Miami’s defense held its own in keeping Los Angeles out of the end zone Monday night, as a pair of turnovers and four sacks helped secure the Dolphins’ 23-15 victory over the Rams at SoFi Stadium.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went 20-of-28 (71.4 pct.) for 207 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Miami’s offense added some explosive plays to the mix as they tallied three plays of 25+ yards in the air and two plays of 15+ yards on the ground.

The game started well for Miami, with Tagovailoa connecting with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle for a gain of 19 on the first play from scrimmage. The two later connected again on the drive on third-and-13 from their own 46-yard line, as Tagovailoa scrambled out of the pocket and delivered a pass to a wide-open Waddle that was brought down deep in Rams territory for a gain of 36 yards.

Rookie wide receiver Malik Washington capped the drive with an 18-yard rushing touchdown, the first score of his career, to give the Dolphins an early 7-0 lead with 12:01 left in the first quarter.

The Dolphins’ defense started out as strong as their offense, forcing a Los Angeles three-and-out on their first two possessions. Defensive tackle Zach Sieler set the tone for the first defensive play of the series, tackling running back Kyren Williams in the backfield for a loss of 10 yards. After each team traded punts, rookie linebacker Chop Robinson recorded the second sack of his career, bringing down quarterback Matthew Stafford for a loss of 10 yards on third down, forcing the Rams to punt again.

The Rams started to gain momentum on their next possession, but that was quickly stopped when linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. a pass from Stafford picked off after defensive tackle Calais Campbell tipped the ball toward the line of scrimmage, giving Miami the ball on its own. -yard line.

The Dolphins took advantage of the turnover, as a 15-yard run by running back De’Von Achane led to a 50-yard field goal by kicker Jason Sanders, extending Miami’s lead to 10-0 with 14:07 left in the second quarter.

After another Rams punt, Tagovailoa was picked off by linebacker Christian Rozeboom, but the Dolphins got the ball back a play later after defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand forced Williams into a fumble, which was recovered by cornerback Kendall Fuller.

A sack of Tagovailoa on the next drive led to the Rams’ first points of the game with a 34-yard field goal by kicker Joshua Karty. Los Angeles would score again as time expired in the second quarter after an 11-play, 54-yard drive resulted in a career-high 55-yard field goal for Karty to cut Miami’s lead to 10–6 at the break .

Coming out of the half, the Rams began to build momentum for what looked like a promising drive, but a missed 57-yard field goal attempt by Karty prevented Los Angeles from falling further into the deficit.

Miami took advantage of field position to extend their lead on the next drive. Tagovailoa found Jonnu Smith on second-and-8 for a gain of 10, pushing them into Rams territory. The two connected in a crucial spot on third-and-3, with Smith breaking multiple tackles during his rumble to the Rams’ one-yard line for a 33-yard gain. On the next play, wide receiver Tyreek Hill caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa, giving the Dolphins a 17–6 lead with 5:32 left in the third quarter.

The Rams scored two more field goals with the game still within reach, but after each score Miami answered with points of their own.

On Miami’s final scoring drive, with less than seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Tagovailoa completed a crucial third-down pass to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to move the sticks and then fired a 17-yard strike to Washington on the ensuing play. The Dolphins used the run game to buy time off the clock, setting up a 50-yard field goal by Sanders that gave Miami a commanding 23-12 lead with 2:38 left in the game.

Sanders, who also made a 37-yard field goal earlier in the fourth quarter, is now 6-for-8 this season on field goals of more than 50 yards.

Karty made a 31-yard field goal with 42 seconds left, cutting Miami’s lead to eight, but the Dolphins came away with the ensuing onside kick, cementing the win.

Miami returns to Hard Rock Stadium to face the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) on Sunday, November 17 at 1:00 PM on CBS.