Cote: Defense lifts Miami Dolphins in 23-15 Monday win at Rams — and playoff hopes live! | Opinion

Let’s try on on a little optimism, shall we?

Football teams from the state of Florida — NFL and college at all levels — were 0-11 this past weekend for the first time ever ... until the Miami Dolphins won 23-15 at the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.

And the Dolphins did more than break that historic state shutout.

They gave themselves and their fans a shot to climb back into the playoff chase. Didn’t say a great shot — but hope, in what has been a season of very little of that.

“The resilience of this team, with everybody counting us out — hopefully we can go on a run with this win,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said afterward. “To see the product out there and see the complementary football, this is something we can build on and grow on. This gives us a huge lift.”

Said coach Mike McDaniel: “Our defense really galvanized the whole team. The record doesn’t indicate the talent of our team. It’s up to the team to show that if they feel that way. I feel like that was on display for us tonight. We had an effort that we felt like was more to our standard.”

The Dolphins were impressive Monday night, especially on defense, keeping the Rams out of the end zone and limiting them to five field goals and only 3 for 12 on third-down conversions. They sacked Matthew Stafford four times -- after having only 10 sacks in the first eight games.

Miami still is only 3-6 with the victory, but has extremely winnable consecutive home games next vs. the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots. Take care of that for 5-6 and you have a plausible wild card path in a parity-soaked NFL.

Only two teams since 1990 realignment have made the playoffs after starting 2-6, but Miami has given itself a fighting chance.

The Dolphins led fast Monday, 7-0, after receiver Malik Washington’s 18-yard end-around scoring run, and made it 10-0 when Anthony Walker’s interception created by Calais Campbell’s pressure led to a 50-yard field goal.

L.A. countered with 34- and 55-yard field goals for a low-scoring 10-6 verdict at the half.

Tagovailoa had an interception and a lost fumble to stymie his team, but his defense held the Rams to 106 net offensive yards and sacked Matthew Stafford three times.

Miami was up 17-6 on Tyreek Hill’s 1-yard TD catch — his first since Week 1. He was iffy to play with a wrist injury he said had been aggravated when Miami-Dade Police controversially detained him outside Hard Rock Stadium early this season.

The Rams had won three games in a row entering Monday and were narrowly favored; Miami had lost three in a row, including two in a row on last-minute field goals since Tagovailoa’s return from a concussion absence.

Miami was 1-3 in away games this year before Monday, and had been 2-8 in prime-time games under coach Mike McDaniel. And Tagovailoa had lost four in a row under the lights.

The Dolphins managed a modest 238 total yards in offense Monday but won with stellar defense and just enough on the attack. Miami is now 17-5 under McDaniel when leading at the half.

And this one was huge.

I know, they’re still only 3-6.

But this is a team, finally with its starting quarterback again, trying to fight back from being one of the NFL’s big disappointments after last season’s offensive fireworks.

Miami needed this, city and team, after a weekend when the No. 4-ranked Miami Hurricanes fell from unbeaten with a first loss, and when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami stunningly lost int he first round of the soccer playoffs.

Football or futbol, Miami needed something good to happen.

At last, with the gift of some hope, at least, the Dolphins delivered.