles out of the end zone while snapping their three-game losing streak with just their second win in eight games.

“If we play our best ball, we can still beat anyone,” defensive tackle Calais Campbell said. “We just have to keep believing and keep fighting. And of course the margin of error is zero. So it’s one game, but we have to keep it going. If we want to go where we want to go, we have to keep fighting and believing.”

Rookie receiver Malik Washington rushed 18 yards for his first NFL touchdown on the opening possession of a much-needed turnaround night for the beleaguered Dolphins (3-6), who had lost three games by a combined 10 points since their last win on Oct. 6.

Miami’s solid defense improved impressively at SoFi Stadium, forcing two turnovers and holding the Rams touchdown-less despite returning 327 yards.

Tagovailoa passed for just 207 yards, but he made a series of big throws as the Dolphins converted six third downs, most of them in key moments. Tagovailoa was 9 of 12 for 137 yards on third downs alone.

“We have come a long way despite losing a lot in a row,” Tagovailoa said. “The resilience of this team with the external noise, with everyone ignoring us, hopefully this is an opportunity we can’t waste. Hopefully with this win we can continue and find our rhythm.”

Hill had three receptions – including his first TD catch since the season opener – while playing with a wrist injury, and Jason Sanders made three field goals.

“This is the kind of play that can lead to a run,” Campbell said. “But it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t win the next one. … The difficult thing is: how do you continue with this? But as we said in the (pregame) meetings, to start a wildfire it only takes one spark. So we keep believing, keep fighting and running for it.”

The Rams’ run was abruptly halted.

Matthew Stafford passed for 293 yards and rookie Joshua Karty kicked five field goals for the Rams (4-5), whose three-game winning streak ended with a major offensive regression. Los Angeles failed to score a touchdown for only the eighth time in coach Sean McVay’s eight seasons, and it was unable to score an offensive touchdown for only the second time in four years when Stafford was in uniform.

“Defensively, I was pleased with the way we played,” McVay said. “In the end we couldn’t use the attack. There was no semblance of complementary football. … There have been instances where we haven’t been consistent enough. Dirty? Yes. We have to play better and be more consistent.”

After scoring 76 points in the three straight wins, Los Angeles failed to score a touchdown for the first time since November 5, 2023 in Green Bay, while Stafford was injured.

Puka Nacua had nine catches for 98 yards, and Cooper Kupp made seven receptions for 80 yards.

Los Angeles drove to the Miami 4 in the fourth quarter, but McVay settled for a fourth field goal, making it a one-score game with 6:31 to play.

Miami’s Odell Beckham Jr. made then a key catch for a first down at the stadium where he seriously injured his knee while winning the Super Bowl with the Rams three seasons ago, and the Dolphins drove for Sanders’ 50-yard field goal with 2:38 to go.

Tua’s tackle

Tagovailoa threw his first interception since September 12 to Christian Rozeboom in the second quarter, and the oft-injured QB gave his team a scare by going low and tackling the linebacker with his upper body.

“I went up to the guy who intercepted me and asked him, ‘Bro, can’t you just run out of bounds or drop back?’” Tagovailoa said. “That was a pretty bad approach, though. That was pretty terrible.”

Kyren Williams fumbled Los Angeles’ next play, but Rams rookie Jared Verse sacked Tagovailoa and recovered the fumble on the Miami 36 four plays later.

Save Florida

Miami’s win saved Florida State from what would have been an unprecedented 0-12 weekend by the NFL and college teams at the FBS and FCS level.

It also meant the Dolphins, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville didn’t combine to go 0-3 for the third straight week, which would have been the first time since Florida became a three-team NFL state in 1995.

Injuries

Dolphins: CB Kendall Fuller entered the concussion protocol for the second time this year.

Rams: With Rob Havenstein (ankle) sidelined, RT Joe Noteboom (ankle) started his first appearance since the season opener.

Next

Dolphins: Host Las Vegas on Sunday.

Rams: Sunday at New England.

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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL