“When we play our best ball, we can still beat anybody,” defensive tackle Calais Campbell said. “We just have to keep believing, keep fighting. And obviously, the margin for error is zero. So it’s a game, but we have to keep going. To get where we want to go, we have to keep fighting and believing.

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

Miami’s stout defense stepped up impressively at SoFi Stadium, forcing two turnovers and keeping the Rams without a touchdown despite gaining 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 finished 9 of 12 for 137 yards on third down alone.

“We have come a long way despite many consecutive losses,” Tagovailoa said. “The resilience of this team in the face of outside noise, everyone counting us out, I hope this is an opportunity not to be wasted. I hope we can continue with this victory and find our rhythm.

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

“It’s the kind of game that can spark a run,” Campbell said. “But it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t win the next one. …The hardest part is: How do you continue this? But as we said in the (pre-match) meetings, to create a forest fire, all it takes is one spark. So we keep believing, keep fighting and run to achieve it.

The loss dropped the Rams to 4-5 heading into Sunday’s game against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

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 they failed to score an offensive touchdown for only the second time in four years when Stafford was in uniform.

“Defensively, I was happy with the way we played,” McVay said. “Ultimately, we weren’t able to capitalize on the offense. There was no semblance of complementary football. … There have been instances where we haven’t been consistent enough. Negligent? Yeah. We need to be able to play better and be more consistent.

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

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

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

Odell Beckham Jr. of Miami then directed a key take for a first try in the stadium where he seriously injured his knee while winning the Super Bowl with the Rams three seasons ago, and the Dolphins scored Sanders’ 50-yard field goal with 2:38 to play.

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

“I walked up to the guy who intercepted me and asked him, ‘Bro, couldn’t you just go out of bounds or back up?'” Tagovailoa said. “However, it was pretty bad tackling form. It was pretty terrible.

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