Dolphins vs Cardinals: Shootout at the University of Phoenix

Following a dominant defensive performance against the Rams the week before, the Miami Dolphins flew over to Arizona to face off against yet another daunting foe in the NFC West that is the Arizona Cardinals.

Led by second-year quarterback Kyler Murray, the Cardinals look to make a playoff run this season, especially with the acquisition of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason, they hope a revamped offense would make a push to the postseason and be a force to reckoned with throughout the league, as the NFC West has proven throughout this point in the season, as a dangerous division to play against.

That is of course, if they’re not the Miami Dolphins, as they entered the game 2-1 against the NFC West making minced meat of the 49ers and the Rams, with their only loss being against the high-flying Seahawks.
In the first quarter of the game, the Miami defense struck first, as Emmanuel Ogbah managed to force a strip-sack off of Murray, as Shaq Lawson scoops up the fumble and take it in for a defensive touchdown, as the Dolphins took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

On the Cardinals next possession after the Miami touchdown, they showed no letup as Murray and the offense managed to break through the revamped defense, with the help of Murray’s ability to scramble in the pocket and the durable Larry Fitzgerald, who was able to contribute for a first down inside Miami’s 20-yard line from a 2nd down and 9 situation.

Near Miami’s endzone on a 1st and goal, Murray performs a fake handoff and lobs a touchdown pass to tight end, Maxx Williams, to tie up the score in the first quarter.

With Miami back on offense, the young rookie Tua Tagovailoa then lead the offense on a spectacular 75-yard drive, as wide receiver Preston Willaims helped contribute for a first down conversion with a catch that almost seemed to mirror that of Julio Jones from Super Bowl LI.

On a 2nd and 5 inside the Arizona 33-yard line, Tagovailoa manages a play fake of his own and fires another pass for a first down to tight end Mike Gesicki. He then managed to find another tight end for the first down in Durham Smythe as he helped them get past the first down marker for a first and goal, which then resulted in a touchdown from Jordan Howard one down later, as the Dolphins took back the lead.

With time expiring in the first quarter, Murray then guided the Cardinals offense, as he decided to light up the offense by throwing long balls to Fitzgerald for big gains and in the second quarter, threw yet another long pass in the air to Christian Kirk for the game-tying touchdown for 56-yards, as Arizona tied Miami yet again, proving that this game would be a memorable one to remember for two young quarterbacks, as they looked to become the face of their franchises.

The Dolphins would then respond with yet another drive of their own, with Tagovailoa going for his own air attack, targeting wide receiver Preston Williams for a big gain, passing midfield, while having rookie running back Salvon Ahmed complete his first professional NFL down, as he guided the Dolphins past the Cardinals 35-yard line. Ahmed would then carry the ball again for another gain, guiding the Dolphins down to the Arizona 14-yard line.

Tagovailoa would then complete this drive with a pass to Preston Williams, who would then get past the first down marker and all the way into the endzone for his 4th touchdown of the season, as Miami took the lead yet again.

As Arizona took the field on offense again, Murray showed just how mobile with the ball he could be, as he scrambled in the pocket avoiding sacks, while also having tight end Dan Arnold and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald catching passes for huge gains down the field.

Fortunately for Miami, they were able to contain the Cardinals passing and rushing attack, as they forced them to kick a field goal, cutting the Dolphins lead by 4. The first half of this game would close out with a field goal from Jason Sanders to put the Dolphins up by a touchdown once more from 56 yards out just as time expired.

The second half of this game proved to have a different vibe compared to the first half, as Arizona proved just how deadly their offense could be this season, as Murray would lead his team down the field, all the way into the endzone for what would’ve been a touchdown intended for Darrell Daniels, only for it to be batted away. After further review, however, the pass was ruled a touchdown as the Cardinals tied the game up once again 24-24.

Their defense proved to be just as resilient, as they were able to hold off Tagovailoa from a third-down conversion and put the pressure on the offense, just as they did late in the first half of this game.

Murray and the Arizona offense take the field once again, as they marched down the field with weapons like Larry Fitzgerald and DeAndre Hopkins catching passes for big gains down the field.

As they reached midfield, with the ball on a critical 4th down and 1, Murray then fakes the handoff for a run of his own, as he threw off the Miami defense for a big gain all the way to the Miami 29 yard line.

Following a crucial penalty on cornerback Xavien Howard, the Cardinals were then able to score a 2nd straight touchdown not long after with Kyler Murray running it in, as he gave the Cardinals the first lead of the game.

Heading into the 4th quarter, this was now Miami’s time to shine, as Tagovailoa now had to prove just how clutch he could be when his team was trailing. And what ensued during the beginning of that quarter proved that Tagovailoa can deliver on what was promised, as he was able to find Devante Parker for a first down when his team was backed all the way near the endzone on a crucial 3rd down and 9, and took advantage of his mobility when he was under pressure by the defense and avoid what would’ve been a costly sack, putting a move on Budda Baker in the process as he brought the ball toward midfield.

Devante Parker would then contribute by catching a dart pass by Tagovailoa, helping the Dolphins get past midfield in the 4th quarter.

On the Cardinals 28-yard line, as Tagovailoa stepped back to pass, he saw an opening and took advantage of that opportunity, as he ran past defenders for a huge gain, as he put the Dolphins at the Cardinals 10-yard line. It then resulted in a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki, as Miami tied the game up with 11:19 left in the 4th quarter.

After the touchdown, it would then be a back and forth affair between the Miami and Arizona offense for a majority of the fourth quarter, with both teams struggling to get anything going. Miami would then score the last points of the game, as Tagovailoa would guide his team all the way to field goal range, with the Cardinals defense making sure that they wouldn’t see the endzone, as kicker Jason Sanders kicked his 20th field goal in a row to give Miami back the lead.

With the ball back on Arizona, Murray attempted to give the Cardinals back the lead or tie the game, as they didn’t want to give Miami the satisfaction of walking out of the University of Phoenix Stadium with a win. With the ball at field goal range, Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez kicked a 49-yard field goal to help tie the game up with less than 2 minutes remaining but unfortunately fell short.

With a third and 1 with a minute remaining, Tagovailoa goes for the quarterback sneak to give Miami the first down and a crucial road win, as they defeat the Cardinals in a 34-31 shootout and push their record up 5-3, winning four straight games in a row since they started the season 1-3.
With another victory in the books, it’s all about moving forward from here, as Miami is slowly proving to be a more dangerous team since Tagovailoa became the starter, the defense is playing more sharply, the offense is clicking, and the special team is just as brilliant.
Miami will now see what it would take to keep the winning streak alive, as their next opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers, also have something to prove with rookie quarterback Justin Herbert.