Not since a 3-0 win against Norwich in October have the Loftus Road faithful been able to celebrate a three-point haul but Marc Nygaard ended that barren run with the only goal of the game.
The striker's header – his fourth of the season – earned a victory that Ian Holloway's men thoroughly deserved against a poor Cardiff side.
In fact, the manner of the Welshmen's performance did little to lift the gloom that descended over Ninian Park after they slumped to a nightmare 2-0 home defeat against Plymouth on Boxing Day.
Ian Holloway reacted to his side's sixth defeat in their last nine matches at Brighton with a mass cull that saw six of his starting eleven on the south coast axed – with Nygaard one of the beneficiaries as he came into the attack.
And those changes had an impact with Rangers setting the tempo early on.
Paul Furlong saw an effort bobble wide from close range but the best early chance fell to Nygaard who clipped the top of the bar after being put through by a fine Martin Rowlands through ball.
The home fans were finding their voices in the bitterly cold winter air that had engulfed west London.
But as the game was turning scrappy and QPR began to lose their early impetus those cries were nearly silenced as the on-loan Jason Koumas sent a curling 30-yard free-kick inches wide.
It was the Londoners who then went close from a set play as Neil Alexander was called upon to produce a wonderful finger-tip save from a Richard Langley free-kick that took a wicked deflection off Neil Cox.
But Alexander could do nothing about the effort that saw Rangers take a deserved lead two minutes after the break.
The impressive Lee Cook galloped up the left flank and sent over an inviting cross that was met by the head of Nygaard and his effort looped home for his fourth of the season.
Cardiff began to show glimpses of their early season form but as with their brief first-half flurry, that period of dominance was short-lived as QPR continued to control things.
But Willie Boland nearly made Rangers pay for their poor finishing as his effort from 15 yards was saved by Simon Royce as Rangers hung on for victory.