By james art The Arizona Cardinals (3-4) hope to walk into Hard Rock Stadium in Week 8 and upset a Miami Dolphins (2-4) team looking to turn the corner on the season.
Tua Tagovailoa’s emergence from the concussion protocol should give Miami a boost — but will it be enough to secure a victory over a Cardinals team looking for its first set of back-to-back wins in the Jonathan Gannon era?
Staff Predictions:
Donny Drouin – What version of Tua Tagovailoa will emerge? If there is no rust, the Cardinals could be in deep trouble thanks to a weak pass rush and an equally threatening cornerback spot outside of Garrett Williams. It could be a track meet on Sunday, which is something Arizona isn’t built for, nor has it shown the ability to generate points in recent weeks. MIA 30, AZ 20
Richie Bradshaw – Tua Tagovailoa may need a week or two to recover and the Cardinals may see that as an opportunity. However, I see it as a trap. If there’s one player who’s most excited about Tua’s return, it’s Tyreek Hill, as he’s been a near non-factor since his quarterback’s injury. With Tua back, whether it’s 100% or not, look for Cheetah to go wild. As for the Cards offense, they need to give the keys to James Connor while looking at the best secondary in the league led by Jalen Ramsey. It’s a matchup against a perennial playoff contender, but Miami hasn’t been itself this year even with Tua out. Give me the birds to upset the wings in South Beach and get back to .500. AZ 24, MIA 14
Alex D’Agostino – The Cardinals did nothing to convince the NFL they were a serious threat last week. Scoring 17 points and failing to bring in Marvin Harrison Jr. doesn’t inspire confidence that they can do better against a better defense. And while Nick Rallis and the defense were excellent in stopping the Chargers from reaching the end zone, yardage was easy to come by. The Dolphins are completely different, and with Tua Tagovailoa returning — possibly with a chip on his shoulder, he and Tyreek Hill will get the chance to play righty right away. This game won’t be won with another sub-200-yard day from Kyler Murray, and the defense won’t be lucky enough to stop the vertical passing threat. It might not be a real blowout, but Miami will go around Arizona with their team finally getting their act together in 2024. MIA 31 AZ 19
Kevin Hicks – Expect the return of Tua Tagovailoa to either force Arizona to step up their approach or completely overwhelm them with the multitude of weapons at their disposal. I’m expecting the first one. It feels like a game where the offense could get better — and where James Connor can simplify things for a passing game that has a ways to go. Both teams are fighting for a chance to get back into the playoffs – so expect a rubber match throughout. Cardinals win hard. AZ 24, MIA 20
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