Dolphins defense crumbles in crunch time; Fins fall to Cardinals via last second field goal
The Miami Dolphins do not understand the meaning of complementary football.
When quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined with his latest concussion issue, the defense played well — giving the team a victory against the New England Patriots while keeping them close in multiple other contests. On Sunday, Tagovailoa returned, injecting the Dolphins’ offense with the spark they were missing the last few weeks. However, the defense looked like Swiss cheese against Arizona — allowing pass catchers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride, as well as quarterback Kyler Murray to rip them apart and down them on their own home turf by a score of 28-27.
A cursed season became even more unbearable at the end of Sunday’s game as Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland booted the game winning field goal with no time left — dropping the Miami Dolphins to 2-5 on the year.
GOOD
Tua Tagovailoa makes Miami’s offense watchable once again
When Tua Tagovailoa went down with another concussion in week two against the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins’ season outlook felt grim. The Dolphins immediately placed their face-of-the-franchise on injured reserve, guaranteeing he would miss a minimum of four games. During his absence, quarterbacks Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle took the keys to Miami’s Ferrari-like offense and made it drive like a dilapidated jalopy.
On Sunday, Tagovailoa returned to action — and fans were immediately reminded why he is the perfect quarterback for head coach Mike McDaniel’s system.
On the day, the Dolphins put up 27 points on offense. Prior to their game against the Cardinals, the team was averaging 11.7 points per game in 2024 — a far cry from their 2023 production. Tagovailoa completed 28 of 38 passes (73.7%) for 234 yards and a touchdown — easily Miami’s best passing performance since his week two injury.
Unfortunately, Miami’s defense couldn’t match the play of their offense…
BAD
Miami’s defense can’t match offense’s play
The Dolphins defense couldn’t handle the stars of the Cardinals offense on Sunday.
Quarterback Kyler Murray had his way with Miami all day long — completing 26 of 36 passes (72%) for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He added 19 yards rushing.
Running back James Conner carried the ball 20 times for 53 yards and a touchdown. He tacked on two receptions for 16 yards.
Rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. nabbed 6 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Tight end Trey McBride caught 9 passes for 124 yards.
While holding the Cardinals to just seven points in the first half, Miami’s defense looked lost in the second half — giving up 19 points, including the game winning field goal as time expired.
On a day when Miami’s offense finally looked NFL-caliber again, it was their defense that couldn’t perform well enough to earn the team a victory.
UGLY
Second-half safety breathes life into Cardinals offense
The Miami Dolphins had a ten point lead in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals — that was until a blistering Aaron Brewer snap bounced off of Tua Tagovailoa’s hands and over his head, landing in the endzone before being batted out of bounds by the quarterback. Two points were awarded to the Cardinals, pulling them to within a single score.
On the subsequent drive, Arizona put a touchdown on the board, but couldn’t convert on the two-point try.
Regardless, the damage was done and the Cardinals found themselves down by only two points. It was a critical junction in the game — one that felt like a major momentum shift in favor of Arizona. We all know what happened from there…
Tagovailoa will need to get his fumble issues corrected (he had three fumbles on the day) if the Dolphins hope to have a chance against the division leading Buffalo Bills this weekend.
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The Dolphins have fallen to 2-5 on the season. For all intents and purposes, you can kiss the playoffs goodbye. With that in mind, what do you hope to see from the team moving forward? Is it time to trade stars in an effort to stockpile draft picks? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter at @MBrave13. Fins up!
