MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- — When the Miami Dolphins needed a big play on Sunday, their defense delivered.

Again.

Minkah Fitzpatrick had a fumble recovery and an interception, helping Miami knock off Tyler Shough and the New Orleans Saints 21-17 for their third consecutive victory. The solid performance by the defense comes after the Dolphins shut down Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills three weeks ago, and got a game-sealing interception against the Washington Commanders in Spain the following week.

“I really appreciate how much this defense has been fighting,” Fitzpatrick said. “We obviously had a pretty rough start to the season. Even throughout our downs and our low periods, we were sticking together.”

De'Von Achane rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown for the Dolphins (5-7), who kept their slim playoffs hopes alive. New Orleans (2-10) has lost six of seven.

The Saints trailed 16-0 at halftime, but they closed to 19-17 with 1:17 remaining on Shough's 15-yard touchdown pass to Devaughn Vele.

Shough was intercepted by Fitzpatrick on the 2-point try, and the safety returned it to the opposite end zone to give Miami two points.

The rookie QB got another shot after the Saints recovered the ensuing onside kick by Charlie Smyth — a former Gaelic football player from Northern Ireland making his NFL regular-season debut. But Miami's defense stopped Shough on fourth-and-1 at the Dolphins 36 to end the game.

“You hope that they can (get a stop)," Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said, “and the beautiful thing is, they did. They came through for us. Regardless of what that looks like, we won the game.”

Smyth connected on a 56-yard field goal to make it 19-11 with 6:08 remaining before Shough nearly completed the comeback. Despite a poor first half that featured an interception and a strip sack, Shough finished with 239 yards and two touchdowns.

“I loved our guys’ resiliency," Saints coach Kellen Moore said. "The way they battled. We didn’t do enough, even at the very end. It was an unfortunate ending. There is stuff to learn from and grow from during that game.”

Tagovailoa was not particularly sharp, completing 12 of 23 passes for 157 yards with an interception. He leads the NFL with 14 picks, which also matches his career high from 2023.

The Dolphins recorded 164 yards rushing behind Achane, who finished with 22 carries and topped 1,000 yards for the first time in his three-year career. Achane scored his 10th touchdown of the season on a 29-yard run on Miami’s opening drive, which ended up being the team's only TD of the afternoon.

“It reverts back to how I'm playing and how I'm operating for those guys,” Tagovailoa said. “When I'm able to distribute the ball well, the operation is well. ... It starts with me.”

The Saints, who entered the game tied for the second-worst scoring offense in the NFL, got nothing going offensively until the opening drive of the second half, when Shough capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive — more than the Saints' 63 first-half yards — with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave. Shough then converted the 2-point try on a run to make it 16-8.

The Dolphins didn't respond until early in the fourth, when Tagovailoa, after nearly throwing a second interception, found Jaylen Waddle for a 22-yard pickup that set up Riley Patterson's 33-yard kick — his fourth of the day.

Injuries

Saints: S Justin Reid left with a knee injury in the first half.

Dolphins: FB Alec Ingold left in the second quarter with a stinger.

Up next

Saints: At Tampa Bay next Sunday.

Dolphins: At New York Jets next Sunday.

------

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